Advice Dementia

Have you tried superdoc.bg?

Talk to your GP first; see if he/she can refer you.

@Snowball6

I had my dad here with me in Bulgaria for a couple of years, after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The unfortunate thing with Alzheimer's (and dementia in general) is that there's not a whole lot in terms of cures/treatment, especially by the time it has become obvious enough to diagnose.

There is a view that a significant percentage (maybe even 50%+) of dementia cases are lifestyle related (i.e. not following healthy diet, allowing high blood sugar/metabolic syndrome, not treating high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, drinking/smoking, lack of exercise/activity, etc.) However, while it's never too late to address these factors, they also have much more limited efficacy by the time dementia is obvious enough to diagnose.

As per @JimJ, I did go chat to my GP about it, as this is always a good place to start for any medical issue/concern. I'd encourage any expat to make sure they have coverage in the Bulgarian health system/NHIF, either with an S1 or by making the appropriate social security contributions. Then you can register officially with a GP in the same way as in the UK. However, even if you're not in the system you can still find yourself a nice GP and go as a private patient (typically fairly inexpensive). Also, per @Jules999, I used Superdoc to find a local English-speaking Psychiatrist. This was probably the most helpful, and I use this site whenever I want a specialist consultation (e.g. cardiologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist, orthopedic surgeon, etc.). I also went to the Plovdiv Psychiatric Hospital, and I'd guess a big city like Varna will also have one.

Aside from diagnosis and/or treatment, there is a process in Bulgaria (as there is in the UK) for getting someone's dementia assessed in relation to disability and potential disability payment. Typically, this is an assessment by the local psychiatric hospital and possible general hospital (re; scans or neurosurgeon report)... followed by submission of the two reports to TELK (the disability panel) for their assessment and official decision/recommendations. I did this with my dad, but I did not follow up to claim the disability allowance (probably 100 euros ish, I'd guess).

Depending on the TELK assessment, you might also be eligible for ancillary benefits, such as subsidised public transport, a Blue disabled badge or even reduced municipal taxes...