Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington

Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington has launched a new project to support unpaid carers of people living with dementia in Darlington.

The charity is appealing for people who have experience of caring for a loved one with dementia to provide peer support to other carers in the community.

Volunteers will befriend a local carer, and build a safe and trusting relationship with them based on non-judgemental listening and experience in common.

Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington is seeking up to 10 volunteers to fill the roles that come with six hours of free training and ongoing support from a dedicated project coordinator.

The local charity has been running a respite day centre for people living with dementia for several years. Now, they have secured funding from the Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust to run the Dementia Peer Support Project.

Helen Hunter, Chief Executive of Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington said:

“What we are looking for is some family carers, people who have been caring for loved ones with dementia and have come out the other side, either sadly their loved one has passed away or they’ve gone into full-time care, and they are no longer in that very demanding full-time role.”

She added: “Caring for someone with dementia can be challenging and stressful. But with the right support, it can be rewarding and even satisfying.”

According to a report produced by the Office of Health Economics for Alzheimer’s Research UK, there are more than 700,000 informal carers of people living with dementia in the UK. A further report revealed that only 32.0% of carers have as much social contact as they would like, and 63.5% say they have had no or not enough support.

Mrs Hunter said: “Experienced carers have a really rich understanding and good knowledge of how to care for a person with a diagnosis of dementia. We want to bring them in as volunteers and run a training programme which will equip them in their role as a peer supporter. This will include listening techniques, personal boundaries, etc. Once the training is complete they will get ongoing further support and training opportunities.

“We are looking for people who can use their experience to help other families.”

If you would like to get involved, Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington would love to hear from you. Please contact 01325 362832 or email enquiries@ageuknyd.org.uk.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Marie Carter-Robb at marie@mccommunications.co.uk or call 07760 477694.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington is a nationally registered charity and one of 150 locally based Age UK organisations providing a variety of services to older people aged 50 plus.

Whether it’s through recreational activities, expert information and advice, befriending services or just being somewhere to turn when things get too tough to cope with on your own, Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington provides crucial companionship, advice and support to thousands of people every year.

Community focused, Age UK is dedicated to enhancing the lives of older people in the community through befriending, outreach and social activities as well as providing an invaluable range of social and wellbeing services, including:

• A cafe and restaurant.
• A day centre
• Exercise & physical activity
• Meals at home
• IT Training courses
• Social activities