A report outlining the first year of Hertfordshire’s Dementia Strategy and Delivery Plan was shown to members of the county’s health and wellbeing board on Thursday (July 11). The plan was approved in January 2023, and formally launched in February 2024. It was devised with help from people with lived experience of dementia, many of them carers.
The report revealed that a business case was made for a treatment plan, ‘Cognitive Stimulation Therapy’ – a programme of mental exercises found to be effective on people with mild to moderate dementia – but it has not moved forward for approval. The report stated: “With the advent of new disease modifying drugs, and new understanding around changes in lifestyle that help delay progression, it is increasingly important that people in the early stages of the disease are identified and given appropriate treatment and support as soon as possible. “As part of the prevention aspects of the Dementia Strategy, Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a therapy that has been found helpful in people with mild cognitive decline in improving memory and thinking skills, and in delaying the onset of full dementia symptoms.
“A business case for the therapy was developed by NHS Hertfordshire Partnership University Foundation Trust and Hertswise but has not progressed for approval. As part of the Health Workstream, this will be reviewed and refreshed.” The county-wide strategy has seven key areas for helping people with dementia and .