"What we don't need" says Harry
The Alzheimer's Society's Chief Executive, Harry Cayton, made a plea for less research.
He was talking about the needs of carers, and at the recent launch of the Dementia Services Collaborative, he said, "What we don't need is more research into the needs of carers. We know what carers need, we must concentrate on delivery."
Harry Cayton, who is also Director of Patient Experience and Public Involvement at the Department of Health made his remarks in the presence of the Secretary of State, Alan Milburn, at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on 12th July. He then went on to list what carers need.
He gave four basic headings:
- Information
- Emotional Support
- Practical Help - EPA, wills, Day Care, Home Support etc.
- Healthcare for themselves - carers are often neglected
He then outlined four qualities that the meeting of those four needs should have:
- Reliability
- Consistency - no changes, consistent relationship between worker and carer & patient
- Flexibility - & days? Evenings? Sundays?
- Choice
He said that the Alzheimer's Society was striving to meet the four needs and with the four qualities described and said that it was very successful in so doing, but that the society should always seek to improve the quality of the services it provides.
12 July 2002
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