Caring impacts health

Dementia Carer Workshops

Did you know that you could give vital support to your staff by providing a Dementia Carer Workshop and that your Corporate Social Responsibility could help with funding it?

Struggling with personal problems of stress, loneliness and guilt, overwhelmed and exhausted by the trauma, dementia carers among your staff are at serious risk of damaging their own mental health and well-being.

Aims for your employees:

  • To equip working dementia carers with tools and techniques which can help in their caring role, improving their own health and wellbeing and their work/care/life balance.
  • To provide a day’s respite from both work and caring, in a safe, restful and supportive environment.
  • An interactive experience provides meaningful learning
  • To provide the opportunity and time to discuss their own experiences and connect with others in a similar situation.
  • To provide knowledge about dementia and dementia care and practical help.
  • An opportunity to identify and start to build a Dementia Carer Network with each other.

Aims for your organisation:

  • To demonstrate to your employees that you are a caring organisation.
  • To reduce the stress dementia carers feel under and help them to cope with their situation.
  • To show you are taking your Corporate Social Responsibility seriously.
  • To show you value the contribution dementia carers are making to society by supporting them.
  • The 2010 Equality Act protects dementia carers through their association with the person living with dementia, defined as a disability under the Act.
  • To improve productivity, reduce sickness and improve retention.
  • To show that you support the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge.

Feedback:

“I feel better prepared and more informed, less isolated and I am now pulling together a plan to help.”

“THANK YOU! I appreciated everything I have learnt.”

“We have now had an official list of the support group for dementia carers sent to us, so we are up and running – all thanks to you!”

For Positive Workshop Feedback,  Sarah’s email says it all….

Typical Modules

The modules are delivered using creative facilitation with an informal approach, which has a proven track record of helping to make the learning experience more immersive and intuitive.

The following are some example topics only. Content can be tailored, may be dependent on number of booked delegates and level of knowledge. Specific workshop content can also be tailored for management training. Final agenda sent out at least 7 days prior to the event.

Knowledge workshops:

Fact or fiction; why diagnosis is important; stages of dementia; emotional memory; taboos and stigma; latest research; reducing the risk of dementia; Person Centred Care – Well-being and Ill-being; Sleep; legal matters; funerals.

Sharing experiences: Introductions (time to discuss personal situations – challenges and issues); what you found stressful; what would help you/make a difference; help you received; what you have learned that could help others.

Practical 1: Challenging behaviour; understanding the person;  sibling/family issues.

Practical 2: (2 groups) a) Solutions which worked for them. b) Grab bag contents for emergencies; something they wished they had done sooner; 5 things which would help at work; the nicest thing someone did which helped.

Help for You: Stress Bucket; Planning Ahead – preparing for emergencies; when and how to find residential care; you and your manager/team – dementia carer passport; changing hours/leaving work to care; carer buddies;

Dress code casual: It is presented as an informal day in a relaxed atmosphere, with frequent breaks, which will encourage active sharing, enhanced learning and peer support.

To join or arrange aDementia Carer Workshop for your people, or if you have any questions or requests, please contact 4DementiaCarers.

Cost  (Not VAT registered). Contact us for details
Companies and organisations may be able to support attendance of their staff through Corporate Social Responsibility or similar. If you have less than 50 employees or are self-funding,  discounted rates may be available.