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also underscored by the literature. The findings also indicate that practitioners
who receive dementia-specific training may be better positioned to offer
effective support decision-making support to IWD. Lastly, the research
evaluation of two specific decision-support tools (Oliver and Murphy, 2013;
Span et al., 2015) confirms that such tools can assist IWD in achieving more
successful decision-making outcomes.
Conclusions:
The limitations of and gaps within the evidence are acknowledged and
discussed. Unfortunately, there is little empirical evaluation of the support
strategies identified within the research and individuals with more advanced
dementia are under-represented; these are potential areas for further
exploration. Nevertheless, it is hoped the findings of this review can be used
by social workers and other practitioners within the organisation to inform
future practice with service users experiencing dementia, their families and
carers.
Name of Reviewer
Holley Larmour
Organisation
Belfast Health & Social Care Trust
Contact Details
holley.larmour@belfasttrust.hscni.net