**5.2. Integrated Community-Based Dementia Care Services**

#### *5.2.1. Client needs*

Alongside the two primary community care services of home support services and community day programmes; Enliven has also developed a number of other community-based initiatives to support older adults within the community, including walking groups, swimming groups, café conversation groups, men's groups, interactions with church volunteer groups. All these community-based services are designed to promote the restorative care principles of maintaining client wellbeing through physical and cognitive stimulation, social connectedness within the community, and support to maintain independence within the home.

The international research literature supports the remarks of many key stakeholders and staff that a comprehensive range of community-based services supplied to people living with dementia, has the potential to slow dementia symptoms and to prolong the period of time these individuals can remain in non-residential care [5, 8, 11, 13].

#### *5.2.2. Caregiver needs*

The research literature is unequivocal in its finding that the length of time that a person living with dementia can remain in their own home is frequently dependent upon the capacity of a key individual, or individuals, to maintain a primary caregiver role, and that the provision of community support services may often be as important for the caregiver and it is for the client [17, 33]. This position was strongly supported by comments from participants in this study.

Caregivers remarked that they valued the opportunity to have a period of time out from their loved one; as this gave them, as the primary caregiver, an opportunity to undertake other necessary tasks, maintain relationships with family and friends, and to have a personal break. Caregivers remarked that home support services helped to reduce their levels of stress and to sustain their role as a caregiver.

Similarly, all managers, staff and key stakeholders commented on the importance of the primary caregiver's role, remarking that many home support clients living with dementia were only able to remain living at home due to the commitment of their caregiver, along with the provision of Enliven services.
