1. Gambling-related harm and people with dementia
Caroline Norrie, Stephanie Bramley, Jill Manthorpe, Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London.
current practice in social care and safeguarding to support someone with dementia experiencing gambling-related harm.
Methods
We undertook
A scoping review.
Interviews with key informants
Interviews with 23 key informants from charities, healthcare professionals and third sector organisations.
Discussion
Interviewees were largely unaware of the risk of gambling-related harms for people with dementia.
Gambling-related harm is a growing problem and many professionals are starting to become aware of its effects. Professionals want help identifying gambling related harm in practice. Few know of support agencies or of self-exclusion schemes and other gambling management tools. People with dementia experiencing financial abuse due to a perpetrator’s gambling addiction or themselves exploited by gambling scams appear overlooked.
Interviews with 20 social care practitioners to gain their perspectives on current practice in supporting people affected by gambling related harm.
Organisations were not screening for gambling related-harm meaning this is still a ‘hidden’ problem.
Introduction
Opportunities to gamble have boomed in England in the last 10 years since the liberalisation of the industry after the Gambling Act
Interviews with social care practitioners
Our wider study included a broader group of vulnerable adults with a variety of care and support needs.
Problem gambling is estimated to cost the UK between £260m and £1.16bn (Thorley et al., 2016).
Interviewees were worried about the pervasiveness of gambling in everyday life and risks for people with dementia.
Findings
Scoping Review
Few studies have investigated gambling related harm and people with dementia, despite wide media coverage of financial abuse of people with dementia by perpetrators with gambling addictions.
They were interested to learn more about how to support their clients and called for more professional development activities.
Aims This study aimed to explore gambling related harm for people with dementia. This included:
harmful gambling participation by people with dementia in regulated gambling environments as well as in ‘scams’ or similar schemes such as fake lotteries.
Conclusions
A public health approach is advocated together with effective regulation and support for people with dementia who experience gambling-related harm.
Lack of knowledge whether vulnerable groups are more harmed compared to general population.
perpetrators (including family members and paid care staff) who commit crimes against or abuse an individual with dementia to fund their gambling addictions.
Information about perpetrators exploiting people with dementia is limited and anecdotal, but there are several media accounts, eg care home workers stealing from residents with dementia.
References Bramley, S., Norrie, C. & Manthorpe, J. (2017) 'The nature of gambling-related harms for adults at risk: a review', London: Social Care Workforce Research Unit, Policy Institute at King's College London. Manthorpe, J., Bramley, S., & Norrie, C. (2017). Gambling-related harms and social work practice: findings from a scoping review. Practice: Social Work in Action. Manthorpe, J., Norrie, C. & Bramley, S. (2017). Gambling and adult safeguarding: connections and evidence. The Journal of Adult Protection. Manthorpe, J., Bramley, S., & Norrie, C. (under review). The nature of gambling-related harm for adults with health and social care needs: An exploratory study of the views of key informants. Thorley, C., Stirling, A. & Huynh, E. (2016). Cards on the table: The cost to government associated with people who are problem gamblers in Britain. London: Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)