Waiting times in Jersey should not put off dementia concerns

Tony Hall had to wait nine months for a diagnosis

Islanders who suspect a loved one has dementia should still see their GP, despite long waits for referrals, a health charity has said.

The average waiting time in Jersey to see a dementia specialist after being referred is 33 weeks.

Dementia Jersey is urging people with concerns to still see their GP to get a diagnosis, medicine and support services.

The government said reducing waiting times was not a straightforward issue.

Barbara Hall noticed a change in her husband Tony's behaviour, but they had to wait nine months to get a diagnosis.

"It was a good, sort of, two and a half years ago, I noticed that Tony wasn't really doing the things around the house which I would normally expect him to do," said Ms Hall.

"Things like paying a bill or putting the rubbish out, or things like that.

Barbara Hall started to notice changes in her husband's behaviour two-and-a-half years ago

"But the big thing that I noticed most of all was his driving.

"He didn't seem to have the same judgement.

"I think we just had to, sort of, manage that time together to, sort of face up to the fact things could be changing.

"It was a long time to wait," she said.

'Affects wellbeing'

In the UK the recommended wait is six weeks, but it can take years for some people to be diagnosed.

Dr Sian Wareing-Jones from Dementia Jersey, said the wait took a toll on people's mental health.

"During that waiting time, obviously people are then thinking, well, what is this diagnosis, what is going wrong with me, why am I not able to do the things that I used to be able to do, why is my relationship struggling?

"So all those things, those anxieties are growing, so that does affect people's wellbeing and their mental health significantly."

She added, as people lived longer, the number who would develop dementia worldwide would grow.

"One in three babies born last year, in 2023, will die with dementia."

"That's just how serious this condition is, affecting so much of our population that we do need to take action and do things differently," said Ms Wareing-Jones.

'Complicated issue'

A dementia strategy has been delayed as the Health Minister, Deputy Tom Binet wants more detail to be added.

"I've delayed it for a few weeks because I wasn't content it was specific enough.

"I thought it was a little short on the delivery side, so I've just held it back," said Mr Binet.

In terms of waiting lists he said: "There are an awful lot of things that need to be done, it's not something you can turn around overnight.

"There's a whole lot of issues working in connection with one another to solve that problem - it's not a straightforward problem."