Angela Rippon breaks silence on her late mum’s tragic dementia battle

Angela Rippon is backing a campaign to make dementia training mandatory for social care workers in England.

The broadcaster, 80, said she had seen the importance of understanding how the condition can affect a person’s behaviour when caring for her late mum, Edna.

She added: “When Mum was diagnosed, she became agoraphobic, angry and aggressive; she had a complete change in character. I learnt not to take it personally; it was dementia speaking, not my mum. 

“But it so clearly showed me the importance of dementia training – how the right attitude towards an understanding of dementia can truly revolutionise and transform care.”

Almost six in ten people receiving care at home and 70% of those in residential care have dementia.

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But only 29% of social care workers have received specific dementia training, according to Alzheimer’s Society.

The charity will on Tuesday urge the Government to ensure workers receive specialist training to ensure they can provide good care, build strong relationships with patients and reduce the inappropriate use of anti-psychotic drugs, which are sometimes used to manage challenging behaviour.

It added that doing so would deliver potential savings from reduced GP appointments and hospital admissions.

Ms Rippon, an Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador, cared for her mum after her diagnosis of vascular dementia.

She added: “I saw the difference the right care and understanding of dementia can make. 

“It helped to preserve Mum’s dignity, made her feel loved and that she was still a valued part of our family.”

Dara de Burca, executive director of dementia support and partnerships at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Families affected by dementia rely heavily on social care to support their loved ones, so it’s alarming that less than a third of care workers have received any dementia training. 

“We wouldn’t expect a midwife to deliver a baby without any training, but we expect care staff to provide high-quality care for people with dementia without the appropriate training.

“Our research shows investing in dementia training reaps significant benefits and is cost-effective.”

Skills for Care chief executive Oonagh Smyth said the number of people with dementia is expected to rise by 43% by 2040 – from 982,000 today to 1.4 million. 

She added: “This represents a significant increase in the demand for care services, which will need to deliver the kind of support necessary to truly make a difference for those living with dementia.

“Mandatory dementia training for every member of the social care workforce is one of the recommendations in the Workforce Strategy we developed and an important step towards addressing a major challenge for our sector.”