Safwards

Hi all,
The benefit of having to go around and present Safewards to various places is that I get asked lots of questions. One of the most common in presentations has been the question of transferability to Older Adults. Len will probably correct me if I'm not quite on the mark here, but I have been pointing out that the main research into the Safewards Model is conflict and containment on so called younger adult wards. However, older adult workers who have heard the Safewards presentations have responded quite well to the model an interventions. Trusts that did seem interested in thinking about adoption were Betsi Cad.(North Wales), Berkshire, South Staffs, Slam and East London, but there may be others.
I wonder if there are any members who have been to a presentation and are either thinking about adopting for older adults or have any opinions on the model/interventions and how well it fits their speciality.
As we hear of adopter wards, we will keep an eye out for any discussion or plans for older adult wards and report back, but really we need you specialist older adult workers ( and we know you’re out there) to lead this as you are, by definition, the experts.

Hi Geoff, I was going to email you on this very subject. We are redesigning our older adult services. I wondered if the model and interventions could be utilised on an inpatient setting for people with dementia or functional?

Hi Danne,
I've been thinking about this since you posted, and even started to look at the originating domains and flashpoints in the model. Then I stopped, because I am not an expert or worker in older adult services. I think that the question of applicability needs to come from inside that service. As the model is constructed on research and expertise in younger adult services, we should be careful.
The other issue I guess is that do we need to take a distinction between functional and dementia older adult needs? There is an originating domain (Patient Characteristics) in the Safewards model that takes into consideration vagaries of diagnosis, but it always feels to me as if dementia presents a very particular set of issues and behaviours. I could, of course, be off mark on this.
I think it’s all up for analysis, but I would be very interested if the model (and here it is probably worth looking at the Technical rather than the lay versions) covers all the nuance of older adult services.

Hi Geoff
When I'm back to work going to meet with the ward manager for the functional older adult ward as we would like to get the safe ward model embedded in their work. I was very impressed with it and hope that others see it the same way.

Thanks Lynne. I think it will be fascinating what You, Dianne and others in older adult services think about the originating domains in the model, but also the interventions and their applicability. Looking forward to it.

I am sitting talking to Delores Williams from SLAM who has come up with a great addition to a calm down box which was suggested to her by a patient with dementia.

HANDWARMERS!

What do we think?