Memory clinics provide holistic care to dementia patients, at a cost—or lack thereof
“It’s like a flood-gate in a sense,” Paul Yost says.
Paul Yost is a social worker at the Alzheimer’s Society of London-Middlesex. With an increase in clients lately, he is busy trying to accommodate and provide services to some of the 564,000 Canadians living with dementia—and their friends and family members who suffer with them.
Now, he is travelling to other family health practices to provide services to people with dementia and their care partners.
With a 49 per cent increase in new clients in three years, the Alzheimer’s Society of London-Middlesex now has 2,268 clients. Some of this is due to the baby-boomer demographic aging. Another part is …show more content…
“It’s a pretty important model and it’s pretty successful. It’s just a matter of capacity now,” he says.
The Alzheimer’s Society provides this service for free because the memory clinics aren’t currently funded. The first round of training was funded; however, the clinics now are being operated with the resources that are already available with no additional funding.
The in-kind service, Yost says, “limits us greatly as to what we can do with the family health team.”
Bruce Wray, the Communications Manager at the Alzheimer’s Society says, “there has to be a way where we can figure out how to offer services in a way that is sustainable, because this isn’t particularly sustainable.”
As of March 2016, The Alzheimer Society of London-Middlesex had an excess revenue of $1,990 after expenses. Leaving them little money—and time—to create other initiatives.
Yost explains after implementing an adult day program for people diagnosed with dementia in Newbury, there were requests to provide a caregiver support group.
“[It would] be a little tough to do because that’s taking time from the social workers because it’ll be run by social workers,” he
“It’s like a flood-gate in a sense,” Paul Yost says.
Paul Yost is a social worker at the Alzheimer’s Society of London-Middlesex. With an increase in clients lately, he is busy trying to accommodate and provide services to some of the 564,000 Canadians living with dementia—and their friends and family members who suffer with them.
Now, he is travelling to other family health practices to provide services to people with dementia and their care partners.
With a 49 per cent increase in new clients in three years, the Alzheimer’s Society of London-Middlesex now has 2,268 clients. Some of this is due to the baby-boomer demographic aging. Another part is …show more content…
“It’s a pretty important model and it’s pretty successful. It’s just a matter of capacity now,” he says.
The Alzheimer’s Society provides this service for free because the memory clinics aren’t currently funded. The first round of training was funded; however, the clinics now are being operated with the resources that are already available with no additional funding.
The in-kind service, Yost says, “limits us greatly as to what we can do with the family health team.”
Bruce Wray, the Communications Manager at the Alzheimer’s Society says, “there has to be a way where we can figure out how to offer services in a way that is sustainable, because this isn’t particularly sustainable.”
As of March 2016, The Alzheimer Society of London-Middlesex had an excess revenue of $1,990 after expenses. Leaving them little money—and time—to create other initiatives.
Yost explains after implementing an adult day program for people diagnosed with dementia in Newbury, there were requests to provide a caregiver support group.
“[It would] be a little tough to do because that’s taking time from the social workers because it’ll be run by social workers,” he