Dementia care information for professionals

Preventing well

Just as we can protect other areas of our health, we can take steps to keep our brains healthy and reduce the risk of developing dementia later in life, including keeping active and socially connected, eating healthily and exercising our minds. For more information see Alzheimer’s Research UK Think Brain Health campaign and download Alzheimer’s Society’s free booklet Dementia: Reducing your Risk.

For support to improve health and wellbeing promote NHS Health Checks, Brighton & Hove's 5 ways to wellbeing and refer people to the Healthy Lifestyles Team for support with healthy eating, physical activity, reducing alcohol, stopping smoking, losing weight and general wellbeing.

To encourage social connections refer people to the Ageing Well programme of services and activities for people living in Brighton & Hove aged 50 and over.

For more information visit our useful information to support you to age well page.

Send an email to publichealth@brighton-hove.gov.uk to order our booklet ‘Keeping well for retirement in Brighton & Hove’. This provides health and wellbeing information for residents to maintain a healthy retirement lifestyle.

Diagnosing well

If someone is concerned about their memory, confusion or language difficulties encourage them to speak with their GP or call Ageing Well to discuss a possible referral to the Brighton & Hove Memory Assessment Service (MAS).

Brighton & Hove Memory Assessment Service (MAS)

MAS is a clinical specialist service for life. If a patient is referred to MAS, they'll be paired with a named Memory Support Worker to support them throughout their journey.

MAS provides support to people with memory problems and their loved ones from the point of referral, including a first contact call, where information is shared about the services available, and the patient is booked onto a nurse’s assessment.

Outcome letters are shared with the patient, GP and support network. MAS also develop annual care plans in partnership with patients and provide patient and carer peer support groups for people with dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

If a patient receives a dementia diagnosis a named Memory Support Worker holds a person’s care, connects them to the wider system and agrees a co-produced care plan.

If a patient receives a dementia diagnosis, MAS provides treatment and post diagnosis support. A named Memory Support Worker holds a person’s care, connects them to the wider system and agrees a co-produced care plan. The patient will have access to support for as long as they are open to the service.

If a patient receives a MCI diagnosis a their named Memory Support Worker will provide support and the service will hold the patient for reassessment in one years’ time or earlier if required.

If it is not dementia or MCI an onward referral to appropriate services or discharge takes place.

Refer people to Dementia Connect for support and advice, before, during and after diagnosis, including information to help patients prepare and get the most out of conversations with their GP.

For more information visit our Dementia support in Brighton & Hove page and and MAS’s What to expect information.

Send an email to publichealth@brighton-hove.gov.uk to order our booklet called Brighton & Hove Care Journey for those experiencing significant memory loss, confusion or language difficulties. This provides information on local dementia care services.

Supporting Well

MAS is piloting lifelong support. The patient has unlimited access to their named Memory Support Worker who provides:

care planning post diagnosis
treatment in the form of medication - initiation, titration and annual reviews
6 month reviews.
Annual Care Planning
referrals, including to the local authority, clinical services and psychosocial services

Dementia Connect continues to provide support and advice, before, during and after diagnosis.

Encourage people with dementia and carers to join a MAS or Ageing Well peer support group for information, support and friendship.

For groups and activities (including psychosocial services) refer people to Ageing Well.

Help diagnose and support carers by referring them to the Carers Hub and Adult Social Care Hub.

Promote financial support by referring people to the Carers Hub assessment and the Disabled Facilities Grant to make homes more dementia friendly.  

Encourage patients to get involved with research through Dementia Research and Time for Dementia. 

Promote practical advice and guides including Living with Dementia My Life My Goals to help set goals, and Dementia UK’s ‘Living with dementia’ guide. For information on resources that can make it easier to get support when you are out in the community and to help you maintain your independence visit our Dementia support in Brighton & Hove page.

Living Well

The Memory Assessment Service can provide support and refer onto other services.

Encourage patients to contact Adult Social Care for assessments for:

daily living equipment
Carelink alarms and Telecare
adaptations
short term support
care homes
information on Mental Capacity Act

If needed, contact the advanced care dementia specialist teams at either:

Royal Sussex County Hospital
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist Older Mental Health Services (SOAMHS)

Dying Well

Right care, right time, right place. Promote and embed:

dying with dignity
promotion of choice
anticipatory and responsive palliative care support
person-centred care

For more information visit our Bereavement support resources page.

The Carers Hub End of Life service provides support for carers.

Visit our Health and Adult Social Care Directory for local dementia organisations and services.

Alzheimer's and dementia support training

There are training opportunities available to support your role.

Alzheimer’s Society External Training provide expert dementia training across all sectors.

Alzheimer’s Society Learning Hub offers online interactive learning courses for families, friends and organisations. Prices per online learning module start from £24 plus VAT per learner.

Barbara's Story is a series of 6 films created by nurses at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals which has changed attitudes to dementia in hospitals across the world.

Brighton & Hove City Council offer healthy ageing training opportunities, including training on dementia, falls prevention, bereavement and eating well. Send an email to publichealth@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

Care Providers Fire Safety Scheme is a free one-hour Fire Safety Courses (online or in person) to front line staff or volunteers offering advice, guidance and best practice for Fire Safety in the home.

Dementia Friends information sessions help you learn more about dementia, how it affects a person and what you can do to help people affected by dementia.

E-learning for healthcare offers dementia training courses, including Assessment and Diagnosis of Dementia: A personalised approach and the Lived Experience of Dementia.

Engage and Create provide training and resources to support dementia care.

Hammond Care offer Talking Sense, an online course exploring the effects of ageing and dementia on the senses for people living with dementia, care partners and support workers.

NHS Health Check have dementia training resources for NHS Health Check trainers and practitioners to improve the quality of their delivery of the dementia component of the check. The training resources include a presentation, a factsheet, films, a leaflet and a prompt sheet.

Social Care Institute for Excellence offer a free dementia awareness e-learning course.

Switchboard offer training to support LGBTQ+ people affected by dementia or concerned about memory loss.

University College London offer courses including The Many Faces of Dementia course which explores key issues in dementia care and research, and the less common diagnoses of dementia, End of Life Care for People with Dementia and Dementia and the Arts: Sharing Practice, Developing Understanding and Enhancing Lives.

Wishing Well Music for Health enriches healthcare settings with live music-making interactions for patients, families, and the staff who care for them. Wishing Well also deliver an annual Doorstep Serenade programme for older people in Sussex who are living with dementia.