Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced Monday it will expand its 811 phone service line to help patients dealing with dementia and their caregivers.
The dementia advice service was launched in North, Central and South Zones in September 2015.
Initially, AHS started the service to offer support to rural communities where limited resources exist. Now, that service has been expanded to cover the entire province in hopes this will decrease the number of dementia-related visits to emergency rooms.
Currently about 40,000 Albertans are living with dementia and that number is expected to grow.
AHS estimates by 2038, 1 in 10 Albertans over the age of 65 and nearly half of Albertans over the age of 90 will be living with dementia.
Besides being able to assess and aid callers, the Health Link number allows staff to refer callers to a specialized dementia nurse for additional support.
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