North Lanarkshire Council and Alzheimer Scotland are expanding services for people with dementia in North Lanarkshire.

 

Alzheimer Scotland and the council’s social work department had both run day care services at Sir John Mann Centre in Bellshill and Stewarton House in Wishaw, which included support for people with dementia. These services are currently being integrated and the two organisations will use their combined resources to provide better support to people with dementia, and reduce the need for people to move from one service to another if their condition deteriorates.

 

There will be a single day care service run by the council, with extra support provided by Alzheimer Scotland to ensure that people with dementia can continue to attend day care.

 

The service provided by Alzheimer Scotland will be targeted at people with dementia who have high support needs in their own homes and will be expanded to cover the whole of North Lanarkshire for the first time. It will enable more people with dementia to be supported at home instead of having to move to institutional forms of care. Additional funding of £90,000 will be allocated to the improved services by the social work department.

 

Councillor Harry McGuigan, Convener of the Social Work Committee, said:

 

“In partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, we reviewed our day care services for older people with a view to making them more flexible and tailored to the needs of individuals. As part of that review, services provided by Alzheimer Scotland in Wishaw, Motherwell and Bellshill are being expanded to cover the whole of North Lanarkshire. This means more people will benefit from specialist services that support people with dementia and their families and carers, helping them to remain living independently at home.

 

“We have consulted with carers and service users in developing these new services and we are taking care to ensure that those people who receive these services are given information and support through the transition. We believe the new services will improve the quality of life for the many people living with dementia and their carers.”

 

Jim Jackson, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said:

 

“Alzheimer Scotland is delighted to be strengthening our partnership with North Lanarkshire Council. This is really good news for the people with dementia and their families who will be receiving support which is tailored to their individual needs.”