Uk is hosting the Dementia Summit of the G8 countries this Wednesday

Full details of this Wednesdays event which aims to develop co-ordinated global action on dementia here:http://dementiachallenge.dh.gov.uk/category/g8-dementia-summit/
Whilst applauding the work being done nationally it is also right to highlight the great work being done in the Tynedale area. This is only some of the services available, but this was kindly provided by Rob Stewart of the Alzheimers Society.


Dementia Adviser
The Dementia Adviser Service provides information, advice and signposting to people worried about their memory, going through the process of getting a diagnosis and those recently diagnosed with dementia. The service is also available to families and carers of people with dementia. The service provides information and signposting relating to diagnosis, legal affairs, Power of Attorney, benefits, wills, assistive technology and services available in the area. It also involves liaison with multi-disciplinary agencies within the locality to raise awareness and promote further understanding and knowledge of dementia, significant developments and strategies.

Dementia Support Service
Following on from the Dementia Adviser the Dementia Support Worker offers ongoing personalised practical and emotional support and information for those living with dementia and/or for the families and carers of people with dementia. They support people to have a better understanding of the condition and its progression; maintain their independence; to enable people to talk through their concerns with someone who understands the condition; to offer coping strategies that will enable carers to adapt to the changing needs of the person they care for; to know what appropriate services are available to them as well as how to access them and to assist in accessing these services if requested.

Carers Support Group – monthly
This support group is an opportunity for carers of a person with dementia to meet together in a relaxed, friendly environment to discuss their caring role and its impact on them as individuals. The group aims to address dementia related issues as well as sharing coping strategies and providing emotional support and encouragement amongst peers. Personal experiences of health and social care services are shared, as well as signposting to these and other relevant services

Singing for the Brain – monthly
This lively, fun, stimulating activity is planned to incorporate social interaction, engagement and active participation for people in the early to moderate stages of dementia and their carers. The group is supported by volunteers and provides refreshments at no cost to the service user.

Dementia Café – monthly
There are 2 Dementia Café’s, one in Hexham and one in Ponteland. The cafes provide an opportunity for people with dementia, their carers, families and friends to socialise and to receive peer support from each other. Support and information is provided by the Dementia Support Worker and guest speakers will be invited to talk on topics of interest to the people attending. The emphasis is on information, support and to help people feel less isolated. The group is supported by volunteers and provides refreshments at no cost to the service user.

Good news on Dementia care and treatment

I am increasingly impressed with reports of innovative research into treatment of dementia: researchers say a new drug has shown some promise in patients with mild dementia, and might be yet more effective if given to those at risk of disease long before they show any symptoms. The papers have reported the findings of Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, who said scientists were “full of hope” that a breakthrough in drug therapy to prevent dementia could come within five years.

If further trials on the drug succeed, it could mean that those with a family history of dementia are given monthly injections of the drug a decade before any signs of disease show - in the same way that millions of people now take statins to ward off heart disease, he said. The world is really focusing on demnetia care, with the G8 summit next week on dementia, and the department of health, charities and support organisations that we have in the North East are playing their part.

Dr Karran said trials have suggested that a drug called solamezumab may delay the onset of disease, halting problems with brain function and behaviour in those with mild dementia; analysis examined the impact of the drug on those with mild dementia and researchers found it had an effect both on their daily behaviour and the functioning of their brain and memory.

Now researchers in the US are developing these trials - which if they work would lead to a likely preemptive prescription. The reality is that changes in the brain associated with dementia occur as far as a decade before symptoms are shown. Noone wants to hail a false dawn but this is defintely good news. It is also a good time to record the amazing work done by our many charities locally from Age UK to the work of the Dementia Friends.
I have heard great reports of the work that the Tynedale Alzheimers Support group do and they can be contacted locally at:
Office 4, Hexham and Tynedale Community Centre,  Gilesgate, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3NP
Tel: 01434 607 318; Email: hexham@alzheimers.org.uk
and anyone concerned should contact them as a first point of reference. All of us will have to deal with this illness in some way or form and greater knowledge and support is a great start.

More details on this story here: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/unprecedented-breakthrough-in-the-hunt-for-a-dementia-drug-within-five-years-8983378.html