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  5. Dementia
  6. Dementia: help and support

Help and support for people living with a dementia

If you have been diagnosed with a dementia, you can get help and support to help you live well with the condition.

Who can help if you are living with a dementia 

If you have been diagnosed with a dementia, there is advice, help and support available. You can get help from:

  • your GP
  • consultant
  • local memory service team
  • other healthcare professionals  
  • dementia navigators
  • community and voluntary organisations

Your GP 

Your GP will be able to offer on-going support following your dementia diagnosis.

Ways in which your GP can help include:

  • managing conditions that can also occur with some forms of dementia, for example,  high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and mental wellbeing
  • giving advice on how to lead a healthy lifestyle
  • providing information and referral to specialist dementia services, if required

Consultant 

Consultants who can offer support to people with dementia include:

  • psychiatrists
  • geriatricians
  • neurologists

They can be involved in on-going assessment and support.

  • Talking about risk and dementia

Local memory service team 

Local memory services teams specialise in providing a range of support services to people with a dementia and those who support them. Your local team can be contacted through your GP or your health and social care trust.

The team includes:

  • a specialist memory nurse
  • social workers
  • occupational therapists
  • a nurse prescriber

Services include:

  • assessment
  • diagnosis and treatment
  • information
  • education and support

Other healthcare professionals 

Other healthcare professionals who can provide support If you are living with a dementia include:

  • speech and language therapists
  • clinical psychologists
  • dieticians
  • physiotherapists
  • community psychiatric nurses

These healthcare professionals can offer help, for example, with communication and staying independent for as long as possible.

They can also provide help and support as the condition progresses to the later stages. Your GP can  tell you how to get support from healthcare professionals.

Dementia navigators 

There are dementia navigator professionals in each health and social care trust.  

A dementia navigator is a vital link person if you are living with a dementia.

Their role is to provide information and support. This can be face to face or over the telephone. They will also provide vital sign-posting to other services to make sure you can live as full a life as possible with your dementia.

The dementia navigators will be with you from the beginning and as the condition progresses to the later stages.

You can contact your local dementia navigator through your memory services team.

Community and voluntary organisations 

Community and voluntary organisations can provide help and support to those affected by a dementia.

This support includes:

  • information services and sessions
  • carers' training programmes to make sure family and friends know the best ways to support a person with a dementia
  • peer support services for people with a dementia and their carers
  • providing a voice for those affected by a dementia
  • Find support near you ​​​​​​

General health

When someone gets a diagnosis of a dementia, it is important they look after their health. By neglecting their general health, the symptoms of dementia could become more pronounced.

If you have a dementia,  it's important to look after your:

  • eye care
  • hearing
  • oral hygiene and care

Where to find help and support

You can find more information and support services from the following organisations, see also ‘more useful links section’:

  • Alzheimer’s Society
  • Dementia NI
  • Age NI
  • Carers NI
  • Together in Dementia Everyday (TiDE)

The Public Health Agency has also produced a range of information to help support people with a dementia, their families and friends.

This information includes the following publications:

  • Early stages of dementia
  • Communicating effectively with a person living with dementia
  • Are you worried about dementia?
  • Dementia and sight loss

More useful links

  • Dementia services - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust 
  • Dementia services - Northern Health and Social Care Trust 
  • Dementia services - South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust 
  • Dementia services - Southern Health and Social Care Trust 
  • Dementia services - Western Health and Social Care Trust 
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Dementia: help and support

  • Choosing a residential care or nursing home
  • Communicating with a person living with a dementia
  • Help and support for people living with a dementia
  • What to do if you're diagnosed with a dementia

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