Dementia Care Mapping™ is an established approach to achieving and embedding person-centred care for people with dementia, 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.

Dementia Care Mapping™ prepares staff to take the perspective of the person with dementia in assessing the quality of the care they provide. It empowers staff teams to engage in evidence-based critical reflection in order to improve the quality of care for people living with dementia.

Training in DCM is provided by University of Bradford approved trainers, and by their partner organisations in more than 10 countries. 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 and includes the following phases:

Dementia-Care-Mapping-Diagram

Dementia Care Mapping can be used for different purposes including:

  • quality monitoring and improvement
  • individual assessment and care plannin
  • review of key times of the day
  • staff development and training needs analysis

It has been used as part of a developmental, supervisory framework for staff who support people living in their own homes, and with other vulnerable groups of people who have communication difficulties.

https://www.bradford.ac.uk/health/dementia/dementia-care-mapping/

Dementia Care Mapping Publications List

DCM has a rich evidence base. Download Dementia Care Mapping Publications List (PDF, 338 KB)