GREAT into Practice
Our goal is for everyone who can benefit from GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation to have access to it locally.
Working with NHS Trusts, Councils and private providers to implement GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation and learn how to support wider roll out in future
GREAT into Practice: an implementation project
Maintaining independence in people with Alzheimer's and related dementias through implementation of GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation into Practice
Alzheimer's Society has funded a 3-year implementation (service improvement) project through which we aimed to have GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation effectively implemented in at least 15 organisations, and a tried and tested strategy available for wider implementation throughout the UK and beyond.
The implementation project aimed to provide the knowledge necessary to enable the broad roll out of GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation to benefit as many people affected by dementia as possible.
Key findings
We worked with 12 NHS and private care providers, provided cognitive rehabilitation training to over 100 practitioners and recorded intervention outcomes for 89 people with dementia. Despite a shorter 6-session protocol and the involvement of staff with diverse levels of experience, the observed intervention outcomes proved even better than in the original trial. In addition, people receiving cognitive rehabilitation expressed high levels of satisfaction with the intervention, and practitioners providing it felt more positive about their work.
GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation could form a valuable component of post-diagnostic support offered by NHS memory services or social care providers and dementia care services should now increase their capacity to offer cognitive rehabilitation to people with dementia.