Three out of four Danish municipalities report rising problems with aggressive or hard-to-understand behavior among older residents with dementia, according to a new survey. KL is asking the government for lasting funding, while Elder Minister Jacob Mark says a new dementia plan is being prepared.
DR reported on Sunday that shouting, threats and physical lashing out are taking up more space in Danish elder care. Three out of four municipalities say they have seen growing challenges in recent years with outward-reacting behavior among older citizens with dementia or mental health difficulties.
The figures come from a survey by Momentum, the analysis magazine of Kommunernes Landsforening, the association of Danish municipalities. One of the places feeling the pressure is Ældrecenter Vesterlund in Hjørring in northern Jutland, DR reported. Social and health assistant Anna-Karin Hansen said the problem is generally large and increasing.
Hansen described being grabbed on the arm so hard that she was left bruised, during a night shift when she was working alone. She told DR that the episodes vary between periods, but that the experience was very unpleasant.
According to Elsebeth Glipstrup, an education consultant at the National Knowledge Centre for Dementia, such behavior does not appear without reason. She said finding the cause requires professional skill and knowledge, and can amount to detective work. Untreated pain, such as arthritis in a knee, or unknown details from a person’s life history can lie behind it.
Because of the illness, the person often cannot explain what is wrong, Glipstrup said. In practice, the task of handling the situation falls to staff at nursing homes and in home care.
Tanja Nielsen, sector chair for Social-Sundhed at the trade union FOA, said care workers are among the occupational groups hardest hit nationally by PTSD. As she described it, the strain reaction follows repeated shouting, pinching, pushing and hitting. Nielsen called for a dementia action plan that secures the necessary competencies and knowledge for care staff.
Nielsen also said the state must prioritize resources, because there are large differences between richer and less resourceful municipalities. She was backed by Dorte West (V), chair of KL’s health and elder committee, who said municipalities need a boost and permanent funds.
Previous governments have already allocated millions of kroner and launched several action plans in the dementia field. West told DR that the focus has been on diagnosis and medication handling, and that everyday life must also be addressed, including prevention. She acknowledged that municipalities can always learn more from each other, but said the task remains large and growing.
Elder Minister Jacob Mark (SF) said a new dementia plan will decide how to secure more trained personnel. According to Mark, there must be enough staff with enough time, and they must be familiar faces who understand dementia. He said meeting care workers should not be frightening for people with the illness.
