A service which provides vital support to people diagnosed with dementia is being extended.
The Carers Trust North Wales Crossrods charity offer a range of personalised support to people who have recently been diagnosed with dementia and their families.
This includes access to a named dementia coordinator, as well as training, emotional support, social activities and signposting to support services in the community.
The service, which is the first of its kind in Wales, has recently been extended for a further 12 months with funding from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, after receiving a 23% increase in referrals in the last year alone.
An evaluation carried out by the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research in partnership with Bangor University found that people felt well supported by the service, with one family describing it as “the only light at the end of a dark tunnel”.
Among those to pay tribute to the support provided through the charity is Chris Roberts, 58, from Rhuddlan, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 51.
The former businessman has since become a major advocate for others with the condition through his work as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society and as Vice Chair of the European Working Group for People with Dementia.
He said: “This project is one of the amazing success stories that Wales should be proud of. It’s giving people quality of life, it’s educating people about how to live with or care for somebody with dementia, and it’s helping to keep people out of hospital.
“Having a designated named person to turn to means that they can build up a good rapport with the family and it’s much easier then to get the help you need, rather than talking to some nameless person.
“When you’re having to introduce yourself and tell your story to different people over and over again you get information overload and you just give up.”
Chris said the regular ‘Taith Ni’ (Our Journey) peer support groups coordinated by the charity play an invaluable role in helping to reduce the isolation that people living with dementia and their carers can sometimes feel.
“Dementia is not a very good companion, so nobody should be sat at home living with dementia,” he explained.
“It’s not good for the person diagnosed and it’s not good for the people around them.
“It causes stress and anxiety and mood, and then it affects the whole family. The best thing we can do is be out and about socialising meeting other people and exchanging hints and tips and sharing information on different support with each other.
“I think Wales is leading the way in terms of caring for people with dementia and it’s important to keep that momentum up.”
Photo: L2R Chris Roberts, Jayne Goodrick, Gwenno XX from Carers Trust, Theresa Davies from Ewloe who is living with Alzheimers
