Dementia care

Dementia care at ESNEFT

Our dementia nurse specialists help and support people living with dementia, and their family/carer, whilst they are a patient at Colchester or Ipswich hospitals.

Our specialists work Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.

What do dementia nurse specialists do?

• Make hospital stays comfortable: They work with people living with dementia, and their families while they are patients in our hospitals
• Provide education and support: They teach and support staff, families and carers to plan and deliver the patient’s care
• Guide to local support services: They help find local services for more support

This is me

‘This Is me’ is a personal profile developed by the Alzheimer’s Society. It gives important information about a person with dementia, helping staff to see the person first and not the disease. This is Me supports person-centred care planning. It can  be used for anyone with dementia, delirium or other communication difficulties.

If you can, please fill one out for yourself. Someone who cares for you can fill it out for you too,  Give it to the hospital team.
Alzheimers Society website – This is me (Opens in a new window).

Colchester Hospital

Useful contacts in Colchester

• Colchester Dementia Helpline: 01206 228 975
• Colchester Memory Assessment Service: 01206 228 970
• Carers First: 0300 3031 555
• Essex Social Care: 0345 603 7630
• Age Concern Colchester: 01206 368 420

Ipswich Hospital

Useful contacts in Ipswich

Dementia Together: 0808 168 8000

Dementia Intensive Support Team (East): 01473 891 733
The Dementia Intensive Support Team works with people with dementia or suspected dementia.  They will help in a dementia related crisis to avoid hospital admission. They can also offer advice and information on dementia and delirium to carers. They also signpost to other organisations that can help care for someone with a dementia.

Community Memory Assessment Service (CMAS) – 01473 296 194
CMAS is for people of any age who live in East Suffolk and have been referred by their GP due to concerns about their memory. Their primary role is to confirm or exclude a diagnosis of dementia. CMAS offers help with holistic memory assessment, signposting to support services, some post diagnostic psychosocial interventions, and access to dementia medication.

Suffolk Social Care / Customer First – 0800 917 1109.
Suffolk Social care services can help you if you need practical support due to illness or disability, or if you care for someone because of their illness or disability. You may benefit from social care if you’re finding it harder to live independently in your own home.

Suffolk Family Carers – 01473 835 477
A family carer is anybody, of any age, who looks after someone with a long term illness, mental health difficulty or disability who could not cope day to day without this help.
Becoming an unpaid family carer is often a gradual process, like the changes affecting person you care for. The work of caring gradually impacts your daily life, restricting your ability to get time for yourself. Because of this most people see themselves as a ‘wife’, ‘husband’, ‘daughter’, ‘son, ‘brother’, ‘sister’ or ‘friend’, rather than as a family carer. Not recognising you are a family carer can be a real barrier to accessing the vital support available to you. If this resonates with you please get in touch or register with Suffolk Family Carers, so you can start receiving the support you are entitled to.

Support services at ESNEFT

• Patient Advice and Liaison Service
• Chaplaincy

National organisations

Alzheimer’s Society: 0333 150 3456
Alzheimer’s Society website – (Opens in a new window)Alzheimer’s Society have a support service called Dementia Connect. The service is for people with dementia, their families and carers.  You can self-refer to the service.
Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Connect Service – (Opens in a new window)
Talking Point is a helpful online community where anyone who is affected by dementia can receive valuable support.
Alzheimer’s Society Talking Point – (Opens in a new window)

Dementia UK: 0800 888 6677
Dementia UK website – (Opens in a new window)

Age UK: 08000 556 112
Age UK website – (Opens in a new window)

iCARE
iCARE was created by those with dementia, their families and professionals.  There is information about types of dementia, medication and behaviour.
iCARE website – (Opens in a new window)