WASHINGTON, D.C.: Researchers in North Wales are set to study how best to care for dementia patients – a disease that costs the UK £26.3bn a year.
The research, by Paul Brownbill for his PhD at Wrexham Glyndŵr University , will explore and describe community hospital healthcare workers’ everyday decision-making in relation to people with dementia.
Paul picked three community hospitals across North Wales to observe and then report back his findings to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Trust (BCUHB) with the hope of influencing and developing policies.
Paul, a former social worker who specialised in people living with dementia on hospital wards, said: “I am observing hospital staff decision-making processes.
“I’m not saying if they are the right or wrong decision, it’s more about how they came to that decision.
“This can be any decision made, including decisions where you don’t even realise the decision-making process carried out or the actual decision that you’ve made.”