The South Lakes Dementia Hub - a service to help people worried about their memory, or residents diagnosed with dementia, their family and friends - will launch at Kendal Town Hall on Saturday 11 March from 9.30am -12pm.
Dianne Smith, Penny Foulds and Suzanne Duckworth. South Lakes Dementia Hub. Photo courtesy of Cumbria Crack
The aim of the hub is to give those affected with the condition in South Lakes a ‘one-stop shop’. It will be an important part of providing early intervention and focus on maintaining independence in the community. It will aim to provide access to:
- Advice from the memory clinic
- Nurses
- Financial planners
- Benefits advisors
- Lawyers
- Researchers
- Carer support
- Technology experts
- The chance to engage with people living dementia and their families.
The hub is a joint initiative between South Lakeland Carers, University Hospitals Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust (UHMBT) and Lancaster University. It will seek to build on the existing work of dementia-specialist organisations that already have a strong presence in the area, and also compliment The Bay Dementia Hub which is operating at St John’s Hospice, Lancaster.
“Research has revealed that early diagnosis can help people and their carers live well with dementia. This initiative is about helping people in the South Lakes area know where to go for information and services when a diagnosis is made, or even before if they are worried about a loved one.”
Researcher at Lancaster University and founder of the Defying Dementia Campaign
There are currently over 850,000 people in the UK who have been diagnosed with dementia, but it is thought that the actual figure of people with the condition could be much higher. This means that thousands of people who could have dementia are not accessing treatments and support to help them live well with the condition.
Dianne Smith, Matron for Dementia, UHMBT, said: “At the Trust we want to ensure that people with dementia keep healthy, thereby preventing hospital admissions wherever possible. Nurses from the Care of the Elderly Team, and other health professionals will be present at The South Lakes Dementia Hub, to provide advice and reassurance.”
Suzanne Duckworth, Dementia Carer Services Coordinator at South Lakeland Carers, said: “We currently support 302 Carers of people with dementia in South Lakes and the figures show that this is only a small proportion of the true number of people diagnosed with dementia who are being cared for at home.”
David Richardson, Chair of Kendal Dementia Action Alliance, said: “As an Alliance that is working to make Kendal a dementia-friendly town, we warmly welcome the creation of the South Lakes Dementia Hub. The Hub will provide a great opportunity for people affected by dementia to find out about local services and sources of information. It will meet a real need, and we know it will be successful.”
The South Lakes Dementia Hub will be launched by a ‘Listening Event’ where people living with dementia and their carers are invited along to say what services and information they want access to, in the community.
Everyone is welcome.
For more information on the event please contact Suzanne Duckworth, South Lakeland Carers Dementia Services Co-ordinator, on 01539815970.
Article by Carl Fallowfield, first published 23/02/17 for Cumbria Crack
