Dementia Care

What does Dementia Care look like?

Dementia Care is a specialist service that aims to raise the profile of dementia and recognise it as a palliative disease. The service provides support to patients who have a dementia diagnosis, as well as their loved ones and carers.

Emotional support
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How we support you:

- Provide a listening ear
- Dedicate time for each individual
- Validate feelings and emotions 
- Work alongside our Counselling Team when extra support is needed
- Organise pastoral/religious support

Education
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How we educate:

- We give talks to corporate businesses about our Dementia Services 
- Deliver Springhill Education's Advanced Dementia Palliative & End of Life Care module
- Educating loved ones and patients about their diagnosis and steps to take going forward

Care planning
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How we plan our care:

- Getting to know the person behind the diagnosis. Our 'Life Story' booklet is completed by our patients, asking them questions about their life in order for us to get to know them and help personalise their care. The downloadable version of this booklet can be found at the bottom of this page
- Advance care planning. This is a plan specifically tailored to the individual and what their needs are
- Advocate for patient's wishes and needs

Our Dementia Care Service

Signposting
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We signpost to:

- Citizens advice
- Memory clinic
- Organisations from both the voluntary and private sectors, as well as secondary care providers
- Advocacy service
- Our supporting solicitor firm who provide legal/financial advice for our patients and their loved ones ​​
Please refer to the leaflet below for dates and times.

Collaboration
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We collaborate with:

- GP's, taking referrals from and giving referrals to, attending their meetings, promoting inclusion for people with a dementia diagnosis and gold standard framework meetings
-  Adult Care services
- Springhill Hospice Physiotherapist
- Other areas of the hospice including the Wellbeing & Supportive Care and Counselling Teams
- Other NHS providers 

Practical support
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We support with:

- Bowel and bladder function
- Dietry needs
- Aids and adaptations
- Coping strategies
- Medications

The referral process
A referral to the Specialist Dementia Care nurse can come from the following:
A healthcare professional (e.g. GP)
Alzheimer's Society 
The Hospice team who have recognised a patient as needing specialist support
If you have any questions, or would like more information about referrals, 
please contact our Dementia Specialist Nurse, Margaret, at margaret.diggle@nhs.net.

Margaret Diggle

Margaret Diggle - Specialist Palliative Care Dementia Nurse

Attend our Dementia Drop-in Sessions!

On the last Friday of every month, we hold a drop-in session in our Springhill Suite; allowing carers who are supporting an individual with dementia to access information, knowledge and training opportunities. 

We ensure they are supported in a safe and welcoming environment.  These sessions can also be used as a tool to signpost to the relevant services, if appropriate.

Every other month, a representative from our supporting solicitor firm will be available to provide legal and financial advice at these sessions.

Dementia Support Group poster

Dementia Support Group poster

The Dementia friendly Garden

An exciting addition to our services is the Dementia Care Garden. Based on research from Stirling University, outdoor spaces have a proven positive impact on all individuals. Therefore, we believe that a dementia-friendly outdoor space is highly beneficial to supporting our Dementia Care patients as a whole.

The Dementia friendly Garden was designed to incorporate features that help those with dementia utilise all their senses.

The garden is available Hospice wide, and we have seen a positive impact on everyone’s emotional and mental wellbeing.

dementia garden

Downloadable tools

Dementia Support

Information about our Dementia Care Service can be found in this leaflet

Download
My life story book in Urdu

This workbook can help patients and loved ones communicate and capture memories. To be completed at your own pace. 

Download
My life story

This workbook can help patients and loved ones communicate and capture memories. To be completed at your own pace. 

Download

Get in touch

If you have any queries about the dementia services we offer, please get in touch using the details below.

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