Why is the guidance on the psychosocial treatments for distress in dementia so confusing?
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Parallel 3
17 November, 2026 5:00 – 6:10 pmStaff Development in Care Homes: Evidence, Outcomes and Practice
Retired clinical psychologist with 30 years of clinical experience; currently working for Burnley FC as the lead psychologist. I have a deep passion for working in the area of dementia, and have written 5 books, and over 200 published articles – including several in the Journal of Dementia Care.
Summary
Should we say ‘behaviour that challenge’ or ‘behavioural expressions of need’? Why is the evidence-base for non-drugs interventions so poor? Can we really avoid using restraint in our care of people who become very angry? Why is staff training often ineffective? The presentation outlines the lack of clarity in the treatment of distress in people living with dementia, and then describes useful frameworks to help provide more coherent treatment approaches. This presentation draws on the recent documents commissioned by both the Alzheimer’s Society (The training gap: a hidden injustice in dementia care and how to fix it) and the British Psychological Society (Briefing paper on Behaviours that Challenge).