What is the memory clinic (Memory Assessment Service)
Gloucestershire’s Memory Assessment Service provides specialist assessment, diagnosis and treatment services to people who are worried about memory as well as providing support to their carers.
The service which is led by ²gether NHS Foundation Trust has been developed in partnership with carers, Carers Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire County Council and local branches of the Alzheimer’s Society.
The service will offer telephone support, written information, referral to other services and advice on a wide range of topics.
Telephone: 0800 694 8800
Email: managingmemory@glos.nhs.uk
Read more about the memory assessment service and information session dates available throughout the county on a range of topics including memory loss.
How do I make an appointment to come to the Memory Clinic?
To attend this clinic you can refer yourself, be referred by your general practitioner or by another medical doctor. You will have the choice of being assessed either at home or in the clinic. When a GP refers you they will usually take some blood for testing and may get you to answer some questions about your memory. You will then be sent a letter inviting you to ring the memory clinic to make an appointment. You will also be told what to do when you arrive there.
What will happen when I get to the clinic?
When you first arrive, the receptionist will show you where you may wait. You will then be asked to go into a private room to meet with a member of staff. During this session you will be seen by a specialist nurse usually trained in memory assessment. You will be asked a range of questions relating to your memory and health related questions too. You will have the opportunity to voice your concerns.
What do I need to bring?
If you need spectacles for reading or use a hearing aid, you should bring these with you. Please also bring details of any medications that you are taking. If it is possible it can be very useful if a relative or close friend can come with you. It is totally up to you if you want them to speak with the doctor. Try to decide in advance.
How long will I be at the clinic?
You will be about two hours at the clinic. It means a long session for you, but we think that it is better to get all of these investigations over and done with at one go, rather than to ask you to make several separate visits to the clinic.
What happens after I have been to the clinic?
You will have been given another short appointment in the near future when you can come back and talk. By then the hospital will have received the results of all the investigations and may be in a position to give you a diagnosis. If necessary the doctor will discuss any possible treatment with you, or any other help, which you may find useful. The doctor who referred you will be given this information in a letter.
How to manage with memory loss. A psychologist makes some recommendations for managing at home.
