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Vitalise calls
for more support for dementia carers
THE national disability
charity Vitalise; which runs the Sandpipers respite break centre in
Southport; has thrown its weight behind the Alzheimer's Society's
call for more financial support for families coping with dementia.
Responding to the new report, Vitalise, which provides much-needed
respite breaks for people coping with Alzheimer's and dementia - as
well as numerous other disabilities; is joining the Alzheimer's
Society in urging the government to end the artificial divide
between health and social care which unfairly disadvantages people
with dementia.
In support of the call, Vitalise is also highlighting its own
research, which reveals the devastating effect on carers who do not
have the lifeline of regular respite from caring. The study found
that an astonishing 4 out 10 carers had not had any time off at all
from their caring duties in the past year.
The research went on to paint a stark picture of the emotional and
physical strain on carers who are unable to take breaks from their
caring duties. 6 out of 10 said a lack of time away from caring led
them to feelings of depression and that long periods without a break
resulted in their getting angry at the person they care for. Over 8
out of 10 said they put the health of the loved one they care for
before of their own health.
As part of its subsidised respite break provision for people with
disabilities and carers, Vitalise provides specialist Alzheimer's
Weeks, which are devoted exclusively to people coping with
Alzheimer's and dementia, enabling them to spend quality time
together in a supportive environment.
In recognition of the larger financial burden faced by dementia
carers, these weeks are subsidised to a greater degree by Vitalise,
with the charity bearing up to 60% of the cost. In addition,
Vitalise offers extra discretionary funding for families in
particular financial hardship.
Vitalise is backing the Alzheimer's Society call for more financial
support for families coping with dementia, but also calling on
social care decision makers to ensure that access to regular respite
breaks for people with disabilities and carers is regarded as a
central pillar of social care provision, not an afterthought.
Commenting on the new report, Vitalise Chief Executive Chris
Simmonds said:- "Vitalise is proud to echo the Alzheimer's
Society's call for more financial support for dementia carers. There
is clearly an artificial divide between health and social care which
is putting people coping with this devastating condition at a
disadvantage. This needs to be addressed.
Regular respite from the duty of care is absolutely vital in
enabling all carers to carry on coping, but dementia carers often
have to break the bank just for the basic day to day care of their
loved ones, meaning that the lifeline of time away from caring is
effectively denied to them.
We are doing our bit to support people with Alzheimer's and dementia
through our special Alzheimer's Weeks, which enable couples coping
with dementia to rest, recuperate and rediscover a loving
connection.
But our own research shows that unless carers have the escape valve
of regular respite from caring, the consequences for them and those
they care for could be dire.
With the Prime Minister's Challenge on dementia shortly to end and
the new Care Act on its way in, now is the time to make the
improvements that families affected by dementia so desperately need.
Access to regular, good quality respite breaks for all people with
disabilities and carers should not be a luxury but an absolute
essential in enabling families affected by disability to carry on
coping."
Vitalise is a national charity providing essential breaks for people
with disabilities and carers. Vitalise provides essential short
breaks in a holiday environment for people with disabilities;
including Alzheimer's and dementia; and carers at Sandpipers and
two other accessible UK centres, with 24 hour nursing care on-call,
personal support and a range of accessible excursions, activities
and entertainment.
People with disabilities and carers wanting more advice and
information about Vitalise breaks, including Alzheimer's Weeks, are
requested to call:- 0303 303 0145, email
email or visit
vitalise.org.uk.
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HISTORIC
ELLESMERE PORT WORKERS' HOMES RE-OPENED
ON Saturday, 6 September
2014, the
Mayor of Ellesmere Port, Councillor Brian Jones, officially
re-opened the Porter Row Cottages at the Canal and River Trust's
National Waterways Museum.
Past residents and their families together with volunteers joined
the Mayor for a ribbon cutting and street party to celebrate the
work of the volunteers and contractors in restoring this much loved
exhibition.
John Inch, Manager of the National Waterways Museum said:- "A
past resident of number five, Mr Green, donated a photograph of a
street party on VE Day to the Trust's archive, so we took the
opportunity to re-create the wonderful image at the event. The
guests were delighted to meet up again and also be in the photograph
which for some was for the second time as they were here in 1945."
Porters Row was built in 1833 to
house the growing number of dock workers and their families. 12
houses were built, but only four remain today. They are some of the
oldest houses in Ellesmere Port. A map in the museum archive from
1835 shows only five streets in the town of which Porters Row is
one.
The houses were known as 'Porters Row' because they were
mainly built for porters; men who moved and carried cargoes between
the boats and the warehouses on the dockside. Census reports tell us
that in 1851 there were porters, blacksmiths, shipwrights and
watermen living in the cottages.
Restoring the cottages involved external decoration including roof
repairs, re-lining the chimneys which enabled the fires within the
cottages to be lit at the event.
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Together with the external repairs the Trust's collections team had
to arrange for over 300 objects to be taken out, safely stored and
then carefully returned to Porters Row. Every object was recorded,
carefully packed and its new location noted to ensure none of the
objects were damaged or lost. Porters Row is now fully open for the
visitors to experience and enjoy. The latest information on all that
is happening at the museum including forthcoming events can be found
on its Facebook
Page Museum or by
visiting the
website.
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