How We Support Families Safely and Professionally

The Seychelles Alzheimer’s Foundation is committed to supporting people living with dementia, their families, and caregivers with dignity, respect, compassion, and professionalism.

SAF is a non-medical, non-clinical, and non-legal organisation. Our role is to provide support, information, dementia awareness, community education, volunteer support, and signposting to appropriate health and social services. We do not provide medical diagnosis, medical treatment, legal advice, or decisions about a person’s mental capacity.

Our Role

SAF supports individuals and families by:

Providing information and guidance about dementia and dementia care.
Offering emotional and community support to people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Delivering awareness activities and caregiver education.
Supporting families through programmes such as Visiting Angels.
Helping families access appropriate medical, social, or community services where needed.
Where a person or family requires medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or legal guidance, SAF will encourage them to seek support from qualified health or legal professionals.

Medical and Legal Boundaries

SAF staff and volunteers do not diagnose dementia or any other medical condition. We also do not issue medical certificates, provide medical opinions, or confirm whether a person has dementia unless this has already been formally diagnosed by a qualified medical practitioner.

SAF is also not authorised to determine whether someone has mental capacity to make legal, financial, property, or personal decisions. These matters must be assessed by qualified medical practitioners, legal professionals, or the relevant authorities.

Cognitive Screening

In some circumstances, SAF volunteers may use simple cognitive screening tools, such as the Mini-Cog, during support visits. This is used only to identify possible concerns and to encourage referral for proper medical assessment. It is not a diagnosis.

Where concerns are identified, SAF may recommend that the person or family seek assessment from a medical practitioner or appropriate health service.

Safeguarding Vulnerable Older Persons

SAF recognises that some people living with dementia may be at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation, social isolation, or unsafe living conditions. If SAF staff or volunteers become aware of a safeguarding concern, they will document the concern, report it to SAF leadership, and, where appropriate, refer the matter to the relevant authorities.

SAF’s role is to raise concerns and support referral. We do not carry out investigations or make legal decisions.

Neutrality in Family or Property Disputes

SAF remains neutral in family disagreements, property disputes, inheritance matters, financial conflicts, or legal proceedings. We do not take sides or provide statements intended to support or challenge legal claims.

Where appropriate, SAF may only provide factual confirmation of its involvement, such as the date of a visit or the type of support provided.

Confidentiality and Respect

All SAF staff and volunteers are expected to respect confidentiality, protect personal information, and act in the best interests of the person living with dementia and their caregiver. Records of visits, observations, and concerns are kept factual, respectful, and confidential.

Our Commitment

Through clear safeguarding and professional boundaries, SAF aims to remain a trusted community organisation focused on awareness, support, advocacy, and the wellbeing of people living with dementia and their families in Seychelles.