North Glasgow Dementia Forum to lead the way in dementia care

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
01 February 2006
To: News/Health/Community Editors

Findings of a dementia audit report will be launched on Monday 6th February, 10.30am at the Glasgow Conference Centre in Springburn. The report will reveal worrying gaps in dementia services in North Glasgow.

The report which was funded by The North Community Health and Care Partnership, and was commissioned by the North Glasgow Dementia Forum; a group that brings together service providers from the NHS, Social Work, the voluntary sector and housing providers.

Rona Agnew, Chair of the North Dementia Forum says, “There are currently 1000 people living with dementia in North Glasgow, and this is predicted to increase in line with the ageing population. The audit report identifies service gaps and potential unmet needs for this client group and their carers.”

The gaps in services for people with dementia and their carers include:

• Too few specialist day care places
• A lack of adequate support for carers
• The need for more sensitive and flexible home care packages
• The importance of reducing the stigma that surrounds dementia.

Recommendations based on the data provided by the audit report state that people with dementia and their carers should have access to a complex menu of medical and social care services that reflect their changing care needs. Achieving this would require:

• More resources for dementia services including day care, home support and respite care and the need for more sensitive service delivery.
• Challenging the general stigma associated with dementia, promoting understanding of the illness and how front line staff in the public and private sectors should work with people with dementia
• Championing ‘joined-up’ working by strengthening networks and relationships between service providers in primary care, secondary care and the voluntary sector.

In order to deliver these recommendations the North Dementia Forum suggests the concept of a North Glasgow Centre of Excellence. In addition to offering services to local people, the centre would have a regional and national dimension and focus on developing practical models of ‘joined-up working’ between the statutory and voluntary sectors and apply research, evidence based care, into practice.

Rona continues, “The Centre of Excellence will be able to deliver some services directly, and also act as a signposting service to carers and service users. The value of this ‘one-shop stop’ approach equates to much more than the sum of the services provided. It offers service users and their carers a range of practical and emotional support which makes dealing with dementia a less daunting prospect.”
A copy of the audit report is available on request.

Please give our Freephone 24hr Dementia Helpline telephone number 0808 808 3000 and our website address www.alzscot.org at the end of articles.

Contact details:

Sarah Bromley, PR & Marketing Manager, tel 0131 243 1453, mob 07966 458 869, sbromley@alzscot.org
Rona Agnew, Chair of Glasgow North Dementia Forum, tel 0141 553 5950, mob 07789 920 844, rona.agnew@glacomen.scot.nhs.uk

Notes for Editor:

Dementia affects approximately 63,000 people in Scotland.
Alzheimer’s disease is the main form of dementia. The second most common is vascular dementia. As yet there is no cure.

Alzheimer Scotland is Scotland’s foremost voluntary organisation working for people with dementia and their carers. It:

• speaks out for the rights and concerns of people with dementia and their carers;
• operates services on over 60 sites throughout Scotland providing practical services such as day, evening and weekend centres, home care and befriending and carers' support services;
• provides the 24 hour national freephone Dementia Helpline (0808 808 3000);
• provides the website www.alzscot.org;
• supports a network of over 40 carers' support groups;
• provides information to carers, professionals and people with dementia;
• publishes leaflets, booklets, reports and a quarterly newsletter keeping carers and professionals up-to-date
• has a research programme.