House of Memories is a well-established and award-winning dementia awareness programme, created in 2012 by National Museums Liverpool. Now a new online dementia awareness course has been positively evaluated for use with Higher Education nursing students, as evidenced through a successful pilot with Liverpool John Moores University.
The report summarises that the training ‘provided a positive, educational, and community-focused experience, contributing significantly to promoting dignity and challenging societal stigmas associated with dementia’.
The importance of person-centred care and providing tools and resources to support dementia-friendly practice has always been central to House of Memories, encouraging caregivers to positively connect with those they are caring for and to see the person - not just the condition.
The model to support student nurses has been born out of an ambition to equip the emerging workforce with the knowledge, skills and confidence to engage with people living with dementia, which can affect a large proportion of patients and clients.
Introducing the topic of dementia through video scenarios, the training explores the impact a diagnosis can have on the person and the difference that positive (and negative) interactions can have using real-world examples. This is supplemented by discussion areas and signposting to key museum-based resources, such as the My House of Memories app.
The training can be independently accessed online to completed during students’ study time, or can be used to supplement teaching resources, with discussions taking place live in a seminar space. This was proved to be an effective model that contributed to a saving in terms of staffing.
The pilot programme with Liverpool John Moores University was completed by 600+ nursing students, with more than 200 taking part in the evaluation. The report evidenced that the programme “demonstrated a significant positive impact on nursing students, particularly in enhancing their attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours related to dementia care”, with 97% of participants positively rating its effectiveness in promoting dignity and reducing stigma.
Further benefits for students included:
- Improved understanding of dementia.
- A more positive and committed mindset
- Increase in wellbeing scores and overall mental well-being
- Confidence in dementia care capabilities.
- Improved attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours
- Openness to innovative approaches
- Increased empathy and understanding.
There was a lot of enthusiasm among participants, who praised the educational content and the encouragement of social interaction and cultural engagement. They also valued the person-centred approach, as well as the integration of technology and accessible materials to use in practice.
From an institutional point of view, course leaders reflected on the reduction in teaching hours, cost effectiveness, and the flexibility of the model. There was also a perception that the course could support students to build their portfolio and give them an added advantage from an employability perspective:
"We feel like just this package is doing everything that we’ve always wanted in the sense of sending our students out so that they are dementia friendly and have that basic understanding. It was such an amazing piece of work, to be honest”, LJMU Lecturer
Overall, the report summarises that House of Memories training provided a comprehensive and effective experience that enhanced participants’ understanding of dementia and caregiving. Liverpool John Moores University has now opted to continue to commission the training resource on a licensed basis.
House of Memories ambition is to roll out this opportunity to further academic institutions, with a view to transforming the future of dementia care through the health sector’s newest recruits.
If you would like to find out more about the online training, or any other aspect of House of Memories, please do get in touch: [email protected]