New dementia day services open in Richmond
The town has been without locally-based day services for almost a year.
New day services supporting people with dementia and their carers have opened in Richmond.
North Yorkshire charity Dementia Forward is commissioned by North Yorkshire County Council and clinical commissioning groups covering North Yorkshire, York and Craven to deliver its helpline, advice and information and now with the support of the County Council has begun the day service at Garget Walker House in the town.
On Friday (3rd September), Richmond MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak saw the service for himself as he officially opened the service.
The town has been without locally-based day services for almost a year. The new service takes a modern, flexible approach catering to individual needs.
Chief executive officer of Dementia Forward Jill Quinn says: "It does provide respite for the carer, but the primary purpose has always been to provide meaningful activities for the person who is diagnosed.
"It's a whole day with us, and mixed up amongst that is peer support, new friendships and new activities.
"Obviously with lockdown everything stopped, and services in Richmond never reopened - there's been nothing there for 18 months. The silver lining has been that we've been able to move into the (Garget Walker House) building and it's given us a chance to redesign.
"We've got table tennis; we've got bowling on the green. In Richmond there's a lovely garden area and room for outdoor sports. The flipside of that is that someone is sitting and knitting, or even watching someone knitting - just feeling a part of something.
"The important thing is that not everyone wants to do the same thing, so we get to know the people we support really well and try and tap into what makes them happy. It's a whole wide range of activities".
The charity has ten years’ experience and its approach has been tried and tested at its centre in Burton Leonard, near Ripon. The charity has also just opened up in Settle and will have a facility in Pocklington within a few weeks.
It provides a wraparound service from pre-diagnosis to end of life and currently supports thousands of people in North Yorkshire, using a combination of trained staff and trained volunteers.
The centre at Garget Walker House will open five days a week, with opening days varying according to need.
It will also provide a service unique to Dementia Forward in North Yorkshire for people with young onset dementia, that is people diagnosed under the age of 65. This will be a more physical group of contemporaries, using leisure centres, swimming, cycling and long walks, as well as the centre.
Dementia Forward will also run advice and information clinics from the building.
Nick Howard, who cares for his wife, who has young onset dementia, said: “The Dementia Forward hub at Burton Leonard has been a favourite place for us for some time now. It’s a friendly and informal place, where we know we’re always welcome, and a real focal point for all activities.
"We’ve used the hub clubs, played games, attended social events and fundraisers, but most of all it’s knowing the kettle is always on and there will be helpful staff and volunteers able to bring a bit of cheer even on the darkest days. Just arriving at the hub is enough to lift the spirits!
"You start to realise when the service wasn't here over the Covid period just how much it meant - it's a massive gap in your life. It's providing you with a focal point, because a lot of the activities that we take part in are centered here.
"It's a familiar surrounding, and the familiarity is particularly important for people suffering from dementia. It's nice and friendly - and always informal. It's been a huge miss over the last 18 months or so and it's great to see it back.
Nick says Zoom was an option during the height of the pandemic, but it could never properly replicate human interactions in person: "I think for those suffering from dementia they struggle, particularly if there's lots of different faces on the screen.
"However, in this setting at the centre it's nice and informal, there's chairs, tables and even cakes! It just works.
"I think it'll be fantastic (for Richmond). If they're able to take this model and transplant it somewhere else then it should work wonderfully. It lifts the spirits - whenever you come here it just lifts the spirits.
"If other folk can feel that like we have then that's fantastic".
Despite Garget Walker House being closed for some time during the pandemic, Dementia Forward maintained a good level of support to people locally. This has included advice and information to carers and families of those living with dementia, coordinating their Café in a Box programme and delivering one-to-one support to the community. This proved essential to many families when restrictions prevented people from coming together.
County Councillor Michael Harrison, Executive Member for Adult Services and Health Integration, said: "I am very pleased to see the opening of Garget Walker House to support the people of Richmond. It is a welcome return of vital services in the area and I look forward to seeing these develop and grow.
"The Council, along with other professionals, volunteers and the Friends of Garget Walker House, acknowledges the importance of having a local service in Richmond and the opening of Garget Walker House has been a truly collaborative effort.
"The work we have done in partnership with Dementia Forward across North Yorkshire has been hugely supported by local residents and has helped many carers and families of those living with dementia. This collaborative work is enabling us to meet the intentions we set out in the Bring Me Sunshine dementia strategy to enhance our offer on a countywide basis.”
Rishi Sunak said: "The return of dementia day services in Garget Walker House is very welcome news for those suffering from this debilitating condition and those who support them. I’ve been pleased to offer my assistance to the Friends of Garget Walker House to help get the service up and running again and it is very gratifying that the Friends, Dementia Forward, the county council and the local NHS have worked together so effectively to bring this about.
"I know it will also be much appreciated by the wider community in Richmond, which has been so supportive over many years of the great work that has been carried out there and happily will now resume."
Jill Quinn added: "We are grateful for the support from North Yorkshire County Council and the Friends of Garget Walker volunteers, because we have done this together at a difficult time."
Anyone in need of Dementia Forward’s support can call the helpline, 03300 578592.