Every year on 21 September, Alzheimer associations around the world unite to acknowledge World Alzheimer’s Day. The aim of the day is to make a difference for people with dementia, their families and carers worldwide.
Sydney North Health Network are committed to meeting this aim. In partnership with Northern Sydney LHD, CCNB and Alzheimer’s Australia the Northern Sydney Dementia Collaborative was formed in 2015 with an overriding objective to improve the lives of people with dementia and their families, by helping them to navigate the healthcare system and access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The Collaborative focuses on:
- People with dementia and their carers; and
- Health care providers (Primary Care, Community, Hospital) in Northern Sydney.
The Collaborative has developed projects that have resulted in improved access to information about appropriate dementia management and available services that are close to home. The priority is to ensure that management of a person’s health is appropriate and comprehensive, and that when support is required, this can be accessed in a timely fashion, avoiding hospital admissions and premature admission to a Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF).
The project outcomes include a GP Social Work service, Hospital Discharge Program for People with Dementia, Memory Problems booklet and development of quality indicators to support best practice in General Practice. See Northern Sydney dementia partnership.
Dementia has been a priority for the Sydney North HealthPathways (SNHPs) team with the launch of Cognitive and Dementia pathways, including Elder abuse.
At its simplest, HealthPathways is a web-based clinical ‘filing cabinet’ that allows GPs to assess and manage patient conditions with greater efficiency and integration of care. It is an online resource developed by local clinicians for local clinicians that can:
- Support general practitioners to better manage patients in the community
- Improve integration of care between general practice and hospitals
- Provide locally relevant information for general practitioners and other registered clinical health service providers
- Enable better use & design of our local health system.
For further information, and to obtain a username and password, contact the Sydney North HealthPathways team below via email: healthpathways@snhn.org.au
For more information on dementia, please visit Alzheimer Australia’s website.
