Outside the Box

NHS Tayside and the local authorities in the areas it serves - Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus Councils - wanted to find out about the experiences of people who have dementia and their carers.

This project describes what carers said through a diary which they kept about their contact with services. People kept diaries for 2-4 weeks in early 2006. They described themselves and the person they cared for, and then noted what happened each day.

The project was based on the experience of the Health Champions project.  Outside the Box gave advice on the design and practical arrangements for the project.  Once the diaries were completed we wrote the report.

The project is part of the wider Dementia Managed Care Network, and the feedback form carers through the diaries has contributed to the planning for services.

People in other parts of Scotland have also used the report to help them think about how health and social care services, and the ordinary community resources that everyone uses, can support people who have dementia and their relatives.