Link to Alzheimer's Society website for useful advice and information sheets   

Link to the Research Institute for the Care of the Elderly website - Advancing the health and wellbeing of older people

 Westbury Group     Practice

serving Westbury and the surrounding villages

HOME AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICE DEVIZES, MELKSHAM & KENNET

Aim of the service

To improve the quality of life for those suffering from dementia and their carers by providing relief for the carer and companionship and stimulation for the sufferer.
 

Who are our clients

    the service is provided to people with dementia who live at home

    they will be cared for by relatives or friends and may live at home with others or alone

    clients come mainly from the Devizes, Melksham and Kennet areas

    there is no age limit to the service

What the service provides

This is a unique service providing specialist dementia care that expanded to include Devizes and Melksham areas. Alzheimer's Support staff provide sessions in the client’s home to meet clients needs; these average 2 hours once a week but can vary greatly. The Support Worker takes over the normal caring duties that the carer would perform at such a time. They provide companionship and stimulation for the dementia sufferer. They do not provide domestic help or medical care but complement these services.

The service is based on a person centred approach to caring. This involves validating clients’ feelings and providing emotional support, respecting individual’s life experiences rather than focusing on their dementia. The emphasis is on social care whilst, of course, taking care of physical needs.

Support Workers are recruited for their positive approach and commitment to dementia care. They are trained in different specialised therapeutic approaches and can provide a range of different therapeutic activities. This can include taking the client out. Support Workers also provide emotional support to carers. Consistency of Support Worker is used wherever possible in order to build the quality of relationship between the Support Worker, client and carer.

Referral process

Referrals come from GP’s, social workers, CPN’s, the Carers Network and other voluntary agencies. The proportion of referrals is, however, self referrals.

Having received a referral, an Alzheimer's Support staff member visits the home to assess the client and carer’s needs and to make an offer of service. Once a suitable Support Worker has been allocated, a second home visit is made to introduce the Support Worker and to agree the service.

Carers are provided with a copy of the Alzheimer's Support Home and Community Support Service Handbook that contains the policies and procedures. Staff provide ongoing information on client progress to carers and relevant professionals and may attend CPA’s. Staff conduct 6 monthly reviews with Carers and signpost carers to other appropriate services to complement that provided by the Home and Community Support Service.

A Risk Assessment, Care Plan & Personal History is completed for each client within 8 weeks of starting to receive the Home and Community Support Service.