Social prescribing with link worker for dementia: a scoping review

What is it about?

Social prescribing has been described as a way to support people with 'non-medical' health and wellbeing needs. A link worker supports the individual to access activities and resources in the community. We searched for publications about social prescribing for people with dementia. After searching four academic databases and also using web search engines, we found only six studies that describe people with dementia being supported by a link worker. The study types varied, including interviews with link workers and programme evaluations. We summarised the studies using the following themes; how the individual was referred to the service, description of the link worker, development of a care plan to suit the individual, access to activities or social groups that meet the individual's needs and preferences. We identified further issues or variations which included the length of time that an individual could be supported by the service, and the training or level of expertise of the link worker. This review has highlighted the limited evidence on applying social prescribing to a particular group of people (people with dementia). We have summarised gaps in evidence about how services accommodate the specific impairments common to dementia. This summary of international evidence can help to plan services and also indicate where further research is required.

Featured Image