Dementia Care Mapping™

What is dementia care mapping?

Dementia Care Mapping™ is an established approach to achieving and embedding person-centred care for people with dementia and is recognised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. For over 20 years it has been used by care practitioners to improve quality of life for people living with dementia in a range of care settings, including care homes and hospitals.

At the heart of Dementia Care Mapping™ is the focus on viewing and understanding the perspectives of people living with dementia, something often overlooked in practice. DCM™ enables staff to take the perspective of a person with dementia in reflecting upon and assessing the quality of the care they provide. It empowers staff teams to improve the quality of care for people living with dementia.

DCM™ was developed at the University of Bradford by the late Professor Tom Kitwood, it has been revised and updated at regular intervals. The Dementia Care Mapping™ cycle provides an ongoing evidence base for developing person-centred practice and achieving practice change.

Dementia Care Mapping is an observational framework that can be used for different purposes including:

• Quality monitoring and improvement,
• Individual assessment and care planning,
• Review of key times of the day,
• Staff development and training needs analysis.