Championing
dementia
Dr Kritika Samsi
Research Associate
Social Care Workforce Research Unit
King’s College London
kritika.1.samsi@kcl.ac.uk
What is dementia?

Short-term memory problems

Confusion

Changes in mood

Communication can be affected
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Mental Capacity Act

Aims to protect people with decisionmaking capacity problems

Applies to those with loss of capacity

Respects autonomy and choice
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Mental Capacity Act & Dementia

Encourages people to plan in advance

People can appoint Lasting Power of
Attorney

Criminalises wilful neglect and ill-treatment
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Money management and people
with dementia
Dementia can impact severely on ability to
manage money
 Technical financial management tools
 Sensitivity of topic
 Carers may face barriers when helping

Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Financial abuse and people with
dementia
May be isolated
 May be trusting of strangers
 May feel pressured and unable to seek
appropriate help
 Capacity to recognise danger may be
impaired

Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Our research during stages of
dementia
Phase I:
Before memory loss and forgetfulness
Phase II:
After receiving a diagnosis of dementia
Phase III:
When person finds it difficult to make decisions
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Our research during stages of
dementia
Phase II:
After receiving a diagnosis of dementia
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Alzheimer’s Society project on
financial abuse




Focus group with people with
dementia
Focus group with carers
Survey data of
 Alzheimer’s Society staff
 Nursing & social services staff
 People with dementia
 Carers
Interviews with Safeguarding
Adult Coordinators
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
What people with dementia face
Pressure when out shopping with limited
time to count change
 Financial abuse often goes undetected
 Problems when reporting abuse
 Talking about abuse

Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
What carers said
Difficulties dealing with banks
 Unaware of implications of unintentional
fraud
 Unsolicited salesmen
 ‘Stranger abuse’

Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Common obvious signs of potential financial
abuse reported by Alzheimer’s Society staff
Change in relationship with money
Personal situation
External or internal influence
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Direct payments/Personal budgets
Potentially risk
 Anxiety over ‘stranger abuse’
 Abuse within families

BUT
 May be opportunity for safeguards to be
put in place
 Risk empowerment
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Recommendations

Need for all to remain risk and
abuse aware, while balancing the
rights of person with dementia
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Prevent abuse: What people
with dementia and carers
can do
Identify and target abuse early:
What practitioners can do
Societal obligations: what
society-level organisations
can do
Addressing Equalities in Older People's
Social Care, 26th Jan 2012
Thank you!
For more information, please contact:
kritika.1.samsi@kcl.ac.uk