240 Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015: Embracing the Paradigm Shift (Age and Ageing)

AbstractBackgroundIn a conference 2018, Senator Kelleher said she concurred with the statement describing ADMA `.... as a paradigm shift...a major, major culture shift which has yet to work through our societal systems....`(1) In 2016, a senior and manager speech and language therapist (SLT) won the Dementia Elevator Innovation Award with the project `Empowering Persons with Dementia to Become More Active Participants in Decision Making Related to Their Present and Future Needs`. The IASLT Position Statement on the role of the speech and language therapist (SLT) in assessing Capacity and Facilitating Understanding to Support Decision Making for Adults with Communication Disabilities 2017 names training others in assisted decision making as a key SLT role. Talking Mats (TM) (2) may help address some training issues outlined. TM is discussed in NICE-Capacity Guidelines 2018. The Phase 1 project outlined recommends progression to Phase 2.MethodsIn 2018, the senior SLT trained SLTs working professionally with people with dementia across different service settings. They made a prior commitment to attend and complete the course and to trial TM with people with dementia.ResultsThe Phase 1 report Dec 18 contains 16 brief case studies. Some initial findings: Facilitates strengths rather than deficits.Helpful for assisted decision-making when listeners are trained.Pictures help maintain attention and aid comprehension.Pictorial record of photographed TM viewed very positively, particularly for meetings.Video recording sessions, with consent, greatly enhances reflective practice.It helped address the unmet needs of one person with dementia who presented with responsive behaviour.ConclusionTalking Mats was strongly endorsed by all participants. Recommendations in Phase 1 report 2018 included progressing to Phase 2 i.e. training the six SLTs to become TM trainers and commence cascading through the system. We are currently awaiting funding approval.