Butterfly scheme spreads its wings
This article supports ‘Dedicated to dementia care’, published in the October 2012 issue of RCN Bulletin
The new RCN dementia resource brings together examples of best practice in dementia care to support staff to transform care in their local community. One of those examples is the Butterfly Scheme founded by Barbara Hodkinson.
As a carer for her mother who had dementia, Barbara created the Butterfly Scheme after analysing a diary she had kept when a planned hospital stay of five to seven days stretched to 22 days – entirely because of inappropriate but well-meaning dementia care.
Barbara said: “The Butterfly Scheme teaches hospital staff a simple five point response to people whose memory is permanently affected by dementia.
“It is an opt-in scheme so people with dementia, in conjunction with their carer, can choose to make use of the scheme while they are in hospital, and is based on easy-to-learn, quickly delivered skills-based education for all staff. It also incorporates a system to ensure reliable use of a carer sheet of the hospital’s own choosing.”
Aims of the scheme
- To improve the safety and wellbeing of people with dementia during time spent in hospital, reducing their stress levels.
- To support hospital staff caring for people with dementia, reducing their stress levels and increasing job satisfaction.
- To minimise length of stay for patients with dementia by avoiding unnecessary extension of that stay through inappropriate dementia care.
Barbara said when using the Butterfly Scheme hospitals typically report that the staff attitude towards dementia care rapidly transforms into a very positive one. She said: “It is reported that there is a calmer atmosphere on the wards.
“The care response is going so well that hospitals recommend the scheme to another hospital and word gets round that way.”
The opt-in rate to the scheme runs consistently at or near 100 per cent across the UK, showing that carers and people with dementia are finding the scheme valuable support, but Barbara is keen to point out that the decision is with the person with dementia and their carer.
For further information please contact Barbara Hodkinson via the Butterfly Scheme website.
See other examples of best practice on the RCN dementia web pages.