Alzheimer:
FAQ

If you want to know more about Alzheimer's disease, our resources, diagnosis or our assistance mechanism you can find it by browsing this website.

If you want to make a telephone consultation, call:

Diagnostic Unit: (+34) 93.430.47.20

Day Care Unit: (+34) 93.444.10.24

Administration and management: (+34) 93.444.73.18

If you have any other questions, fill in this form.

People with dementia pass from being completely autonomous to needing 24-hour supervision. If a gradual transition is possible, it will be easier if the person gets used to living with somebody. At first, it may only be necessary for somebody to be responsible for controlling their medication or helping with shopping and eating, and they may not require continuous supervision. These questions may help to decide the type of care that the person with dementia needs: Are they still looking after their hygiene and physical appearance?, Are they taking their medication properly?, Are they eating well?, Are they keeping the house tidy?, Do they switch off the heater?, Do they switch off the gas?, Do they burn their food?, Do they act on unfounded ideas or suspicion?, Are they sensible in their actions and decisions?

The development of dementia is a changing reality, which depends on the development of the illness itself. The needs of the person with dementia and of their family will change as the illness progresses and makes the ill person become more dependent. “When is the right moment to take them to a day centre or residence?” is not the question we should be asking. The questions carers should ask themselves are “Is my family member being well looked after?”; “Does he/she need any kind of care that we can not provide at home?”

The answers to these questions are what should guide us to use the most appropriate resource. Caring for a person with dementia is a long-term commitment, so the carer must be aware of the quality of the care they are giving and their own need for help or rest in order to continue giving them proper care.

The decision to take a person with dementia to a day centre or a residence brings with it contradictory feelings (“Will he want to go?” “What if he doesn’t?” “Am I doing the right thing?”...). However, we must always remember that our aim is to give the person with dementia the highest quality, both in health care and in their environment, and that perhaps this is no longer possible at home.

Currently, access to subsidies is through assessment under the Dependency Law. This assessment grants the applicant the rights to use services, depending on the level of dependency they are determined to have.

Therefore, a person must be considered dependent according to the terms of that Law in order to access this assistance. A request must be made with the regional Social Welfare office to start the dependency assessment procedure.

No. The beneficiary contributes to financing the service according to their personal economic ability to do so. Economic capacity is determined in relation to the degree of dependency, income and the net assets of the applicant.

The service costs the same whether the person occupies a subsidised place or is at a collaborating centre or a public centre.

The different Spanish Autonomous Communities and social and medical authorities offer a range of services and resources for people with dementia and their families, aimed at meeting the diverse needs that can arise when caring for somebody with dementia. Some important examples are: home care, helplines, day centres and day hospitals, residences.

Home care

The aim of the home care service is to lend personal support, care and help to people whose situation means they lack personal autonomy. It focuses on services that attend to domestic or household needs: cleaning, washing, cooking, etc.; and services relating to personal care and the activities of daily living (washing and personal hygiene, help getting dressed and eating, etc.).

This service is available privately or through subsidies. When the service is subsidised by the administration, its duration varies depending on the person’s social/family situation, their needs, the level of service that they require according to their level of dependency and the prescribed compatible services.

Helpline

This is a technical resource for at-home supervision over the telephone, which acts at a preventative level 24 hours a day.

The helpline, although its installation is not advised for people with dementia who live alone, is often very helpful for relatives who live with the person with dementia in the event that they need to ask for help.

Therapeutic day centres and hospitals

The specific aims of these day care centres include restoring lost functions and cognitive stimulation. They run cognitive psychostimulation, motor and psychoaffective activities. They work at the same time on the preservation of the activities of daily living and skills re-education.

Their specific objectives are as follows: to recover and restore losses; to stimulate, delaying the progressive loss of capabilities; to optimise the remaining functional capacities; and to alleviate, meeting people’s needs.

Daycare hospitals and centres

Assisted day hospitals and centres offer supervision and assistance in the activities of daily living, complementing the care given by family members themselves. The aims of these services include: offering an appropriate environment, adapted to the needs of people with cognitive deterioration; favouring the preservation of people’s independence; offering support to families in caring for their relative with dementia. Assisted living residences.

These residential reception centres offer a permanent or temporary service in addition to integrated support in the activities of daily living for people with dementia. They can be accessed privately or through subsidies.