Appropriate assistive technology should be explored and offered for those whom it may benefit.

If you are beginning to struggle with everyday tasks around the house it can hinder your ability to live independently. Assistive technology are adaptations to your house which meet your changing needs.
A referral can be made to social services to access the assistive technology available to you. An appointment with an occupational therapist will help to understand what changes and adaptations might help you, and the therapist will create a detailed personal plan for your needs.

For extra information, evidence and best practice please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Regional offerings

Community Occupational Therapy Team

You can request an assessment for equipment and adaptations to make it easier for you to live independently.
Weblink: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

Dementia Wellbeing Plan for Greater Manchester; Dementia United

The Greater Manchester dementia wellbeing plan promotes personalised planning conversations with people living with dementia and carers about their needs and wants. The plan ensures an improved standard of care planning for people living with dementia and also facilitates sharing across the system. It will be available as a standardised plan which can be accessed and shared digitally between practitioners; as well as being available from the website for people affected by dementia to be using when having person centred care plan reviews
Weblink: https://dementia-united.org.uk/dementia-wellbeing-plan/

Housing for People Living With Dementia in Greater Manchester - From Policy to Practice

The report and recommendations within it are part of an extensive period of consultation over the past 18 months and including more than 250 stakeholders across housing, health and social care in Greater Manchester, alongside people with lived experience of dementia, carers and loved ones.
Weblink: https://dementia-united.org.uk/housing/

National offerings

Assistive Technology

The phrase ‘assistive technology’ is often used to describe products or systems that support and assist individuals with disabilities, restricted mobility or other impairments to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. The website outlines examples of Assistive Technology and how it might be used.
Weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assistive-technology-definition-and-safe-use/assistive-technology-definition-and-safe-use

Blue Badges

The Blue Badge scheme helps those with severe mobility problems or hidden disabilities who have difficulty using public transport to park close to where they need to go.
Telephone: 0161 770 1222
Email: bluebadgeteam@oldham.gov.uk
Weblink: https://www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge

Living with Dementia Toolkit - downloadable guide

Not everyone has access to the internet so we have produced a Guide to the Living with Dementia Toolkit that can be downloaded and printed off. We encourage peers, family members, and health and social care professionals to make use of this.

The Guide is available in English and in Welsh. It introduces the toolkit and the resources available. For the full experience of the toolkit, you need to look at the website. QR codes link you back to the website at various points. There is a 'How to use QR codes' video lower down the page.

This can be downloaded here: https://livingwithdementiatoolkit.org.uk/home/living-with-dementia-toolkit-downloadable-guide/

Evidence

'A Guide to Psychosocial Interventions in Early Stages of Dementia':
Advice and support with assistive technology (AT) will involve a discussion about your specific needs. During this discussion the aim will be to see what kind of equipment can be helpful to you specifically. There is equipment and devices which can help you in the following areas:
speaking, for example, communication aids,
doing things independently at home,
keeping safe when going out, for example, satellite navigation to help you find places, or GPS trackers to help others to find you,
memory, for example, a medication monitor or alarm which reminds you to take your medication. An electronic dosage system can ensure you take the right quantity,
socialising and staying connected with others, such as tablet computers or video conferencing systems to help you keep in touch,
preparing food and drink, such as alarms which automatically shut off your gas supply should your cooker be left on,
keeping you and your family safe in the home, for example, against falls, or by helping to regulate the temperature.

A systematic review suggests the use of AT for leisure and social interaction, memory support; orientation; safety and security seemed to help strengthen relationships between the person living with dementia and their carers. It was concluded that AT would support people with dementia and carers in the community but researchers, healthcare professionals and technology developers should adopt a family centred model for use of AT than pursuing only an individual/person centred model of care.

Best Practice Resources

Factsheet on AT developed by the Alzheimer's Society, to view this document please click here.
Information on AT for GPs and CCGs provided by the Alzheimer's Society, to view this document please click here.