Well the year so far has seen an unprecedented rise in enquiries to our helpline – 100 in January alone – usually it takes us 3 months to reach that target! The topics are varied but having worked in this area for 20 or so years I can see interesting trends emerging: people are much more aware of the paying for care rules for example, and more families are moving parents in with them and looking at alternative care options. I used to give talks to audiences who were shocked to hear that people with dementia often pay for their own care, I doubt many people nowadays would find it surprising.
We are so grateful to all the organisations who refer the public to our helpline: Admiral Nurses, Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK, and Alzheimer’s Connect. Let’s hope the funders we approach in the coming months can see the benefits of the important work we do and help us to make 2020 our best ever year.