A mainstream social housing response to dementia

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how social housing providers could respond to residents living with dementia in non-specialist housing. Design/methodology/approach A research framework was developed from published material and used to assess how dementia friendly a national housing provider was, and what could be different. Electronic surveys were completed by 209 members of staff; semi-structured interviews with 18 senior managers and an external contractor; a customer focus group with five residents. A literature review and telephone interviews with housing providers identified current areas of innovation and good practice which informed the research recommendations. Findings There are ways a non-specialist social housing provider can develop dementia friendly services through developing a customer focused approach, staff awareness raising and training, and through working collaboratively with specialist statutory and non-statutory services across health and social care. These have the potential to impact positively on the quality of life of residents with dementia or caring for people with dementia. Practical implications Social housing providers should be considering their older residents, and how they can design and develop services to respond to specific needs. Originality/value There is limited understanding of how mainstream housing providers could and should develop an offer for their residents living with dementia. This research provides an assessment approach and has developed ideas about what this offer could look like.