• To facilitate and support people with dementia and their carers by providing information, advice, guidance and signposting
• To improve the quality of care for people with dementia and their carers
• Dementia Advisers to be a named point of contact available for people with dementia, from the point of diagnosis
• Identify people undiagnosed and support to obtain a diagnosis

• 3 Dementia Advisers (FT)
• 5 Volunteer (4 DA Vols; 1 Guidebook)
• 2 Dementia Support Workers (PT)

• Accessibility of service ~ direct contact with a named person (single point of contact)
• Home visits ~ large up take of service in this format
• Information appropriate to needs of person and stage of their dementia  
• Up to date information ~ knowledge and experience of Advisers
• Liasing with other professionals and therefore obtaining best information/care
• Maintaining the rights and dignity of the person with dementia

• All GP practices are aware of the DA service
• Good liaison with Community Nurses for Older People

• Not all GP practices actively using the services of DA
• Up-take of services following marketing has not generated as many referrals as expected
• Lack of understanding by some agencies that we are duplicating information provided by their services
• IT issues and time consuming data collections

• Closer working relationship with CNOPs and Health Visitors
• More referrals from GPs and CNOPs
• Better access to GPs and CNOPs to enable liaison
• People with Dementia and Carers perceive DA to be part of the health care services

• Problems with no fixed bases
• Using laptops and dongles ~ poor reception area
• People with Dementia and Carers perceive DA to be part of the health care services ~ assumption that DAs have access to more medical /general information than they do

• One person to take the lead of continuous marketing not only during the setting up period ~ not a DA. Ensure understanding of the time involved in setting up/exploring best point of contact for GPs’ practices / making sure expectations clear from outset e.g. sending out letters to clients by GPs to offer DAs’ service
• Make careful considerations of the placement of bases

• Reduce the length of time required for induction/training of DAs
• Use the current system for collecting data without considerable improvements

• To achieve an improvement in the quality of life and support people with dementia to ‘live well’.
• Be a trusted first point of contact, giving people the space to express their concerns, anxieties and wishes for the future
• Develop and utilise existing information and provide an information and signposting service
• Provide people with support to access the right service in the right place at the right time
• Being independent from but work closely with, health and social care services
• Develop a wide network and close working relationships with independent and voluntary organisations
• Ensure dementia and dementia awareness has a high profile within health and social care services and local communities
• Give information on practical ways to cope, including opportunities for self help.

• 4 dementia advisers (1 full time and 3 half time posts)

• Self referral, through access to the service promotional material and activity, contact with the service in any of the community settings, word of mouth etc
• GPs
• Specialist memory assessment services
• Other health and social care professionals working in both acute and community settings
• Alzheimers Society national helpline and local services.

• Accessibility of service ~ direct contact with a named person (single point of contact)
• Home visits ~ large up take of service in this format
• Information appropriate to needs of person and stage of their dementia  
• Up to date information ~ knowledge and experience of Advisers
• Liasing with other professionals and therefore obtaining best information/care
• Maintaining the rights and dignity of the person with dementia

• ‘Our quest as a family to find out what to expect from this condition would have been a far longer and frustrating process.  I am not sure where we would have started’.
• ‘Would  continue to struggle on my own’

What difference has the Dementia Adviser Service made to you either as a carer or someone living with dementia?

• ‘The adviser has given me details and telephone numbers which should help financially with transport and help with a carer so that I can have some respite in the future’.
• ‘As carer for my husband the support given has been gratefully received.  To receive help at diagnosis stage is needed but to know there is someone you can contact keeps you going’.

Would you recommend this service to others with dementia?

• ‘Absolutely – it’s a lifeline’.
• ‘Certainly, they need help and guidance – its very frightening.  A journey into the unknown with no experience to help or guide for both of the parties’.

• Less referrals to the service than had been initially expected but there have been many positive outcomes from the work completed with people with dementia.
• Some negative feedback from professionals who feel uncomfortable referring people to the service because of the overt use of the word ‘dementia’ on the publicity materials and resources.

• Open referral process
• Countywide service

• Limited service – not currently available to people with moderate dementia
• Less referrals coming from professionals citing use of ‘dementia’ word on publicity materials and in resources
• Service not available for carer referral

• Involve people with dementia and carers in developing and reviewing services
• Make links with memory services

• Restrict areas of working eg statutory agency boundaries