21.10.2021
The benefits of an early diagnosis: In the last few weeks we have witnessed excellent partnership working between ourselves, Brent Memory Clinic and more importantly the service user.
Linda was referred to the Ashford Place Dementia Hubs Team by the Brent Memory Clinic after a recent dementia diagnosis . She was living alone and had little support or social interaction and was struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis. She had recently given up work and had little income and was struggling financially, especially with the winter looming and fuel costs rocketing. The hub team made contact with Linda and helped her to claim the benefits and discounts available to her meaning she had one less thing to worry about and a significant increase in her income. She also wanted to understand Power of Attorney and what that would mean for her. The hubs team was able to talk her through the legal process and book her a place on a workshop organised by M2M community solicitors. This gave her peace of mind and helped her decide how best to move forward.
Linda was reluctant to join in with social activities as she had been quite isolated for some time, but after some encouragement she joined Donna’s Ashford Place Memory Joggers, a weekly session for people with memory loss. Linda enjoyed the fun memory games and activities as well as busting some moves to music. She also joined the Ashford Place dementia café and enjoyed the chair exercise and fun activities organised by Reena and her volunteer team. Linda told the cafe lead that it was the fun she had had in years! She is also due to join the team at Kew gardens this week for a day out and looks forward to joining the Ashford Place activities every week to help her stay connected and improve her overall health. It just goes to show the vital difference an early diagnosis can make to people’s lives!