FAQs

Find answers to common questions about our dementia care services, treatment options, and how we can support you and your loved ones every step of the way.  Please contact us if you have questions we haven’t covered here.

You can contact The Ness by completing the website form, calling the office on 01626 774799, or emailing info@nesscaregroup.co.uk. Once you get in touch, a member of the team will speak with you about the individual’s needs and arrange a face to face assessment.

Meeting a specialist helps us understand the individual’s needs, interests and level of support required. It also helps us place them in the most suitable group and make sure the support offered is right for them and their family.

Yes. For The Ness Hubs, everyone is offered a free half day so the individual can see whether the group feels right for them, and so we can make sure they are placed in the most suitable setting. For coaching, we offer a free assessment rather than a free coaching session.

After the trial session, we will talk through the next steps with you. There may be a waiting list at times, but we always try to start support as soon as possible. In some cases, that may begin with a half day or another form of support while we work towards a regular place.

It can take a few visits for someone to feel comfortable in a new group. From our experience, some people need up to five visits before they really begin to settle. Encouragement from family during that time can make a big difference, and we will support that process too. Once the initial anxiety eases, most people settle into the group well and begin to enjoy the routine.

 

We usually recommend regular weekly attendance where possible. This helps build routine, confidence and familiarity with the group. It also gives people more chance to form relationships and settle into the sessions.

Attendance depends on the individual’s needs. Some people attend once a week, while others attend more often. The minimum is usually one half day a week, and many people attend two sessions each week as this often works well for routine and continuity.

You can cancel a hub session at any time, but if the cancellation is made within 7 days of the session, the full charge will still apply. This helps us run a safe and sustainable service.

In some cases, yes. Funding depends on a social care and financial assessment, and some families receive full or part funding. We are happy to support families in asking for a social care assessment.

We invoice at the end of each month based on the number of sessions attended. Payment can be made by online banking or by GoCardless Direct Debit.

GoCardless is the Direct Debit system we use for payments. We send you a secure link to set it up, and we do not hold your bank details. Once it is in place, your invoice is emailed to you each month and payment is collected automatically a few working days later.

Costs vary depending on the type of support and how often someone attends. Please contact the office for current pricing and to talk through the options that may suit your situation best.

  1. Yes. In fact, it is often better to engage with the right support as early as possible.

    Specialist dementia support is not only about what someone remembers afterwards. It is also about helping them stay engaged, mentally active, socially connected and involved in meaningful activity in the moment.

    Regular stimulation, routine and interaction can make a real difference to wellbeing, confidence and quality of life. Families often notice the benefit in a person’s mood, enjoyment, connection with others and day to day experience, even if they would not later remember every detail.

    Starting support earlier can also help people settle into a positive routine while they are still able to engage well and gain the most from it. For families, there is reassurance in knowing their loved one is safe, understood and supported in the right environment.

You can book coaching through the website  or by emailing info@nesscaregroup.co.uk.

Once you get in touch, a specialist will speak with you about your situation before arranging the first session.

Our Ness coach is a specialist dementia Nurse with over 20 year’s experience in dementia and working with families. He has worked in both health & social care and has a unique understanding of the systems, the disease and the treatment.

  1. The dementia journey is long, complex and immensely challenging for both the individual diagnosed but also the primary family member supporting that individual. You often feel isolated and alone with no-one truly understanding your situation.  Our coaching helps the family member (and at times the individual themselves) to create a future that is both beneficial to the individual living with dementia but also really supports and helps the primary informal carer.
  2. Our coaching will explore topics like social service and NHS support. The best treatment for someone with dementia.  How to avoid burnout when supporting someone with dementia.  Explore the principle symptoms associated with dementia.  Help families transition towards 24hr care.
  3. Finally, just a kind, empathic individual who gets how tough this diagnosis is.
  1. We would recommend our package of 3 sessions.  
  2. However, the number will be discussed in the initial telephone assessment.
  3. You are welcome to book in just a single session if there is a specific challenge that you wish to explore.
  1. You get a discount if you book in 3 or more sessions.
  2. Otherwise, each session costs £50.

We will run a training day once a month.

  1. We are happy to create a bespoke learning experience for your team
  2. However, we are experts in all aspects of dementia and cognitive health, especially on Cognitive Stimulation and therapies that help maintain cognitive health and wellness.

The Ness does not currently have accreditation but all courses will offer a CPD certificate that can be used in registration and appraisals.

  1. We are more than happy to travel across the Southwest to run expert face to face training which will help teams become experts in outstanding dementia care.
  2. If you are based outside the Southwest we will run online training for your teams.
  1. We’ve found from experience that online training can be more intense with less opportunity for break out group work and therefore we often split our online training into half days.
  2. Otherwise we cover the same material and students get the same CPD certificates.
  1. Feel free to complete the form on our website or you can call our central office 01626 774 799 or email info@nesscaregroup.co.uk
  2. Once you have requested space at The Hub you will be called back by one of our specialists who will go through a few questions before organising a face-to-face assessment.
  1. We passionately believe in the idea of building a bespoke plan for everyone who reaches out to The Ness. Working on goals together and understanding the cognitive ability of each individual. 
  2. For those with memory loss it allows us to match the individual with people at a similar stage in their diagnosis and allows us to measure any clinical improvements.
  3. For families or those seeking coaching, courses and information it allows us to understand their situation a little better and tailor our support appropriately.
  1. When booking into a Devon Ness Hub we ensure everyone gets a free half day this is important both for the individual to decide if they enjoy our hub and for us to assess whether they are in the correct group and enjoying the sessions.
  2. When utilising our coaching we use the free assessment to gain information but cannot offer a free session
  1. Once you have done your trial day we will get in touch and talk through the next steps. There can at times be a waiting list but we recognise the need to get someone started as soon as possible and so we will begin working with an individual immediately in some form.  This might be on a half day or with our coaching team.
  2. From our experience it can take up to 5 visits before an individual feels comfortable with the group. In this time it is so important that the family encourage attendance and we will encourage continuing because after this initial anxiety the majority of people settle into a fun comfortable routine.
  1. It is incredibly important for someone with memory loss to be given a routine this helps them to make friends, to aid memory and to reduce anxiety. We therefore strongly recommend that once we have found the correct group the individual sticks with that group and attends every week.
  2. If they attend weekly they build friendships and begin to remember some of the therapies
  1. The Ness Hubs are open 5 days a week every week. Some of our members attend every day of the week (5 days a week) and others once a week. 
  2. As mentioned the least you can attend is one half day (session) per week so you build relationships and create a routine.
  3. The average (and best) attendance is 2 days (or half days) a week.
  1. We must have a strict cancellation policy in order to run a safe and sustainable service. We do recognise that often you have no control over the time of cancellation and have good reason for the cancellation but I hope you recognise why we do still need to stick to our policy.
  2. This means that you can cancel at any time up to 7 days before attending a Devon dementia hub. If you cancel a week or less you will be charged.
  1. We work closely with both Social Services and the NHS and will support families in asking for a social care assessment.
  2. Funding is based on the financial assessment but many of our families are fully or partly funded through social care.
  3. With the recent announcements on increased funding for families from the Labour government we expect more people to be eligible for part or full funding. Worth asking!
  1. We invoice at the end of each month depending on the number of sessions attended.
  2. You can pay either through online banking or our preferred method is setting up a GoCardless Direct Debit account.
  1. This is a simple platform that allows you to control your invoicing.
  2. We email you a link and then you complete the form we hold no bank details and you can cancel it at any time.
  3. Once the account is set up the invoice is emailed to you each month and if correct will automatically debit 3 working days later.

Our prices change depending on the service you require. For information about pricing please get in touch with the office.

  1. It is incredibly important to engage in specialist services as soon as you can after before & after diagnosis.
  2. Research has shown that if you can get an individual engage with a service like The Ness then the individual having cognitive stimulation will remain independent with reduced care needs for up to a year or more longer. Saving the family a huge amount of money.
  3. However, we also know that the brain is like a muscle and even though the memory might be poor the more stimulation you give to the brain the better it performs and can even improve!
  4. Without external social stimulation you will see rapid deterioration.
  1. Anyone can book a coaching session directly through our website or by emailing info@nesscaregroup.co.uk.
  2. Once you have requested coaching you will be called back by our specialist who will go through a few questions before organising a first meeting.

Our Ness coach is a specialist dementia Nurse with over 20 year’s experience in dementia and working with families. He has worked in both health & social care and has a unique understanding of the systems, the disease and the treatment.

  1. The dementia journey is long, complex and immensely challenging for both the individual diagnosed but also the primary family member supporting that individual. You often feel isolated and alone with no-one truly understanding your situation.  Our coaching helps the family member (and at times the individual themselves) to create a future that is both beneficial to the individual living with dementia but also really supports and helps the primary informal carer.
  2. Our coaching will explore topics like social service and NHS support. The best treatment for someone with dementia.  How to avoid burnout when supporting someone with dementia.  Explore the principle symptoms associated with dementia.  Help families transition towards 24hr care.
  3. Finally, just a kind, empathic individual who gets how tough this diagnosis is.
  1. We would recommend our package of 3 sessions.  
  2. However, the number will be discussed in the initial telephone assessment.
  3. You are welcome to book in just a single session if there is a specific challenge that you wish to explore.
  1. You get a discount if you book in 3 or more sessions.
  2. Otherwise, each session costs £50

We will run a training day once a month

 

The Ness does not currently have accreditation but all courses will offer a CPD certificate that can be used in registration and appraisals.

  1. We are happy to create a bespoke learning experience for your team
  2. However, we are experts in all aspects of dementia and cognitive health, especially on Cognitive Stimulation and therapies that help maintain cognitive health and wellness.
  1. We are more than happy to travel across the Southwest to run expert face to face training which will help teams become experts in outstanding dementia care.
  2. If you are based outside the Southwest we will run online training for your teams.
  1. We’ve found from experience that online training can be more intense with less opportunity for break out group work and therefore we often split our online training into half days.
  2. Otherwise we cover the same material and students get the same CPD certificates

Still have questions?

Our friendly team are here to answer any questions you may have

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