12.11.19
Dementia patients in Wales to benefit from cannula sleeves
Dementia cannula sleeves, devised and made by volunteers at Handmade for Dementia, have been issued to The Welsh Ambulance Service for the first time.
The new sleeves are used to keep dementia patients from panicking and pulling needles from their arms during treatment, and have been proven to work effectively.
A first for The Welsh Ambulance Service, staff on both emergency and non-emergency services will be able to use the sleeves when they are out treating patients with dementia.
Dementia, particularly in the mid to late stages, can cause a patient to become anxious and confused when receiving treatment. The different wools and textures on the sleeves effectively provide a calming effect on the individual.
The handknitted sleeves follow a copyrighted pattern and undergo individual risk assessment before being donated to NHS Trusts across the UK.
Alison Johnstone, Dementia Manager at the Welsh Ambulance Service said:
“Donations of such innovative items enable us to support our patients and provide person centred-care to people living with dementia.
“We cannot thank Handmade for Dementia enough for providing us with their dementia cannula sleeves as these will improve the experiences of people living with dementia at times of anxiety.
“As we’ve learned, it’s not necessarily the facts of the experience a person with dementia will retain, but the emotion, and these will go a long way to improving the emotional experience of using our service.”
Handmade for Dementia was founded in 2016 by Sharon (Wallace) Holdstock, who started with the idea of ‘twiddle mits’ before designing the cannula sleeves following a suggestion from a retired District Nurse.
Sharon said:
“I am thrilled that our dementia cannula sleeves are making such a difference to people affected by dementia across the UK, saving the NHS thousands of pounds.”
“After having sent thousands of sleeves to hospitals, now collaborating with the Welsh Ambulance Service is really exciting for us. We hope that that result of our work will prove to be just as efficient on the road as it is in hospitals.”
Anyone, with knitting abilities can join Handmade for Dementia, as long as the first join the groups Facebook Page.
Photo credit: Welsh Ambulance Services Trust