National award for caring team helping people with dementia
THE great work of a team of Derby carers who look after people with dementia has been recognised with a national honour.
Derby City Dementia Service took home the award for national home care team of the year at the Great British Care Awards.
Wendy Burton, one of its eight carers, said she was happy they had been recognised for what is often a very challenging job, especially recently.
She said: “It can be difficult. You can be very down and upset one minute and then have to be smiling and joking the next. It’s been even more demanding since Covid. It’s upsetting the amount of people we’ve lost. It definitely takes its toll.”
Wendy joined the service ervice after her husband was diagnosed gnosed with dementia at the age ge of 50. She wanted to make ke sure she did everything g she could for other people living with the disease and said the challenges were worth it to help those in need.
She said: “After the heh diagnosis I chose to dediedicate myself to improving ng as many people’s qual- ity of life as I could, even if it was just a little bit. I felt that I could listen to people and help them in a caring and d compassionate format.
“I believed it was possiossible to live well with dementia, mentia, and I wanted to help people to do so.”
James Nagra, the team’s newest member, also became a carer because of his personal experience, after seeing one of his grandparents live with the disease before they passed away.
James has only been in the role a few months but has had to quickly adapt to dealing with loss on a regular basis. This can be difficult to process, but he is glad to be there for those affected.
He said: “The biggest challenge is working with service users who may pass away. That’s definitely a struggle to deal with as a member of staff working in social care.
“Although the positives can come through when supporting family members who may be dealing with cases of bereavement. By offering our time and empathy in times of crisis, we help to turn these negative situations into a positive by offering our support.”
While sometimes mentally demanding, James has no regrets about taking on the role. He has cherished the opportunity to use his skills for the benefit of others and feels lucky that he can be there for people who may otherwise be alone.
He said: “I wanted to show people that it’s not a downward spiral. A lot of people think that once they’ve got it, that’s it. But that’s not the case.
“You can still cultivate little moments of joy. I have a regular call with a lady who has no idea who I am and can’t remember my name, but she knows to expect a friendly call once a week.
“We talk about her hobbies and she tells me about what she’s cooking or baking. It’s all about tackling the impact of loneliness through communication. I also love it because I get loads of great new recipes!”
The servic service was named regional winner for the East Midlands in N November 2019. Now it ha has beaten 11 other r regional champions at a national ceremony which was held online.
Funded by Derby C City Council, DCDS p provides help for those liv living with dementia, as wel well as improving wellbein ing through activity g groups and memory a assessment services.
Derby City Dementia Service offers a wide r range of support, in including a varied activity programme to keep peop people with dementia fit and ac active. Before the pandemic, this included dementiafriendly swimming sessions, arts and crafts groups and chatterbox lunch clubs. After lockdown, though, the service had to adapt quickly.
It started hosting socially distancedgardening groups at Markeaton Park and sending out activity packs to keep beneficiaries entertained. It also held online groups to keep a sense of community even in isolation, handing out electronic tablets to service users so they can access the internet.
For team leader Wendy, the group’s inventive and inclusive methods are what set them apart. She said: “The team, along with our amazing volunteers, support people living with dementia right from the beginning of their journey.
“We know that with the right support, people with dementia can live well and more independently for longer.”
Wendy Burton