The Dementia Carers Together appeal will harness Daily Mail’s campaigning prowess and the generosity of its readers to give carers the practical help they so desperately need, says the Mail Force Charity.
Some 2.5m Britons provide care for someone living with dementia. Four out of five of them have reached crisis point at least once, with 70% of carers reporting that their mental or physical health has suffered.
Dementia Carers Together will provide courses of six standalone sessions to carers in every region of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Delivered by Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland with specialist dementia advisers, the sessions will help carers to better understand the support, rights and services available to them, and, importantly, how to look after themselves.
Carers are often thrust into this unfamiliar role with no warning, and with limited advice on how to look after their loved ones, or their own mental health or financial needs, added the charity.
Dementia Carers Together aims to improve their lives and make their dreadful journeys a little easier.
Every donation pays for practical advice, emotional support and expert guidance for carers, who might otherwise feel isolated and overwhelmed after a loved one’s diagnosis. The more money raised, the more carers will be able to benefit from Dementia Carers Together.
This campaign builds on the Daily Mail’s and Alzheimer’s Society’s Defeating Dementia initiative, which has put the illness on the front pages and gained phenomenal public and political support.
Funds from the appeal will be received by Mail Force Charity CIO and distributed for the purposes of the Dementia Carers Together programme. If for any reason any of the funds can’t be used for the programme, Mail Force Charity will distribute them to the Alzheimer’s Society so that the Alzheimer’s Society can use them in other ways to relieve the needs of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and related conditions.
Ted Verity, editor-in-chief, Daily Mail, said: “It is a privilege to work with Alzheimer’s Society on tackling an issue that impacts the day-to-day lives of so many people across the UK.
“Every day, millions of dementia carers put somebody else’s needs before their own. They do so with extraordinary love, patience and dedication, often while receiving little support themselves.
“Through Dementia Carers Together, Daily Mail readers have an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of those carers. Together, we can create a nationwide support network that offers practical help, trusted advice and the reassurance that nobody has to face dementia alone.”
Michelle Dyson CB, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It is deeply concerning that seven in ten people are not confident they would know where to turn for advice if a loved one was diagnosed with dementia.
“Families can face difficult and unfamiliar challenges following a diagnosis, and we must make sure they have the support they need to face them.
“That is why the Dementia Carers Together Appeal is so important.
“Our ambition is to create a national network where carers can get practical advice, understand their rights and connect with people who truly understand what they are going through.
“Carers hold families together through some of the toughest moments dementia can bring. Now we need to be there for them.
“We are enormously grateful to the Daily Mail, Mail Force and every reader who supports this appeal and helps us make sure fewer carers have to face dementia alone.”
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