New campaign from BDAA: What should you do on diagnosis?

95 fridge magnet 003

BDAA are now distributing fridge magnets (like the one shown above) to GP’s, so that freshly diagnosed patients and their carers can be encouraged to seek help and support early on so that they can live well with Dementia.

An extract from the explanatory letter given to carers is:-

“Dear Carer,

As the carer for my wife who has Frontal Temporal Dementia, I am passionate about supporting folk who have just been given a diagnosis of Dementia. Therefore, I have asked the doctor who gave you and your loved one a diagnosis of Dementia, to give you this pack in the hope that it will help you.

Looking back to our own experience, as we left the consulting room, questions I asked were:-

  • Where do we go from here?
  • How long have we got?
  • What happens to our retirement plans?
  • What support is out there for people living with Dementia?

You may be asking the same questions!

Well, the good news is that you are not alone, there is help and support available.

Bristol Dementia Action Alliance has produced a fridge magnet which lists the first four things to be done on receipt of a diagnosis:-

  1. Contact the Alzheimer’s Society                                               –              0117 961 0693
    – to see what local help and support is available
  2. Contact Age UK                                                                                –              0117 922 5353
    – who will talk you through what benefits you are entitled to and help you fill out the forms.
  3. Contact the Carer’s Centre                                                          –              0117 939 2562
    – to see what Carer support and respite is available.
  4. Complete a Power of Attorney
    – particularly if you are a house–owner

I hope that you will find this information useful and if you do, could you please let me know (contact details below). Thank you.

For more information about BDAA, please go to www.bdaa.org.uk

Yours sincerely

Tony Hall

Chair      –              Bristol Dementia Action Alliance

Tel:                         0117 968 1002                    Mobile                  07849 403018”