Admission to hospital has been found to have a negative impact on people with dementia. The Scottish Dementia Champions programme was developed to prepare health and social service Dementia Champions working in acute settings as Change Agents. The programme was initially delivered to a cohort of 100 health professionals via blended learning, and comprised five study days, a half day spent in a local community setting, and e-learning. In order to complete the programme and graduate, participants were required to complete and submit reports relating to three work-based activities. The evaluation of the project adopted a two-pronged approach: Impact on programme participants was assessed by scores derived from the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire (ADQ) (Lintern, 1996) completed at Study Days 1 and 5, and analysis of qualitative data derived from the three written assignments. Participants were asked to evaluate course materials and input for each of the five study days, as well as satisfaction with delivery. Analysis of data derived from the ADQ and 100 reflective reports of the community experience indicate that participants' perceptions of people with dementia shifted significantly during the Programme. Participants identified a range of issues which should be addressed with a view to improving the experiences of people with dementia in acute settings, and put in place actions to bring about change. The format of the programme provided a cost effective means to prepare NHS and Social Service Dementia Champions as Change Agents for practice within a relatively short period of time, and would be transferrable to other staff groups as well as different organisational structures in other countries.

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Supported housing has been highlighted as a potential way to facilitate independent living for people with dementia by integrating housing with support or care services.However, the benefits and challenges of living with dementia in supported housing are not fully understood. This systematic review and thematic synthesis sought to understand how living in supported housing influences the lives of people with dementia, from the perspectives of people with dementia, their supporters, health and social care professionals. Seven databases were searched for qualitative research, date range: 1 January 2000-31 July 2021. Eleven published articles were included in the thematic synthesis. One core theme was generated, Maintaining Independence and Autonomy, divided into three subthemes -Support and Care, Social Relationships and the Physical Environment. Factors like person-centred care, social interaction and good environmental design contributed to the maintenance of independence and autonomy. Barriers like low staff ratios, stigma and limited access to the community led to a loss of independence and autonomy -often leading to people with dementia being referred or managed out of the settings. Although the articles acknowledged the importance of maintaining independence and autonomy for people with dementia, it appeared that supported housing settings often lacked the resources and facilities to make this a reality. More high-quality research is needed, particularly from the perspectives of people with dementia and their supporters, to understand if supported housing can delay care home admission, promote independence and autonomy and facilitate social networks and community connections for this population.