The care of people with young onset dementia within mental health wards
People with young onset dementia are disproportionately represented within mental health inpatient services, yet support for these people on mental health wards remains one of the least understood areas of dementia care.
Emma Wolverson, Professor of Ageing and Dementia at the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory, University of West London provided a unique insight into who is admitted into mental health wards, what leads up to their admission, the aims of admission, how long younger people with dementia typically stay, and what happens when they leave.
Drawing on findings from the FIND ME study, she introduced practical co-produced resources designed to support people living with dementia and family members when admission is being considered.
The webinar also featured a powerful first-hand account from Christine Wise, a family carer, who shared her experience of her husband Trevor being sectioned and what led up to that moment. Mark Jones, Team Lead at the Young Onset Dementia Service at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, spoke about his service and and offered his reflections on the challenges, opportunities and realities of care within these settings for people with young onset dementia.
View Professor Emma Wolverson’s slides and Mark Jones’s slides.
Webinar date: October 2026