Dementia Intensive Support Team

[NeverGiveUp]

Has anyone had any experiences of one of these teams?

What are they actually supposed to do?

Was your experience of one of these teams positive, negative or downright weird?

 

[Contrary Mary]

Hi there, I am in Essex (Greater London) and have never heard of an Intensive Support Team. Having said that, Mum was never under the Memory Clinic or anything and didn't have behaviour issues or similar. I would be interested to hear if anyone can shed light.

 

[Theboxer]

Hi there, I guess like many readers I've never heard of the Dementia Intensive support Team so perhaps it's an initiative in your area? Or one of those support schemes called something different in different places. Have you tried looking them up on the web?

 

[jeany123]

Sorry can't help then


http://www.norfolk-pct.nhs.uk/new-dementia-intensive-support-teams
Jeany x

 

[NeverGiveUp]

Have a look at this

http://www.see.nhs.uk/news/newsitem.asp?news_id=372

This describes a team that has been formed but doesn't say what they actually do. The suggestion is that it is something radical but what do they do - teach ballet? wave a magic wand and cure the person? Just turn up make a few noises and leave knowing that they have another weeks salary and are a week nearer a comfortable pension?

I would like to hear from anyone who has had any experience of this team or can give me a definative, rather than a generic, answer.

 

[Contrary Mary]

Interesting reading certainly.

Does it make a difference..............

 

[NeverGiveUp]

I would like to know of anyone who has experience of this.

I know what our experience was, I don't quite know how it fits in to that press release.

I am sure someone else must have had contact with them, this team has been in existance for nearly one year, that is at least 5 or 6 salaries some at a senior level. I seriously would like to know what, if anything, they do to help dementia sufferers and their carers.

 

[dots]

My husband had the dist team and they were helpful to me. It made me feel that I was not alone and as their main mission was to observe and assist they helped with my husbands personal care and I realised that it was'nt just me he was very difficult to help. The members if the dist team are usually nurses from the assessment unit at the community hospital (where someone would be after being sectioned) and are also on the dementia wards. They can only help for six weeks and are stretched with work so time is of a premium, they are not carers.

 

[NeverGiveUp]

Thanks dots, I'm glad that they seem to have some purpose in Norfolk, hthis is what i had thought they were for.

I am interested to hear if anyone has had contact with the Essex based team. We are frightened that our family will cross their paths again and I would like some reassurance that they can act in a civilised fashion, their behaviour was inexplicable and threatening at a time when we desperately needed support. We have been debating going to another nhs trust for any routine medical treatment.

 

[Biddy88]

Interesting! My Mum lives in the Mid-Essex NHS area but I've not come across this before.

 

[Biddy88]

That said, she was assessed in hospital by a so-called 'specialist Alzheimer's nurse' who appeared to know b*gger all about the disease. Hmmm.....

 

[NeverGiveUp]

Biddy88

They are in SW Essex based at a hospital which has appeared in the news a few times.

 

[Biddy88]

Ah, I see. Just had a little search online! I live in the west country so don't keep up with Essex news that much, but it was a different hospital in our case. x

 

[NeverGiveUp]

My understanding is that this is a pilot scheme where it will be rolled out in other areas if sucessfull, i'm concerned about this a great deal, what happened was weird. I seriously want reassurance that this was a one off. They didn't seem to have any empathy or knowledge of psychology which is odd. I wondered what the techniques were to keep people out of hospital, it wasn't supportive or kind, I felt as though I was being bullied which is weird as we want to keep mum at home.