People with questions about dementia are being urged to take part in a live web chat with Shropshire experts as they launch a new specialised dementia service.
The chat will be held on Facebook on April 27 at 10am with the managing director of Carewatch (Mid Shropshire) Steve Harris, dementia specialist Yvette Whitehouse, Rob Cartwright, who was named Carewatch UK Care Worker of the Year at an awards ceremony earlier this year, industry consultant John Wilberforce and Kirsty Streather, dementia lead for Carewatch Care Services Limited across the UK.
The chat – at the start of Good Care Week across Britain – will mark the launch of a series of advice sessions for family members to understand the condition, activities for those living with dementia and guidance about what support is on offer.
The company, based at Stafford Park, Telford, has recently expanded into Shrewsbury and has been looking into launching a dementia specialist service for a while.
Mr Harris said: “Dementia has always been something we have wanted to offer more on.
“Many of our customers live with dementia and a lot of people do not know much about it.
“Yvette has worked with us for around 18 months but has now taken extra qualifications to begin the role of dementia specialist, meanwhile Rob is studying the assistive technology available – together they will help deliver the new guidance programme.
“We hope the web chat will help anyone nervous about asking questions to take that first step.”
The chat will be on the ‘Carewatch midshrops and South West Staffs’ Facebook page and anyone is welcome to join in. An event has been created with more information.
In addition, the company has increased the number of free therapy sessions it holds for people with dementia.
The sessions at care homes, community groups and coffee morning meetings across Shropshire and Staffordshire will now be once a month.
HR manager Judy Kelly is sponsored by the firm to organise them and will now reach around 250 people a year.
She said: “We have been holding them for over a year, it started out just by doing it as and when we could as we thought it was a good idea.
“But we’ve made so many great contacts that they keep asking us back to hold more and more therapy sessions – we are now doing one a month.”
Miss Kelly works with the Carers Association for Southern Staffordshire (CASS) charity, the good neighbour scheme and care homes to provide sessions when they need.
They include ball therapy, relaxation games, remembrance games and quizzes with pictures of famous people.
Mr Harris added: “Judy has been a member of our team for two years and she has made a great difference to our HR department, but she has also shown just how caring she is for our customers.
“When she said she wanted to provide these sessions I simply told her to go for it and I am so pleased with the way they have taken off – this is part of our ongoing commitment to dementia care.”
Editor is the team behind Love Shrewsbury keeping you up to date with news and events.
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