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Innovating Dementia Support: An Evaluation of Cost‐Effectiveness and Wellbeing Outcomes of the Sage House Model

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background Today, nearly one million people live with dementia (PLWD) in the UK, a number projected to rise to 1.7 million with estimated costs of £90 billion by 2040. 1–4 These projections highlight the necessity to develop cost‐effective solutions to providing care. Multicomponent supportive care approaches (MSCA) integrate tailored support and psychosocial interventions to enable a personalised support package, 5 showing promise in enhancing wellbeing for PLWD and care partners, while offering cost‐effective care solutions. 5, 6 However, these approaches are underutilised due to the additional implementation complexities inherent with multifaceted intervention strategies. The Sage House Model is a MSCA that has overcome these challenges by utilising a collaborative approach between the voluntary and healthcare sectors, integrating a range of specialised dementia services into an accessible community‐based centre. The present study aimed to investigate the wellbeing and economic impact of the Sage House Model of dementia support. Method A natural experiment was run comparing wellbeing (QoL, Wellbeing, Life Satisfaction) and economic outcomes (Health and Social Care Engagement) between a group of participants with access to the Sage House Model and a group receiving standard care. The sample included 132 PLWD (M age 74.64, SD 8.30) and 129 care partners (M age 67.23, SD 9.84). Result It was observed that PLWD with access to the Sage House Model reported higher QoL ( p = .004, ω 2 = .06), wellbeing ( p = .044, ω 2 = .03) and life satisfaction ( p = .004, ω 2 = .07) as compared to the group receiving standard care. Care partners with access also reported greater needs‐based QoL ( p = .005, ω 2 = .07) relating to improved access to support and information. It was also observed that participants with access to the Sage House Model cost health and social care less over a three‐month period ( p = .038, ω 2 = .02) and had greater Health Related QoL ( p = .004, ω 2 = .03). After incorporating costs associated with funding access, the model continued to demonstrate cost‐effectiveness. Conclusion Overall, this study provides initial evidence that suggests that the Sage House Model offers a scalable, community‐driven approach to improving dementia care outcomes and supporting PLWD and care partners, while reducing economic strain on health systems.

Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia

DOI: 10.1002/alz70858_102222