Developed by staff, academics and regulators, the framework has also been informed by people living with dementia and their carers. It’s aim is to ensure that all of those working with people who have dementia have the knowledge and skills to deliver high quality care. The framework is designed to support: identification of what skills and expertise are needed, identification of gaps in knowledge and skills, facilitation of the planning for ongoing development and trainng; development and delivery of training and preparation for career progression. Adopting a tiered approach to support people at different stages of knowledge the framework addresses thirteen themes from dementia awareness to leadership in transformational dementia care. Each theme is contextualised, supported by statements from people living with dementia, the audience for the theme is identified, knowledge and skills outcomes provided with a recommended reading list. The framework emphasises a collaborative approach to supporting people to live well with dementia.

th people who have a specific disease such as dementia. They scope out what Integrated Care Pathways are and consider the practical application of Integrated Care Pathways. They summarise the evidence pointing to the benefits of Integrated Care Pathways and outline the challenges that need to be addressed if Integrated Care Pathways are to be successful. They compare and contrast two cases studies, one from England and one from the Scotland, before looking at the relevance of Integrated Care Pathways for ROI, following which they highlight key issues relating to the health care system and the role of case management that need to be addressed if Integrated Care Pathways are to be successfully introduced in ROI. Cahill (2013), writing about dementia and integrated care, argues that although integrated care services is widely promoted in public policy in ROI, the evidence suggests that integrated care for people with dementia is more of an aspiration than a reality. She identifies several changes that are needed in service provision for integrated care to become a reality for people with dementia.    

De Siún and Manning (2010) collected data from nurses and care attendants via postal questionnaires and focus groups. They found very low levels of dementia care training among both nurses and care attendants. Responses to the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire, which aims to capture attitudes to people with dementia revealed that respondents scored quite well on the Person-centred dimension, which refers to the way in which people with dementia are responded to as unique individuals with the same value as any other person, but scored less well on the Hope dimension, which reflects a sense of optimism/pessimism towards the abilities and the future of people with dementia. The report concluded that there is a need for a core generic dementia education programme focusing on both personal attitudes and general care practices to be offered and one that could be provided on a modular basis to staff in all areas of work. 

r delivery over three and a half education days. Its aim was to provide participants with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to deliver high quality, person-centred care to people with dementia. The programme was piloted in two areas. An evaluation was carried out to capture the views of participants and facilitators on the content and delivery of the programme, the impact of the programme on staff knowledge and attitudes to dementia, and the views of managers on the impact of the programme on their organisation/area of work. The evaluation indicated that the programme has the desired impact on staff knowledge and attitudes. The content and delivery of the programme were evaluated very positively by both participants and facilitators who valued the experience of inter-disciplinary learning. Overall the programme was found to have provided an excellent model for improving staff knowledge, attitudes and care practices for dementia in ROI.

In contrast to De Siún and Manning (2010a), this report focuses on the information, training and education needs of a much wider range of stakeholders starting with the person with dementia, and including people in their care-giving network, healthcare system and the broader community in which they live. The report outlines the major gaps in education and provides recommendations for future educational and service reform. It identifies seven priority areas which are to provide the focus for the development of education and training programmes.