Government

Dementia Specialty Team

Published date: March 3, 2025

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The Dementia Specialty Team (DST) helps Islanders living with dementia and their care partners.

The team includes a geriatrician, an occupational therapy lead, and a physiotherapy lead. Together, they provide a consultative service that promotes evidence-based, best practice dementia care. They aim to give Island residents living with dementia the best quality of life possible.

Am I eligible for a consultation?

To be eligible for a consultation with the DST, you must:

be a resident of PEI with a valid PEI Health Card;
have a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia; and
experience changed behaviours secondary to your diagnosis of dementia which significantly impact your ability to complete your day-to-day activities, for example: frequent searching, exploring, getting lost; physical and verbal expressions of risk; sexual expressions of risk or potential risk; agitation; anxiety; etc., which cannot be met by existing resources or by another service.

Note: Clients with acute medical issues will be excluded until the acute medical issues are resolved.

What services does the DST provide?

The DST provides:

Mobile Behavioural Support Outreach. This includes complex behavioural support, assessments and care planning for clients in the community, acute care and long-term care.
A Behavioural Support Plan created with the individual, family, care partner(s) and clinical team, which can be incorporated into the existing care plan.
Virtual behavioural consultations between the DST team and other health care providers.
Transitional support for complex discharge planning.
Other referral requests that will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Recommendations and implementation of programs aimed at reducing the risk for people living with dementia.
Education to health care providers.