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Dementia Advisers

First point of contact

Advisers are the first point of contact for people with dementia, their carers and other professionals who may need advice and support. These people can be referred to services outside of Dementia Concern as required. This typically starts with a home visit to assess the needs of person with dementia and the carers. During these visits, advice and information can be provided on a wide range of subjects.

Our advisers visit people with dementia and support them in a number of different ways, including:

  • Client Representation

    Our staff can advocate on behalf of someone with dementia and their carer to access services and represent them at meetings. They can liaise with a range of organisations and professionals to coordinate care and services.

  • Advice and Information

    We advise and inform carers about all aspects of dementia, including how to care more effectively for a relative or friend with dementia, as well as the services available. We can then refer them to other services offered by the charity, such as community support workers or social clubs.

    We also give specialist advice and assistance on things like welfare benefits. Our advice service holds Advice Quality Standard accreditation.

    Our advice team consists of experienced dementia advisors who have been working for a number of years within either the social care sector, adult and child social services or other local authority social care departments.

    Within the team, qualifications are held in areas of occupational therapy and social care, including NVQ Level 5 Diploma in Adult Care. All advisers are trained to give advice by Advice UK and will frequently attend training to support their work, such as dementia awareness, effective communication and suicide awareness.

    Advisers are experts in supporting clients to access respite, benefits, occupational therapy and all other aspects of social care support they're eligible for. They're also able to signpost to services outside of our remit. Dementia Concern advisers support all service users throughout their entire journey.

  • Monitoring and Support

    We provide a monitoring service for carers who initially don't need specific help in case their situation changes. We support other carers on an ongoing basis to help them come to terms with the diagnosis of dementia and relieve some of their stress.

    With support, carers are more able to understand their role and to make appropriate care decisions.

Getting a referral

Referrals for Dementia Advisers can come from family members, friends and consultants. Once the person has been diagnosed and we receive a referral, they will be put on the Dementia Adviser waiting list, following which we will allocate a Dementia Adviser who will be assigned as the person’s caseworker. The adviser will contact the person with dementia and their family members/ friends to arrange a time to carry out the assessment.

We are not able to support people who do not yet have a diagnosis of dementia.

Please get in touch if you're interested in this service.