New courses to support Unpaid Carers of people living with Dementia in Cumbria
Cumbrian and Dumfries charity specialist are working on the courses
Unpaid Carers in North Cumbria who look after someone living with Dementia will soon have access to new support in North Cumbria.
It comes as Carer Support Eden and Dementia Carers Count are coming together to launch new courses in the county.
Last year 2,678 people were diagnosed with Dementia in North Cumbria. However, fewer than three in five people suspected of living with dementia in North Cumbria were given a formal diagnosis, according to data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Just 57.1 per cent of people thought to have dementia in the NHS North Cumbria CCG area were formally diagnosed in 2021.
Lead Support Worker at Carer Support Eden, Sarah Jewett in Penrith is working with Lorraine Haining, specialist practitioner at the national charity Dementia Carers Count, to provide courses to help support Unpaid Carers of people living with Dementia.
Sarah explained: "We are working with Dementia Carers Count to develop a training programme specifically for people in our area, to support families who are Unpaid Carers, looking after their loved ones in their homes"
Research by Dementia Carers Count, supporting family carers shows 700,000 families in the UK are caring for people with dementia and 36 per cent are caring for more than 100 hours per week. This means Unpaid Carers provide care to a value of £13.9bn per year.
Lorraine is a specialist practitioner with Dementia Carers Count. She said: "We are often told by the people that come on our courses that they feel guilty if they consider their own needs, as they think the person with dementia needs all the attention and care.
"However, we want you to know that caring for yourself is not selfish or a ‘waste of time’. It’s absolutely necessary, for two reasons:
"You will care better if you take time to recharge your batteries and build your resilience”.
"You are a person too and worthy of care, respect and compassion."
Lorraine’s background is in nursing, and she has specialised in dementia care for the past 20 years.
She’s one of the 41 community nurses in Scotland who hold the title of Queens Nurse.
She will be running the courses alongside other members of the multidisciplinary team at Dementia Carers Count, including a psychologist, social worker and speech and language therapist.
Lorraine added: "I enjoy the education part of my work as I have seen how acquiring knowledge and skills can be really empowering for family carers."