Making long-stay care a positive choice for people with dementia

To: News/Health /Community Editors

Making long-stay care “a positive choice” for people with dementia

Alzheimer Scotland has published a new edition of A positive choice: choosing long-stay care for a person with dementia. The booklet aims to help carers and relatives of people with dementia who are thinking about long-stay care.

Maureen Thom, Information Manager at Alzheimer Scotland, said, “If you care for a person with dementia, there may come a point when you have to think about long-stay care. Perhaps it will be because of a crisis, or you may be starting to plan ahead. Either way, it can be a difficult and painful decision for the person with dementia and his or her family. The emotional impact can be huge for all concerned, and then there are all the practical aspects to be organised too. I hope this booklet will help make it easier to cope”.

The booklet includes input from carers across Scotland. It looks at the process of making the decision and coping with the emotions involved, as well as practical aspects of how to arrange long-stay care, including community care assessments and finance, and managing the move itself. There is guidance about how to choose a home, with a comprehensive checklist.

Some questions the booklet looks at include:

• How do I find out if moving into a care home is the right thing for the person I care for?
• Who can I talk to about my feelings?
• What should I look for when choosing a care home?
• What help can the person with dementia get with care home fees?
• What will happen to the house?
• How can I stay involved?

Single copies of A positive choice are free to carers and people with dementia in Scotland, who should call the 24 hour Dementia Helpline on 0808 808 3000. The information is also available in large print. The booklet is available in full text online at www.alzscot.org, and professionals and organisations can order copies online or from 22 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh EH3 7RN at £3 including post & packing.

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

Contact details:
Kirsty Jardine, PR & Marketing Manager, 0131 243 1453, kjardine@alzscot.org
Maureen Thom, Information Manager, 0131 243 1453, mthom@alzscot.org
Jim Jackson, Chief Executive, 0131 243 1453, jjackson@alzscot.org

Further information:

• There are 58,000 people with dementia in Scotland, around 40% of whom live in care homes or hospitals. It can be a huge step for someone with dementia to move into a care home, leaving behind all that is familiar to them, including their home and possessions. But it can also be extremely difficult for carers who may feel that they are letting their relative down or who are worried about choosing the right home for the person they care for.
• 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 web page 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.

Alzheimer Scotland – Action on Dementia is a company limited by guarantee and is recognised as a charity by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. Registered Office: 22 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh, EH3 7RN. Registered in Scotland 149069 Scottish Charity No. SC022315