Dementia care

Dementia is a degenerative mental illness which causes problems with memory loss, thinking and reasoning that affects the sufferer gradually over a number of years. Caring for someone with dementia can often be extremely demanding as sufferers may have problems carrying out everyday tasks such as maintaining their household looking after themselves or their home, but there is help and support available for both carers and dementia sufferers.  Here are some services in Leeds for people with dementia.

• Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust has services for older people with mental health needs and dementia and most have a carers’ group and a Memory Clinic or Dementia Café. Access is through GP, community mental health nurse or psychiatrist.
  
• The council provides specialist day services for people over 65 with mental health needs, which can be part of the care plan prepared by a social worker or community psychiatric nurse, and there is also a support group for carers.
  
• The Alzheimer’s Society offer advice and information on all topics related to dementia, local services and support groups. They provide a day centre for early onset dementia patients and Living with Dementia in Leeds booklet. Call 0113 231 1727 or visit Armley Grange Drive, LS12 3QH.  Link to the Leeds website is on the right.
  
• You can help other people affected by dementia by becoming a Living Well with Dementia mentor. You (or they) can do this by visiting the Department of Health's Living Well with Dementia page on the Horsesmouth website.
  Horsesmouth is a social networking and mentoring website where people with questions can ask people with relevant personal experiences for advice.  
  
• Sporting Memories, which runs in 16 Leeds care homes, is designed to help people with dementia and memory loss, through reminiscence therapy. Through talking about sport and what people saw, those with memory loss can be supported through the enthusiasm of sport and key memories.  You can add your memories to the website, linked on the right.