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EPUT celebrates Dementia Action Week

This week is Dementia Action Week, which this year is dedicated encouraging people to seek a timely diagnosis so they can access vital support.

The Alzheimer’s Society, which organises the awareness campaign, says research shows that the biggest barrier stopping people seeking a diagnosis was thinking memory loss is a normal sign of ageing.

It found nine in ten people living with dementia said they had benefited from getting a diagnosis.

We offer a number of services to support people with dementia.

Our Memory Assessment Service, run by the North East Essex Dementia Service, was formally accredited last month for the third time by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Memory Services National Accreditation Programme (MSNAP).

The MSNAP awards accreditations to dementia services that demonstrate good quality care and a commitment to continually improving the service they offer.

The service, which is based at The King's Wood Centre in Turner Road, Colchester, cares for people living with dementia and early on-set dementia who have concerns about their memory and have noticed changes to the way it works.

As well as memory assessments and intervention, the team has specialist nurses who work in care homes and give intensive treatment to help people with complex needs continue living at home.

The team also runs therapy groups and occupational therapy sessions to help people living with dementia maintain as much independence as possible.

Clinical Manager Sonya Doe said: “Each person experiences dementia in their own individual way. Different types of dementia also tend to affect people differently, especially in the early stages.

“It’s important to look out for common early signs and symptoms of dementia.

“Some common signs include memory loss, difficulty concentrating, planning or organising, problems with language and communication and being confused about time.

“We offer a high level of care through our services at EPUT to help support people living with dementia.

“The team worked extremely hard in achieving all the required standards for the MSNAP and demonstrated that they offer a high standard of care delivery to those people referred into the North East Dementia Service.

“Receiving accreditation assures patients, carers, frontline staff, commissioners, managers, and regulators that the memory service is of a good quality and that staff are committed to improving care."

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