Worried that a family member has dementia or memory loss?

We understand that seeing a family member struggle with their memory can be heartbreaking. Therefore, we have designed our services to work with those supporting or caring for a loved one.

If you are concerned that a loved one is suffering from memory loss, Psychiatry-UK offers various virtual services to provide the right diagnosis and treatment.

We can arrange an initial assessment with one of our qualified clinicians, who can then recommend the next step as we also support you through the pre and post-diagnosis process. This could be general advice, medical tests or a personal care plan.

Blood tests and a CT or MRI head scan can be ordered if necessary. These are followed by a remote diagnosis and treatment consultation to discuss the diagnosis and formulate a personal care plan and post-diagnosis support.

You need to care for yourself, as well as your loved one

Dedicating time to support someone you love with dementia can be both a rewarding and a challenging experience. Education plays a vital part in the caring process, as the more you learn about dementia and memory loss, the better prepared you will be for what lies ahead.

Here at Psychiatry-UK, we also realise that the needs of carers and other family members are vital to the patient’s well-being.

Remember: in order to fully support the person you care for, you first need to look after yourself.

Caring for someone with dementia

Whether you like the term or not, healthcare and social service providers will refer to anyone looking after a person living with dementia as a ‘carer’. In your mind, you are just looking after your spouse, partner, relative or close friend.

It is important to realise that you are not alone and help is available.

Prepare for the changes ahead

When dementia progresses, you will find that you will need to provide more support, which will change the relationship with your loved one. This can be tough if you are not used to dealing with household finances, transport or cooking meals.

Try to prepare for what changes need to be made in the future, talk to others and look for support.

How to avoid caregiver burden

Caregiver burden is a term which describes the physical, emotional, social and financial impact of caring for someone. Common risk factors include social isolation, spending much of the day in a caring role, financial worries and a lack of personal choice.

Take breaks from caring and dedicate time to looking after yourself. We can advise you on the different ways to overcome the challenges of looking after a person with cognitive impairment.

Does dementia run in families?

According to the Alzheimer’s Society UK, the majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In some rarer types of dementia there can be a genetic link, but these account for only a tiny proportion of dementia cases.

The most important risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is old age, as the disease is most common in people in their late 70s and 80s. If your parent or grandparent suffers from Alzheimer’s disease at this age, it will not increase your risk of dementia.

However, if someone in your family has developed Alzheimer’s at an early age (less than 60), there is more chance it could be passed on.

Can vascular dementia be inherited?

Although vascular dementia itself is not inherited, the contributing underlying health issues, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, can be inherited.

This means that prevention is vital, so you must maintain a healthy lifestyle. We will thus help you identify any vascular risk factors and modify them through medical and lifestyle-based interventions.

Ready to book your appointment?

There are a couple of ways you can book your Memory Assessment.

  1. You can call our friendly and knowledgeable patient services department, who will be happy to book a date and time that suits you on 0330 124 1980. There are very short waiting times, and we do not need a referral from your GP.
  2. You can complete a our contact form and someone from our team will contact you to book via email if you prefer. Please ensure you choose Memory/Dementia from the list of available treatments.