Introduction - Anyone who is involved with dementia, either as a carer, family member or person with dementia will be aware of the difficulties in getting help. The aim of this website is to provide easy access to all the resources available, either by linking to other websites or providing the contact details for the relevant people.

 

Alzheimers Support - East Kent

Would you like to join us in organising a working group to help us create a small organisation to serve needs of both carers and those with dementia locally? It would involve attending occasional meetings to plan how we can best meet these needs according to the resources we have available, both human and financial.

We believe that East Kent can be best served by a local organisation free from the constraints imposed by a national charity.

We would like to invite you to come to an informal meeting where we can exchange ideas, this will be held at the United Reformed Church, Westgate Bay Avenue, Westgate-on-Sea on Wednesday 16th June at 7.15 pm. If you are able to attend, please phone or email Roger Newman on 01843 225691.  Email: r_e_newman@tiscali.co.uk

Dementia Helpline

Hullo, my first name is Tremaine and for the past 15 years I have been a voluntary member of the Canterbury and District Branch of the Alzheimer's Society and although I do still work, (we have a family business and I am the payroll manager) much of my time is spent using my Helpline 01227 730000 for sufferers of all forms of dementia, particularly that of Alzheimer's, as that is the most common form of dementia at present. I also send out packs of information as required, and if I do not know the answer to a particular question, I will find out.

 I also have been quite good at raising money for the Alzheimer's Society, but recently we were suddenly told that all the branches were to disband on the 1^st April 2010, just a couple of weeks away now. As I had taken a group of Senior Citizens for walks along Hadrian's Wall, for my charity, with absolutely no help at all from the Society, I decided to open a new bank account solely to help the local people in this area and to keep my Helpline going for them. If I have to leave the phone 'on call', I ask that the caller leaves their name and phone number and I will ring them back. I can even travel around the world and transfer the line to another voluntary helper, whilst away.

 I am a Registered Nurse and was a Midwife Teacher, but when my own mother developed Alzheimer's Disease, I felt guilty, resentful, completely lost and helpless. I just did not know how to deal with the situation. I know many answers now and also will find out if needed.

 So our local telephone number for Thanet, Canterbury and the South East district of Kent, is 01227 730000, I do hope you use it!

 

Ruth Pollen Award

 

The first ever Ruth Pollen Award for Quality Care in Dementia was given to Mrs. Ros Broad a carer from Herne Bay. The citation read, 'Ros is a born carer, and always has a smile whatever the circumstance. She is also so caring towards everyone else.'

NEW!! - Kent Carer's Emergency Card - Go to the Support section for details on this very useful addition.

William Brooks Awards - The awards are given each year at the annual conference of the Alzheimer's Society. They are for volunteers who have made a significant contribution to dementia care. The LBGT support group was one of the winners of this years awards. The group was founded almost 10 years ago and is one of only two such groups in the world.

 

The photo shows Roger Newman, Jeremy Wright M.P. and Pat Byrn

 

Rember Trial - An information sheet about the recently highly publicised new drug remember can be found by clicking here. For further links about the research, click here.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED -  Independentage, a national charity which helps older people in need, have a need for more volunteers in the Thanet and East Sussex area. If you think you can help them, please call 01227 362530 or click here to e-mail . For further information on Independentage, click here.