LOOKING for a suitable venue to hold respite for dementia patients’ carers is proving a problem for the Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Centre-Based Respite team.
With the ageing population growing, there has been an increase in the number of people with dementia but for their carers there is little access to respite.
Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Centre Based Respite team leader Jane Burrage-Swift has been granted funding from the Department of Aged and Disability to extend the services on offer to include dementia clients.
But she is having trouble.
The word dementia is commonly misunderstood by many people within the community.
It is a broad term used to describe a large range of illnesses which cause a progressive decline in a person’s functioning.
While dementia is not a normal part of ageing it is most common in people over 65.
“A lot of people have the idea that dementia is a really scary thing, but it’s not,” Ms Burrage-Swift said.
People in the early stage of dementia are still often able to access various community groups, but there are others who have mid to advanced dementia who don’t have any access to specific groups.
Support worker Toni Petterson is assisting Ms Burrage-Swift to set up this new group.
Ms Petterson has previously undertaken training to work with people who have dementia.
“The early onset (of dementia) is becoming more and more common,” Ms Petterson said.
There are a small number of people in the area in the later stages of dementia for whom there isn’t a respite service.
Their carers are desperately waiting for a new group to start, to allow themselves respite even for a couple of hours a weeks.
But finding a place to house the group is proving a problem.
Ideally the space would not be able to be shared with anyone else as it would have to stay set up for the clients.
“A person with dementia is straight away confused by changes in their environment,” Ms Burrage-Swift said.
The group is looking for a secure centre with a home-like atmosphere where people with memory loss have the freedom to move about and socialise in safety and comfort.
Funding for the group is minimal until they can prove to the funding body the service is needed in this area.
From there they can apply for further funding to expand the service.
“Hopefully one day a dementia specific purpose built venue will be a reality,” Ms Burrage-Swift said.
“Ideally we would be able to work one on one with the person to keep them comfortable and give their carer respite for a few hours; this in the long run enables the person to stay at home longer instead of being institutionalised, ” Ms Burrage-Swift said.
The group is also facing a lack of male volunteers.
Some clients prefer working with the same sex and the lack of males means few places can be offered to men when the service is set up.
“Without volunteers none of our local services would operate as well as they do,” Ms Petterson said.
While there is a definite need for the group within the community it won’t be started until all the details have been worked out.
“I can’t start this group until it has a solid basis.
“People with memory loss need consistency and continuity and I don’t want this to fail,” Ms Burrage-Swift said.
“There are too many people in community who need this support and I feel as a community we need to care for each other.”
If you know of a suitable place where Jane and Toni can hold this group once a week, or are a male interested in volunteering once every couple of weeks for four hours, contact Jane Burrage-Swift on 4997 2852 or email hncbr@greatlakes.nsw.gov.au, or pop into the council office in Myall St, Tea Gardens.
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