Our offices are open from 9am until 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Operational hours across projects may vary. You can call or email us for further information.
If possible contact your GP straight away or if you are known to a Community Mental Health Team they will have an out of hours contact number. Below are also some useful numbers;
Samaritans- 116123 (free)
NHS Helpline- 111 or 0845 647 0914 (free)
The opportunity to make a complaint or grievance is an essential right for all those who use the services provided by any organisation. Complaints can be a valuable way of evaluating and improving our services and of ensuring they are responsive to the needs and preferences of users. There are three stages to our complaints procedure. If you would like to make a complaint this can be registered with any member of staff and the line manager may be asked to resolve the complaint informally. If you would like to formally write a complaint then the person who receives the complaint will carry out an investigation, or, where appropriate, appoint someone else to do so. The investigator will report the results in writing within 15 working days to you and the relevant members of staff. If you, or the person about whom the complaint is made, are unhappy with the results of this you or they can then ask for the complaint to be referred to the Chair of Andover Mind.
You can self refer by phone, email, contact form on our website or by calling in person to your local well-being centre. Your GP can also refer you as can the community mental health team, if you are open to them.
You can drop in and we will endeavour to see you there and then but this is not always possible. If you are in crisis we will help you contact the right organisation to support you. If you are not in crisis and we are not able to see you immediately, we will make an appointment at a time that is convenient to you.
Dementia is not a specific disease. It’s an overall term that describes a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills, severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases.
There are some things that are suggested to help towards the prevention of dementia.
We would always advise you to contact your GP as a first port of call and express your concerns regarding your memory. The GP can then refer you onto the Community Mental Health Team in your area who specialise in memory and can refer you for a scan should this be required. The Community Mental Health Team can then discuss diagnosis and medication and refer you onto ongoing support.
We would always signpost to the family members GP as an initial point of contact. Often family members may be reluctant to visit their GP and are perhaps very worried or scared for the future. Try and reassure them as best you can as a dementia diagnosis can be very positive and can mean access to all sorts of help and support to keep you living well at home. Our Dementia Advice Service can provide ongoing advice, information and support
This isn’t a problem at all, whatever help and time you are able to offer would be greatly appreciated. There may be certain projects or tasks that would be more suited to ad hoc hours and we would be happy to discuss this with you.
Have a think about your skill set, what you enjoy and also what you want to get out of volunteering. By reflecting on this it may become a little clearer which project would be best suit you. It may be that you want to build up to paid employment or perhaps you have recently retired and want to give something back. Whether its administration, helping with a social group or being creative and helping to restore and upcycle furniture there is certainly something for everyone. If you are still unsure please contact Lisa Langman our volunteer coordinator who will be happy to chat through some different options.
Brief answers to some of the most common questions about benefits can be found here.