Dementia Assessment

The emotional and physical needs of carers can be neglected when they have to devote much of their life to looking after someone they love, who is never going to get better. People in middle age often find themselves having to care not just for aging parents, but also their children, who may still be young or in adolescence, and also in need of a great deal of love and attention. In the process of giving as much as they can to all those who need them, they can neglect their own emotional heath, and risk becoming stressed and depressed. In these cases, sometimes the kindest thing to do is to find a residential home in which professionals can provide support.

• Patients with dementia and memory problems frequently have better recall of their childhood and younger years than of adulthood. Attempting to engage them in conversation about current affairs is likely to prove frustrating for all concerned. Instead, when they are prompted to talk about their childhoods, memories can come flooding back. As memories are often attached to songs and music, a lot of patients with dementia and memory disorders respond positively to songs that were popular when they were young and may enjoy listening to them or even singing along.
• Sharing a space with kindergartens or having kindergarten children come into homes for the elderly to visit can be helpful. Whilst this sort of scenario calls for careful supervision, there can be benefits to both the elderly patients and the children. Seeing small children at play, and having the opportunity to interact with them, can foster a sense of well-being and of purpose, with positive benefits for the elderly. From the children’s point of view, it is useful to break down barriers and learn that elderly people are not scary or to be avoided, but part of our society.
• Research shows that elderly people with problems around dementia and memory experience significantly worse symptoms if their lives feel meaningless. Some care homes have experimented with introducing pets, such as cats, into the home environment. While this undoubtedly is an irritation to the cleaners, the impact on the patients can be very surprising. Many patients react very well to having pets in their environment and gain a sense of purpose from caring for them—feeding them, stroking them, and interacting with them. Both the physical contact with an affectionate animal, and the sense of doing something useful, can contribute to a reduction in the severity of symptoms.

By 2025, the number of people in the UK that have dementia is set to rise to over one million and early detection is important to slow down the progress of the condition. Our psychiatrists are highly trained to work with clients to identify potential signs of the condition. We understand how frightening the prospect of dementia can be, that’s why we provide a completely bespoke treatment that’s designed to put you at ease right from the start.

We’ll conduct all the necessary tests needed for assessment while taking the time to understand your circumstances and explaining the processes to you. Complementing our knowledge of dementia is our compassion and understanding, as well as our ability to deliver effective treatment for a range of issues.

Should the assessment show that you have dementia, we also have the neurobehavioral disorder experience and treatment options that can make the condition easier to live with. Through providing you with proven strategies and, in some cases, medication we can help you minimise the impact dementia has on your life.

If you would like to talk to someone confidentially about a Dementia Assessment in London or online, please get in touch with the Private Therapy Clinic on Whatsapp message at: +447511116565 email, chat bot or book online to arrange an appointment.