Support is available from the NHS and the adult social services of your local authority to help when living with dementia.

Find out what you are entitled to

The first step to finding out the help you may be entitled to is to book a care needs assessment.

A care needs assessment is an evaluation of your care needs. It is provided free of charge by a social worker or occupational therapist, who will meet with you to gain an understanding of your needs and preferences related to care.

If there’s no urgent medical condition necessitating your assessment, be prepared to potentially wait a few weeks before receiving your needs assessment. But if your situation is urgent in nature, the assessment may be fast-tracked to take place within days.

Questions about funding care?

Care Sourcer’s friendly care experts are on hand to provide guidance on typical care costs, help you explore your funding and benefit options, or even negotiate care fees on your behalf. Call us on freephone:

0800 098 8299

(Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)

The assessment will evaluate your day-to-day support requirements, and determine how your needs can be supported. Following this, you can get a financial assessment in order to find out about any local authority funding that you are entitled to.

Find out more about booking a care needs assessment.

NHS support for dementia

Along with the NHS treatment that your GP and local hospital provide you, there are other NHS healthcare services that can help someone living with dementia. These include:

  • physiotherapy
  • hearing care (audiology)
  • eye tests (optometry)
  • foot care (podiatry)
  • speech and language therapy
  • support from the NHS Older People’s Mental Health team

Your GP can give you more information about these services.

NHS continuing healthcare 

Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is free care that is arranged and funded by the NHS, for adults with long-term complex health needs, including dementia. NHS Continuing Healthcare is available in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Older patients discharging from hospital should be assessed for NHS Continuing Healthcare before being discharged from hospital.

NHS Continuing Healthcare can be provided in your own home, where the NHS will pay for nursing and personal care, or in a care home, whereby the NHS will pay the care home fees.

Find out more about NHS continuing healthcare.

NHS Admiral Nurses

NHS Admiral Nurses are specially trained in dementia care and can support your family in order to provide emotional and practical support. 

Admiral Nurses’s unique dementia expertise helps families to live more positively with dementia in the present, and to face the challenges of tomorrow with more confidence and less fear.

If you would like to speak to an Admiral Nurse, you can call the Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline on 0800 888 6678 from 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 5pm during the weekend. 

Alternatively you can send an email to helpline@dementiauk.org or fill in the form on the Dementia UK website.

Questions about funding care?

Care Sourcer’s friendly care experts are on hand to provide guidance on typical care costs, help you explore your funding and benefit options, or even negotiate care fees on your behalf.

Call us on freephone: 0800 098 8299 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)

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