Provisions for people living with dementia in housing with care settings in England

Purpose – This paper aims to describe a literature review and online survey to explore the provisions and
support for people living with dementia in housing with care (HwC) settings within England.
Design/methodology/approach – An initial scoping literature review was conducted to synthesise the
evidence relating to residents living with dementia in HwC settings and informed the development of an
online survey distributed to HwC housing managers to explore the provisions, policies, procedures and
support services relating to people living with dementia in HwC settings.
Findings – The findings provided a picture of HwC settings in England and the residents, particularly
those living with dementia, in terms of policies and procedures, reasons for moving into HwC, reasons for
denying entry, reasons for leaving, positive outcomes, staff knowledge and training, environmental
design, challenges and successes.
Research limitations/implications – The survey responses were from a self-selected sample of HwC
providers and scheme/village managers; thus, it may be the case that the settings involved were doing
more to support residents living with dementia. It should also be appreciated that the responses were
based on the perceptions of the individual staff members completing the survey, not those of the HwC
residents.
Originality/value – This study presented a picture of the current state of provisions and support for
people with dementia within HwC settings in England, providing an essential platform from which to
undertake targeted research to help shape future provision and enabling housing providers to assess
their current schemes within the wider context.