Caring & Coping with loss in Dementia
Description of the service
Caring and Coping is a psychosocial group intervention for unpaid carers of people with dementia. Six carers and three staff meet in a closed and confidential group once a week for eight consecutive weeks. The aims of the group are to :-
- Help carers discuss the emotional aspects of caring
- Understand associated losses
- Reduce isolation
- Increase carer satisfaction.
The Caring and Coping Service is evidence based from research of the same name carried out by the Trust from 1996 to 1998 and has been a city wide service since then. The support offered has always proved helpful and groups often continue to meet and offer peer support for years. Carers know where to seek help and are linked into other carer support forums in the city. The Coordinator remains a contact person to offer ongoing support after the completion of the group.
The service is commissioned to deliver nine eight week community groups which meet at Venture House (the Alzheimers Society head quarters). Spouse and partner groups are held in the day between 10:30 and 1:00 and Adult child groups are in the early evening from 6:00 till 8:30.
The Sheffield Memory Service are also commissioned to deliver six groups a year, three at Nether Edge Memory Service and three at the Grenoside Memory Service. Carers can choose which venue to attend. Care for the person with dementia can be arranged to enable carers to attend the eight weeks and transport can be arranged if there is no other option.
There are criteria that support the service to offer the intervention to the most appropriate referrals, further information can be accessed from both Charlotte Piney and Janet Ulman who coordinate the groups in SHSC.
Download the Caring & Coping Community leaflet here (PDF 40KB)
Where is the service located?
The Caring and Coping Service is based at Norbury Resource Centre but covers the city. It will be moving to Grenoside Memory Service in the new year. Venture House, 105 Arundel Street S1 2NT, is used as the venue for all the community Caring and Coping groups.
The Caring and Coping groups in the Memory Service are held at Grenoside Memory Service, Salt Box Lane, Grenoside and Nether Edge Memory Service, Lyndhurst Rd, Nether Edge.
How is the service accessed?
Charlotte Piney (Carers Support Coordinator) will accept referrals and contact carers who may benefit from Caring and Coping. Self referrals are accepted.
Janet Ulman (Occupational Therapist in the Memory Service) will accept referrals from the Memory Service and contact carers that may benefit from the Caring and Coping Service.
Charlotte Piney and Janet Ulman share the City-wide waiting list and carers can choose where and when they would like to do the group.
Contact details
Charlotte Piney is based at Norbury Resource Centre, 2 Crabtree Road, Sheffield S57 BB, but is due to move to the Memory Service at Grenoside Grange, Salt Box Lane, Grenoside in early 2010. Her contact number is 2262565, but this will change when the move is made. The mobile number 07977 141431 will remain the same.
Janet Ulman can be contacted on 2716596 or 2716015.