See our full report from the Care Inspectorate online
Specialist dementia care, as opposed to generic care, and providing support earlier are two of the key themes in Alzheimer Scotland’s response to The Scottish Government’s Policy on Integration of Health and Social Care.
The response was presented to the January 2012 meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Older People Age and Ageing by Jan Killeen - Alzheimer Scotland’s Director of Policy.
With 84,000 people in Scotland living with dementia and this figure set to double over the next 20 years i.e. between 8,000 and 10,000 newly diagnosed cases each year; the clear feeling around the table was that as a society we cannot afford to get the commissioning or delivery of dementia care wrong.
Along with our sister offices around the UK, Home Instead Senior Care in Edinburgh is developing a specialism in dementia care. Our companionship based care model, combined with the dementia training we give our caregivers, gives people living with dementia and their families the option of a different sort of care:
• Taking time to get to know our clients
• Equipping our caregivers with dementia specific knowledge, skills and techniques
• Focusing on what our clients can do, as opposed to what they can’t
• Matching clients and caregivers
• Ensuring continuity of caregiver
Later this year Home Instead is rolling out a new dementia training programme, including a module designed for us to deliver to family members and carers groups. This will help us to make a difference, not only by developing our own dementia care, but by providing additional support to those caring for their loved ones.
To find out more about our dementia care and dementia training please call us on 0131 300 0599.