People with dementia can experience difficulties in attending general practice, which can create barriers when even the best care and support is in place. They may experience difficulties with:
- not remembering to attend appointments;
- navigating the physical environment of the practice;
- not being able to express their concerns in the short time available with the GP, and
- not recalling details of discussions regarding their care.
Experiencing difficulties when accessing GPs can impact on the quality of life and the health of people with dementia and their carers. It can also impact on the usage of primary care, emergency admissions to hospitals and transitions to residential care.
This guide, produced by Alzheimer Scotland and Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Improvement Hub, is a self-assessment tool to enable GP practices to become dementia friendly. It was adapted for Scotland from the Alzheimer Society’s guide of the same name with their kind permission and includes a checklist for GP practices to help people with dementia and their carers access high quality care and support.
I got the above article from Fife Voluntary Action Bulletin 05 March 2020