Vitalise Keeps Up Response To Dementia Crisis
February 25, 2014 Care, News
Disability charity continues innovative respite provision for couples coping with Alzheimer's and dementia
National disability charity Vitalise is keeping up its commitment to continue supporting people coping with the devastating effects of Alzheimer's and dementia as it releases its Alzheimer's Breaks Brochure 2014.
In response to demand and in the face of an increasing number of people living with the disease, Vitalise will once again provide its innovative respite breaks designed exclusively for couples living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
Vitalise's ground breaking Alzheimer's Weeks facilitate a supportive environment for couples affected by Alzheimer's and dementia, enabling them to temporarily relinquish their roles as carer and cared for and rediscover a loving connection.
The special weeks were devised in response to an awareness that many dementia carers do not necessarily want to spend time away from their loved ones, but rather crave a space where they can spend quality time together.
The Vitalise Alzheimer's Weeks achieve this by taking over the duty of physical care, thus enabling the carers to focus on restoring an intimate connection with their loved ones. The charity has found anecdotally that the therapeutic effect of these breaks endures far longer than the duration of the weeks themselves and helps restore dementia carers' ability to carry on coping.
Vitalise has scheduled Alzheimer's Weeks at each of its three centres on 22 March and 20 September 2014 and 10 January 2015. Vitalise is requesting couples affected by Alzheimer's and dementia and wanting more information to contact the charity for more information.
Vitalise Chief Executive Chris Simmonds said:
"Alzheimer's and dementia currently affects around 820,000 people in the UK and, as the population ages, this number is set to rise to over a million people with dementia within 10 years. An astonishing 25 million of us have a close friend or family member with dementia. This is why we are determined to carry on providing our ground-breaking Alzheimer's Weeks.
"Caring for a spouse with dementia can be a lonely, stressful experience. But frequently, it's not time away that dementia carers crave when they think about respite, but quite the opposite – quality time together. They crave a space where they can be husband and wife, father and daughter or brother and sister once more, not disabled person and carer.
"This is why we devised our special Alzheimer's Weeks, and why we intend to carry on supporting families coping with the devastating effects of Alzheimer's and dementia in their daily lives."
The new Vitalise Alzheimer's Brochure 2014 is available from Vitalise by calling 0303 303 0145, emailing bookings@vitalise.org.uk or to download at www.vitalise.org.uk
Vitalise is a national charity providing essential respite breaks for people with disabilities – including Alzheimer's and dementia – and carers at three accessible UK centres in Chigwell in Essex, Southampton and Southport, with 24-hour nursing care on-call, personal support and a range of accessible excursions, activities and entertainment.
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