Safe Haven Dementia Centre was delighted to have again been chosen as the venue to host the latest monthly Carers Bucks’ Young Onset Dementia Carers’ Support Group meeting this week.
The support group, for carers looking after someone with young onset dementia, has been getting together regularly for a number of years now, and gathered at Safe Haven on Tuesday (April 14).
The meetings are well attended by carers and also former carers, who have an abundance of experience and knowledge to share, and so are able to help with practical matters and provide some much-needed emotional support at the same time.
Also in attendance was Jennifer Earnshaw and colleagues, from Prevention Matters – a partnership between Buckinghamshire County Council, the NHS, county councils and the voluntary and community sector, which aims to support vulnerable adults in Buckinghamshire – who gave a presentation on the services they provide.
Many of our clients at Safe Haven have young onset dementia, so it’s an aspect of the condition that is very close to our heart. Getting an accurate diagnosis can take quite some time for younger people, and this is mostly due to a lack of awareness that dementia can affect younger people too.
Medical professionals often misdiagnose younger people as being depressed, experiencing relationship difficulties, suffering from the effects of stress or, for women, it may be attributed to the commencement of the menopause.
Unfortunately, there is currently also very little awareness or understanding of the needs of people who develop dementia at an early age. Access to adequate support is vital, so we at Safe Haven hope to see such groups as the Carers Bucks one grow and prosper for the good of those who dearly rely on them.
For more information about the Young Onset Dementia Carers’ Support Group, please call Ann Whiteley, at Carers Bucks, on 0300 777 2722, or email her at: ann.whiteley@carersbucks.org
