Development of the Watergate Tool to inform levels of care provision needed for people with dementia moving into extra care apartments

As rates of dementia rise, there is an increased demand for specialist accommodation for people with dementia. Watergate Court in Gateshead is an extra care facility that provides care and accommodation for residents with different levels of dementia within a wider community of older people. To ensure high-quality, cost-efficient care for these residents, an effective method of assessing their care needs was required. The Watergate Tool was developed to assess the level of care provision that the residents with dementia needed. The authors found that when the Watergate Tool was used regularly within the context of an effective multidisciplinary team, it contributed to consistent care provision assessments, ensuring that the residents with dementia received the care that they needed.