Dr Zheng currently has only mild dementia and can predominantly perform all Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) independently. At present, the Zheng’s are confident that they can manage all of his care needs without further assistance.

I have let Mrs Zheng and her daughter know that I will remain in regular contact to provide carer support and have encouraged them to contact me if they have any difficulties or would like to enlist care assistance as Dr Zheng’s dementia progresses.  As the Zheng’s live in the country, there is no local carer support group, but I will arrange for them to participate by video-conferencing. Facilities are available for this service through the regional hospital telehealth centre.  I have also discussed grieving and loss with the Zheng family and provided information about support services that are available. I will regularly follow-up with the Zheng family to assess their needs. I have also informed their GP of the situation and suggested he be aware of the potential for depression and/or carer fatigue in Mrs Zheng's case.

I have given The Zheng’s further written information on dementia and its course and concluded that they do not require any assistance from Home and Community Care (HACC) at this stage.  This will be reviewed at yearly intervals unless otherwise requested.  We have discussed local services available through the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) and Home and Community Care (HACC) and the Zheng's have been provided with additional information on these services and how to access them.