Feb 2021
Wellbeing Support for Carers
The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) specialists in dementia care held a virtual event to provide carers with wellbeing support and tips on caring for themselves.
The team at OSJCT recognised a gap in the support families would usually have, many families attended OSJCT care homes for coffee mornings, dementia café sessions and informative talks. Families also have access to local community support groups, the majority of which are currently not running.
The virtual event was well attended by families who are caring for a loved one at home and also by local professionals. Many of the local professionals who attended left their details for families to be able to reach out to them to use their free services or gain further local support.
Admiral Nurses are registered nurses who specialise in dementia care and work collaboratively with families and care providers, sharing their expertise and giving them the support and skills needed.
The session was followed with a Q&A session providing carers with wellbeing support and tips on caring for themselves whilst caring for others.
Carol, a social prescriber from Gloucestershire Rural Community Council said: “I personally found the session useful. What shone through was the peer support being offered and the engagement with OSJCT’s Admiral Nurses.”
Angie Williams, Lead Admiral Nurse said: “Caring for a loved one with dementia can be challenging at all times but during the pandemic every challenge is intensified. We want to do all we can to support these carers who are doing such an important role”.
OSJCT Admiral Nurses will be running their next session on 25th March at 2:30pm which will focus on communication and the impact dementia has on memory loss.