MP in pledge to help dementia carer group
A group that works with people suffering from dementia called on their local MP to help raise awareness of its work.
Rutherglen Community Carers rely on donations and fundraising to carry out a service to give respite to people looking after others suffering from the illness.
Labour’s Gerard Killen joined MSP James Kelly at the centre on Wallace Street to speak to group representatives.
Project manager Michelle Woods explained: “Here we provide home-based respite care for carers who are looking after someone with dementia.
“We can provide a one-toone service where our carer will collect the person from the home and look after the person for a couple of hours.
We always try and encourage the carer to take them out in the community to keep them active.
“We also have an earlier diagnosed dementia group on a Wednesday and hold an arts and crafts group on a Tuesday. We are very informal and encourage people to chat about their dementia.”
Evelyn Eadie, who is the company secretary, told Mr Killen and Mr Kelly she started to volunteer with the group after they helped her with husband Alex.
She continued: “It’s a terrible illness but at the end of the day we need to keep going and need to provide the service we can to the people we get through the door.
“And what we would like is a bit of support, even if it is just some help with applications or attending a committee meeting once or twice a year.”
She added: “Nowhere else offers this service as far as we know. The staff are really dedicated and are all fully trained.
“I started to volunteer as part of the management committee to give something back and I really don’t know where I would have been without this service, so we know first hand what it’s like and we can see the benefit.
“Alex has been coming now for a few years and is getting to the stage where I am looking for home-based respite.
“We offer three to four hours and it feels like that gives you a week’s holiday. You are able to go out, go to the shops, catch up with friends and I know that he is safe.”
Mr Killen plans to write supporting letters for fundraising applications, while Mr Kelly will be running a grant finder search to match the carers group with relevant funding sources.