Research from the University of Manchester and McMaster University has highlighted the experiences of UK ex-Service personnel with dementia who are living in their own homes, and the barriers they have faced in accessing support.
The research, funded by Forces in Mind Trust, was the first qualitative study with ex-Service personnel living with dementia in the community in the UK.
The study found that having the dual identities of being someone with a dementia diagnosis, and also being ex-military, caused specific challenges in accessing and receiving appropriate support. The study highlighted that they are between two separate support systems, neither of which fully supports their needs, and between which communication can be poor.
Ex-Service personnel living with dementia in their own homes are commonly referred to as 'living in the community', as opposed to living in a care home or other supported accommodation. Although ex-Service personnel have been shown to have similar rates of dementia to the general population1, they often have distinct support needs, that require specific understanding of their identity as an ex-Service person.
Though support is available for ex-Service personnel living with dementia through community-based support groups, initiatives were described as frequently short-term, with very few support groups that covered the dual identities of both being an ex-Service person and someone living with dementia. This led to this support not addressing their distinct support needs.
Interviews found that some ex-Service personnel were more willing to engage with services designed specifically for the Armed Forces community.
Ex-Service personnel living with dementia also voiced concerns that support provision was not well advertised saying that services were not "joined-up" making it difficult to access the correct support.
The qualitative study was based on in-depth interviews with 15 care providers in the North-West of England, as well as 11 ex-Service personnel living with dementia and their care partners as well as two policy and practice workshops with stakeholders.
Although the research was an exploratory study, it outlines several recommendations to improve the support landscape for ex-Service personnel living with dementia, as well as areas that need to be better understood.
- Improving identification of ex-Service personnel at appropriate screening points in health and social care can assist with signposting. If identification was made by Memory Assessment Teams (who usually conduct dementia diagnoses) ex-Service personnel could be directly signposted to support available for them.
- Promoting joined-up working would reduce barriers in to accessing appropriate support, for example by training staff and volunteers supporting ex-Service personnel with dementia training or by ensuring those in dementia services are aware of ex-Service personnel-specific services.
Dr Lydia Morris, Division of Psychology and Mental Health at the University of Manchester said: "Ex-Service personnel living with dementia in the community can be a group that falls through the cracks of support provision. We set out in this research to hear their lived experience for the first time in the UK. The dual identities of serving in the military and living with dementia create unique support needs that can make individuals feel like they have fallen between different support networks leading to confusion and poorer health outcomes."
Michelle Alston, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust said: "Ex-Service personnel living with dementia in the community can be a 'hidden' part of the Armed Forces community. This research allowed us to hear directly from those affected by dementia for the first time in research in the UK, and clearly outlines some of the barriers to them receiving support. We hope that this study can be translated to make more consistent and more accessible support for ex-Service personnel living with dementia."
