Services

A thorough clinical assessment is cornerstone in diagnosing mental illness. This typically includes information gathering from the patient and a reliable informant. A detailed Mental State Examination (MSE) is carried out and in cases, a standardised rating scale will be used as a baseline measure of the illness. Occasionally further investigation or periodic review of MSE may be required to make a definitive diagnosis. This may happen in complex dementia cases.

They are an integral part of working with older people due to mobility problems, difficulty with eyesight. Who doesn’t like the comfort of one’s house? You can request a home visit and one of our dedicated team member will visit you. We prefer a member of family to be present during the consultation.

Especially in people with dementia, there can be concerns about keeping themselves safe. They are at significant risk of self neglect, accidental overdose of medications, fire, wandering, depression, falls, financial and emotional abuse. We know they are a vulnerable group of people who should be best supported in familiar environment.

We offer home environment assessment and modification to minimize above risks.

Delirium or acute confusional state is an extremely common condition in older people. If left untreated, it can lead to significant complications. However, timely assessment of ‘high-risk’ individuals could potentially prevent or lessen the duration of delirium.

Most of the care for People with Dementia (PWD) is provided by family, typically by spouse or children. Wellbeing of carer is of paramount importance and research has shown increased incidence of mental illnesses in carers with significant carer stress/burden. Having regular periods of respite and ‘Me time’ can recharge one’s battery and be able to continue caring for their loved ones. We offer Carer groups or 1:1 sessions to psych-educate carer to support them in maintaining their wellbeing.

Behavioural and Psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are inevitable during the course of the illness. They can vary from insomnia, loss of appetite, anxiety, agitation, aggression, hallucination, paranoid thoughts etc. These can be very distressing for both the PWD and family/carer. This group of symptoms can pose a clinical challenge. Treatment includes using medications, non-
pharmacological (see below) or a typically combination of both.

These are simple, yet very effective treatment avenues,
especially for BPSD. The available pharmacological medications are not without serious
side-effects and are hence reserved as last resort. Some of the effective non-
pharmacological include:
● Cognitive Stimulation Treatment (Brain exercise), for e.g. crosswords, sudoku

● Psychological Formulation, which consists of a detailed understanding of the
behaviour with Antecedent Behaviour Chart (ABC) and offering practical solution.
● Reminiscent Therapy using a Photo album to jog old memories of family, holidays etc
can be useful
● Tactile Stimulation using a Dementia Doll or Twiddle Muff can have a soothing and
calming influence.
● Aromatherapy using Lavender oil has shown to have beneficial effect
● Music therapy & Dance therapy: Who doesn’t like to listen to ageless melodies of
Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi!

Driving is a complex task which requires multiple brain functions, for e.g. organization and planning, undivided attention, interpretation of road signs/traffic lights. As more and more people continue to drive, ensuring safety of PWD and others on road is of paramount importance. Having a diagnosis of dementia by itself is not a contraindication to driving!