Dementia Support Services

Thinking Differently About Dementia (TDAD), is a 3-year National Lottery funded project, delivered by Agewell and Dementia Pathfinders, which provides community support for people in Sandwell with mild or moderate dementia and their family carers.

For the past few years, Agewell, in partnership with other local organisations, has been delivering highly successful specialist dementia services through projects such as Kingfisher Buddies and the Sandwell Dementia Navigator Service. TDAD is enabling our work to continue.

Working with our colleagues within the wider Sandwell Community Dementia Service (SCDS), we help support families by providing opportunities to meet in person, locally within our groups and also by providing home visits, telephone support and helping people link to other services.
 
Our groups are a great place to meet others for mutual support and to enjoy a wide variety of activities and guest speakers within our programmes. 

 

Our aims are to:

  • Provide sensitive and timely support to families dealing with a diagnosis of dementia and supporting them to access wider services
  • Offer support for people living with dementia from our experienced and understanding staff by delivering social opportunities in local group settings, as well as online activities, to enhance quality of life
  • Provide opportunities to share concerns with other people and gain useful information around their diagnosis within a supportive environment 
  • Support family carers to become involved in our groups where they can receive peer support, have some 'time out' and benefit from information, advice and guidance on specific areas relating to their caring role 

Please contact us for further information. We look forward to hearing from you. Contact us on 0121 796 9333 or email: info@agewelluk.org.uk

 

Meeting Centres

We run two Meeting Centres per week, every Monday and every Thursday, 11am to 3pm, at The Flame Community Church in Blackheath, Rowley Regis. 

Meeting Centres are social clubs for people living with early stage dementia and their family carers / friends. £10 per session, per person with a light lunch, refreshments and some activities included.

Activities include bingo, giant jenga, quiz time, walks (weather permitting), memorabilia afternoons, craft sessions, gentle exercise, sing-a-longs,informative talks and more.

The Meeting Centre model originated in the Netherlands. The Association of Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester is helping organisations like Agewell to establish Meeting Centres in different parts of the UK to work with their communities to support people and families affected by dementia. These centres will be set up in ordinary community venues and will form the backbone of community-based dementia support across the country.

Research has shown that being able to talk to other people and have fun helps people to cope with living with the symptoms and changes that dementia brings. Each Meeting Centre has a social club at its heart and everyone becomes a member of that club.

Call Agewell on 0121 796 9333 if you are interested in finding out more.

DEEP Dreamers in Oldbury

As part of our TDAD project, we have set up and support a weekly group called ‘DEEP Dreamers’ which meets every Wednesday afternoon at Queensridge Court in Oldbury.

The group is part of a UK-wide network called DEEP (Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project). There are already 80 DEEP groups nationwide where people can share their experiences and support each other.

Our popular DEEP Dreamers group offers support and friendship but also gives people a voice in terms of how the group is run and what it does.

If you, or someone you know, has recently been diagnosed with dementia and is interested in getting involved, please get in touch with us on 0121 796 9333.

 

De-Cafe in Rowley Regis

Our popular De-Cafe for people living with dementia provides a local, safe and supportive place for you and others in the same boat.

Enjoy lots of chatting, play some games and get some advice. Bottomless tea, coffee and busicuts - all for £2.50 per session.

Your friends and family are welcome too.

De-Cafe Rowley

2pm - 4pm. Last Tuesday in the month. Elizabeth Prout Gardens, High Street, Rowley Regis B65 0EJ

Just turn up or call Agewell on 0121 796 9333 for more information. 

Sandwell Community Dementia Service

Agewell is delighted to also be part of the Sandwell Community Dementia Service (SCDS) which provides a single point of access for advice, information and support for people worried about their memory and those with a dementia diagnosis in Sandwell.

Commissioned by Sandwell Council and the Black Country and West Birmingham CCG, we’ve partnered with eight other local organisations to create a ‘provider collaborative’ which will deliver the service. Dementia Navigators work across the borough, with Dementia Advisors focusing on specific towns. Agewell’s Dementia Advisor, Jo Pegler-Hadlington, covers Rowley Regis.

Deb Harrold, Agewell’s CEO, explains: “This service is for anyone living with the effects of dementia, their family and carers. It replaces the Sandwell Dementia Navigators Service which over the past couple of years has supported more than 800 local people. The aim is to help individuals gain a clear and early diagnosis of their condition before providing help which is specifically tailored to their needs.”

Living with dementia or health worries can be very worrying and can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. The support provided through this service is designed to empower and enable people to make informed decisions about the care that they, or their family member, receives so they can live a fulfilling life with dementia.

Navigators will be working hand-in-hand with a range of health and social care services so that families can be supported as early as possible. Each referral is made to a single point of access where a Dementia Navigator will look at a person’s individual requirements, before passing it to the Dementia Advisor covering that town in Sandwell.  The single point of access acts as the glue that holds everything together and provides a pathway to support people, enhancing their quality of life wherever they may be on their journey with dementia.

Councillor Maria Crompton, Deputy Leader of Sandwell Council, added: “We want the people of Sandwell to live well for longer. We are working with our voluntary and community sector partners to create community-based opportunities that will ensure the support is in place so that our residents can live healthy lives with their friends and families.”

Referrals can be made to the Sandwell Community Dementia Service by calling 01902 826 655. Office hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Thursday, Fridays 9.00am to 4.30pm. Outside of these hours please contact the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Connect Support Line on 0333 150 3456.

Dementia Support Services News
Dates for your Diary

Please call 0121 796 9333 for dates and times of our Agewell Forums. 

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