How do you set up an outpatient clinic in such a way that patients only have to come to the hospital for one day and then have all the appointments and examinations that are necessary?
‘Patients referred by the GP do not all have to see the same care providers. For example, the relatively younger patient has an appointment with a neurologist to rule out other conditions. Patients whose demand mainly comes from their environment only see the geriatric physician and a nurse. By looking at our patients in this way, it is possible to provide clarity quickly.’
Is it important that you take someone to the Memory Clinic?
‘Absolute. We always need the story of the neighbor, such as a partner or of a son or daughter, for whatever examinations someone is scheduled. We always speak to them separately, because the memory problem can cause a lot of stress and worry for a loved one.’
I can imagine that people with lead in their shoes report to the Memory Clinic.
‘That is indeed the case because for many people the Memory outpatient clinic stands for ‘dementia outpatient clinic’. While this is not the case at all. I estimate that about half of the patients do not have dementia. The advantage of this new outpatient clinic is that we look extensively at all complaints and see whether there are also other causes for the problems, such as medication, life events or other disorders. We really hold everything up to the light. In addition, we discuss every patient in consultation with all the specialisms involved. That way you can be sure that every expertise has been looked at.’
After two weeks, patients come back for the results. The diagnosis is indeed dementia. What then?
‘We help patients and carers or partners on their way. Such as what needs to be arranged and what can a dementia case manager mean? Further care and guidance is usually provided by your own GP. Dementia cannot be cured, it is very important that patients and their loved ones learn to deal with it. Thanks to the investigations we do at the outpatient clinic, we also know what is going well. In addition, we can give advice on how to support memory in the right way. Often much more is possible than expected. That means that people can continue to do what they like to do as much as possible.’
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Every 12 minutes someone in the Netherlands gets dementia.