1 minute read
Age UK
Friendship & understanding - a new dementia community support service
We have all come to appreciate over the last 12 months how important social contact is to our lives. A dementia diagnosis can, however, often be tremendously isolating experience.
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Recent studies, including a report by the national Age UK team, have highlighted the additional impacts that the pandemic is having on people living with dementia, with lockdown causing changes to routine, impacting access to services and reducing the ability to maintain regular contact with family and friends. Many of those living with dementia are finding it difficult to understand why they cannot do the thing that they enjoy or see the people they love. Friends and family have also noticed a rapid deterioration in their loved one’s cognitive function, which is affecting memory, sleep, mood, and behaviour.
There are currently more than 12,400 people living with dementia across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. One in every 15 of the population of the two counties over the age of 65 year has dementia.
Age UK BRWF understand the importance of companionship and maintaining links with the outside world, which is why it is involved in a new Dementia Community Support Service that is being launched in partnership with Age UK Worcester & Malvern Hills, Dementia Matters (Herefordshire), and is supported by Herefordshire & Worcestershire CCG, for anybody with a suspected and/ or confirmed diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
The service will match trained and skilled volunteers with local people, to be companions, to provide regular telephone calls or visits for a friendly chat, to share an interest, an activity or to reminisce. If appropriate, the volunteers will also encourage and support their companion to attend community and group activities as they re-open. The service will also help to link people including family and carers to other local and specialist support organisations such as the county’s Dementia Wellbeing Service.
A little bit of friendship and understanding can go a long way, so get in touch if Age UK BRWF can help or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.
To request a referral, contact Age UK Worcester & Malvern Hills on 01905 724294 or 01684 560666, or for more general information contact Age UK BRWF on 01527 570490 or visit
