02.02.2022
In the past year our Dementia Hubs Team – supported by the Big Lottery - have gone from strength to strength. Working across Brent, the advice team have supported almost 250 clients living with dementia or their carers in the last year alone. 80 people were supported with benefit enquiries including help completing complex benefit forms. The team have managed to raise in excess of £26,000 in additional benefits for clients and £973 in grants. We expect this to significantly increase in the next year, as people start to access services again. The Hubs Team has established a referral pathway with the Memory Clinic to ensure clients that are being assessed for dementia are referred for support early on in their condition, minimising the risk of a crisis occurring. This has been a huge success for the project and has seen some 30 clients being referred from the Memory Clinic alone in the last 2 months. With this in mind the team has grown and we now have 3 IAG Officers – Information, Advice & Guidance - supporting clients across Brent. The Hubs Team have also been supporting the Dementia Cafes to find additional activities and services for their guests. This has included outreach sessions from the Wallace Collection Museum, access to legal workshops for carers such as Power of Attorney and a 6 week carer course run by Dementia Carers Count – which was much needed and well received by the carers. We have also organised several trips to Kew gardens, the theatre and have a well-established walking group, with the focus on keeping people well and connected. We are hoping to offer in the coming year some additional sessions on keeping safe, fire safety and emergency first aid – as well as some fun trips and even a special picnic to coincide with The Queens Platinum Jubilee celebration in June. If you are experiencing memory loss and would like support please contact the team on 07848 743000.
