Memory assessment services
Sube Banerjee, Nicolas Farina
Abstract
First developed in the 1970s and 1980s to help facilitate research, memory clinics have evolved into Memory Services, focused on delivering early diagnosis and intervention for people with dementia. Compared to traditional community mental health services, their focus is on early diagnosis in itself, rather than the management of complex problems in dementia. The increasing awareness of dementia has led to the development of many more memory services, encouraged by governments around the world. There is good evidence for the clinical and cost effectiveness of early diagnosis and intervention of dementia and memory services aim to achieve this. This chapter considers who memory services are for and what they should aim to achieve. A good memory service makes the diagnosis well, explains the diagnosis well, and provides the immediate care, support, and treatment that is needed by the person with dementia and their carers.