There are more than 1,200 people in Clare living with dementia significantly impacting on their quality of life. With often a spouse and adult children, dementia also impacts thousands more family and healthcare professionals in the community.
Many people are experiencing caring challenges in their lives; many of whom are at breaking point and simply don’t know where to turn for help, feeling guilty about leaning on others or becoming a burden. After all, 11 people a day develop dementia.
Ireland’s first National Dementia Strategy was launched in December 2014. It aims to meet the needs of people living with dementia in Ireland and the expected increase of people who will live with dementia in the future.
What jumps out of the research is that all those impacted want to deliver care, want to be part of decision making and want support and respite.
Hence, it identifies six priority areas: better awareness and understanding; timely diagnosis and intervention; integrated services, supports and care for people with dementia and their carers; training and education; research and information systems; and, finally, leadership.
We know from our time delivering homecare that families continually face emotional and challenging scenarios where answers appear impossible to find:
My dad refuses to get into the shower/refuses to eat/wants to go for long walks late at night/accuses us of robbing him/doesn’t recognise mum, etc. What can we do?
Mum won’t take a break from her caring role with dad and is exhausted and beginning to display health issues. How can we get her to take a break, engage in respite or allow help into the home?
Where does one turn to at 3am?
As it is Home Instead Senior Care’s mission ‘to enhance the lives of older adults and their families’, they are continuing their Alzheimer’s CARE: Family and Community Education Workshops.
They are part of Home Instead Senior Care’s global Until there is a Cure campaign during September’s World Alzheimer’s Month.
They will run three workshops in Ennis, Shannon and Ennistymon. Running for three hours, the workshops will cover understanding behavioural changes; encourage engagement; care for yourself while caring for a loved one; and answer; what is dementia and how to manage challenging behaviour?
Home Instead aims to provide practical techniques and ideas to help people better cope with managing the challenging behaviours associated with dementia, engaging loved ones in meaningful activities and understanding the importance of taking care of themselves.
Anyone interested in the upcoming workshops can contact 065 6797507.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.