Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: issues around working
partnership between carers and psychiatrists is the title of the
new Partners in Care campaign leaflet. It has a dual purpose, in
that it is written both for carers and for professionals.
Partners in Care is a year-long joint campaign between the
Royal College of Psychiatrists and The Princess Royal Trust for
Carers (2004). One of the aims of the campaign is to show that if
all those involved in the care of people with mental health
problems or learning disabilities can work together, a trusting
partnership can develop between carers, patients and professionals
that will be of benefit to all.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease has been prepared jointly by
professionals and carers of people with dementia. It suggests ways
of improving communication and partnerships when the person being
cared for has first been diagnosed.
The first section of the leaflet is aimed at the carer,
providing information about the disease; early changes that can be
expected in the person’s behaviour; carers’ concerns and feelings
at this early stage; and tips for carers about working in
partnership with their doctor and members of the mental health
team.
The leaflet also provides a helpful checklist of questions to
ask the doctor, and offers advice on preparing for follow-up
visits. For example, it encourages carers to take notes during
their visit to the doctor, and to tell him or her what they have
understood during the consultation.
If carers find that their doctor is unwilling to involve them, the
leaflet suggests steps that can be taken, such as talking to other
members of the mental health team, and other carers. The leaflet
also reminds carers to take care of themselves. ‘Don’t bottle you
feelings up – there is nothing wrong with a good cry’.
Information for the professional takes the form of a checklist
of questions doctors should ask themselves when consulting with
patients and their carers. These include best practice when
carrying out an initial assessment; allowing enough time to
‘listen, ask, listen’; and providing sufficient information for the
carer when managing the patient.
A useful list of points to remember for the professional
includes advice such as sending the carer a copy of any letters
written to the patient’s GP, and giving a telephone number so that
the carer can make contact if they have further questions.
The leaflet also provides contact details for the Alzheimer’s
Society and the Dementia Relief Trust
For further information, please contact Liz Fox or Deborah
Hart in the Communications Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127