North-east dementia services to start up again at end of month

Support for patients diagnosed with dementia will begin again at the end of this month.

Some dementia care had been put on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

But now, as part of remobilisation plans, post-diagnostic support for people with dementia in Aberdeen will be available again.

The organisation has been triaging people who have been diagnosed, and are waiting for further support.

The support offered includes help for families making future plans for patients, advice on managing symptoms and helping those affected understand the illness.

Patients can also be linked up with groups working in the community which can help.

The Scottish Government has guaranteed a year’s post diagnostic support for everyone diagnosed with dementia.

A spokesman for the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership (ACHSCP) said: “During the past months the delivery of post diagnostic support for people with dementia within Aberdeen City has been on hold. However, as we start to remobilise our services, we are making plans to start to provide this very necessary support.

“We hope that by September 28 we will have matched the people who are waiting for post diagnostic support with a member of the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership workforce, where the person who has been diagnosed is on their active caseload.”

The delivery of care will be carried out in a blended approach. This means that if face-to-face interventions are being carried out, post-diagnostic support will be part of these businesses, and the same situation if carried out digitally.

A spokesman for the ACHSCP added: “This blended approach has been advocated by the national experts in the delivery of post diagnostic support.”

Jim Pearson, director of policy and research at Alzheimer Scotland, said: “For people with dementia and their families a timely diagnosis and high quality personalised post diagnosis support from a named dementia link worker is critical.

“It can to help them to live well for longer in their own homes and communities, and makes better use of public funds by reducing unnecessary admissions to hospital or care homes.

“Since the beginning of the global pandemic many services have been disrupted and thousands of people who have recently been diagnosed have not been able to access or receive the full benefit of the Scottish Government’s post diagnostic guarantee.”

More information about dementia services in Aberdeen can be found online at https://www.aberdeencityhscp.scot/our-delivery/about-dementia/