10 – 16 October is National Carers Week and this year’s theme is ‘Millions of Reasons to Care.’ Having a loved one or family member with dementia is a very important reason, and we are celebrating all carers of people living with dementia.
The Forward with Dementia website was developed with the help of carers of people with dementia, and their suggestions, strategies and advice can be accessed via the “For Carers” section of this website.
There are five key sections for carers, designed to provide effective guidance of what to do and where to go after a family member or friend is diagnosed with dementia:
- Understanding the diagnosis – making sense of what you are going through and what to expect
- Coming to terms with the diagnosis – to help you manage your feelings in order that you can move forward to adapt to life with dementia.
- Managing change – explores common changes that occur and the interventions and strategies to help you manage these to get on with living life.
- Supporting well-being – provides the best evidence to keep you both happy, healthy and get the best out of your day.
- Making plans and decisions – outlines the ‘life admin’ tasks you need to attend to for peace of mind.
Carers will also benefit from reading about the direct experiences of others. Check out some of our inspirational carer stories including:
- Cheryl’s story: our dementia diagnosis experience
- Jean’s story: managing emotions after a dementia diagnosis
- Colin’s story: education, social support and self-care for carers
- Cheryl’s story: services and support experience
- Heather’s story: moving forward without confrontation.
We also have tools to help carers and people with dementia, including a list of Possible questions for your doctor.
Carers can sign up to our newsletter to receive more information and resources. We would also like carers to get involved in our research. These opportunities will be promoted soon via our website and our newsletter.
