Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has today launched New Zealand’s first set of guidelines to identify and support people with cognitive impairment who access alcohol and other drug (AOD) services.
“Cognitive impairment may impact up to 80% of people accessing alcohol and other drug (AOD) services but it frequently goes unrecognised,” Health NZ’s National Commissioning Co-Director Addictions, Ian McKenzie, said.
“We know that recognising a person’s cognitive impairment is important for tailoring support and working in partnership to improve treatment outcomes for those accessing AOD services.
“These new guidelines are primarily for workers in AOD services who haven’t had specialised training in cognitive screening and assessment. They may also be useful for the wider mental health and addiction workforce plus workers in other community and primary care settings.
“Health NZ commissioned Te Pou, a not-for-profit national workforce development centre, to create the new guidelines, which were developed in partnership with an external technical advisory group and with wider sector input,” Ian McKenzie said.
You can download the new guidelines here: