The document discusses efforts to improve care for dementia patients in acute hospital settings in line with the 8th pillar of the national dementia action plan. It describes how allied health professionals were tasked with working with families and carers as equal partners. An investigation of current practices found opportunities to better utilize "Getting to Know Me" forms to learn more about individual patients' needs, behaviors, and preferences from a family perspective. A pilot program was implemented to improve the use of these forms and enhance the personalized care experience for both patients and their carers. The viewpoints shared by one carer emphasize the importance of understanding unique details about the individual patient to truly know how to meet their needs.

1. AHP contribution to 8 pillar model
• AHP group challenged to support the Dementia
national action plan point 8 in acute setting;
work as equal partners with families, friends and
carers.
• Investigated current AHP practice in acute
setting by looking at use of Getting to know me
forms.
Lyndsay Stewart

2. Pilot to improve Personalised
approach
• Implement and audit a number of changes
within selected acute wards to ensure getting
to know me forms utilised and patient and
carer experience improved
• Ensure best practiced maintained within
acute setting
• Future developments identified
Lyndsay Stewart

3. Viewpoint from a carer
My mum was very poorly and how would they know when mum
needed a drink? My mum could not ask at this time, but I
always knew. She would smack her lips very softly to me and I
would know mum was thirsty and needed a drink.
How would they know my mum was very fearful when people
spoke too loudly or when too many people gathered near her?
After all it was always just mum and me at home.
But the big question was, and for me still is, is how would they
know who Joan Whitelaw is?
That’s important. It has to be; if we don’t know who people truly
are, who they have been and how we can help them still to be,
then we can’t really say we are caring
Tommy Whitelaw (Tommy kindly allowed us to take this
abridged quote from his blog dated 01/12/2014
Lyndsay Stewart