Billy Kelleher
Question:13. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if his Department has conducted a mapping project for dementia care needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28205/18]
View answerThursday, 28 June 2018
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Written answers
The National Dementia Strategy, launched in December 2014, seeks to increase awareness and understanding of dementia, ensure timely diagnosis and intervention and provide enhanced community based supports and services.
In 2016 and 2017, the National Dementia Office partnered with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland on a project to map dementia-specific community-based services and supports. The project did not look at the generic services that people with dementia or their families and carers may use or the quality of the identified services. However, it offers a useful snapshot and baseline study into what, where and when services are being offered. The study has also been used to inform a service finder hosted on the National Dementia Office’s website. This allows people to search for dementia-specific community services in their area.
The final report, entitled ‘Dementia Specific Services in the Community: Mapping Public and Voluntary Services’, found gaps in access to services and a large variance in what services are provided across the country. The National Dementia Office has met with senior HSE officials in each Community Healthcare Organisation region to highlight gaps in each area and to develop local action plans to improve service provision.
The National Dementia Office has developed a needs analysis framework to support local dementia service planning and development. This framework is a mechanism to help the Office direct time, energy and resources into dementia care that most appropriately meets the needs of people with dementia. It will be used to make dementia service development more responsive and consistent across the country.
In addition to this dementia-specific mapping project, the National Dementia Office plans to work with the Centre for Economic and Social Research on Dementia in NUI Galway to identify the range of dementia-appropriate services available nationally.