DAILY MAIL COMMENT: How we can show dementia carers they are not alone
- Dementia Carers Together is an appeal run by Mail Force in association with Alzheimer's Society, delivering vital support to the UK's unpaid dementia carers
- To donate, visit the Dementia Carers Together fundraising page
By DAILY MAIL COMMENT
Published: | Updated:
Dementia rarely strikes suddenly. It begins slowly and insinuates itself by degree.
Early symptoms such as slight memory loss, minor anxiety and having trouble finding the right words in conversation are often put down to the inevitable effects of ageing.
But as it progresses through its ever more debilitating stages, this cruel illness casts a long shadow not only over sufferers but also those nearest to them.
Already distressed by having to watch the mother, father or spouse they knew and loved gradually descend into a bemused, fretful netherworld, close family members often become main carers.
Though they do so out of love and dedication, few are prepared for such an onerous task. Quite apart from dealing with grief and premature loss, there are daunting practical challenges to living with someone who cannot safely be left alone.
Around 2.5million people in the UK provide some form of care for those with dementia. For many it is a physically and emotionally draining full-time job.
In a YouGov poll, four out of five said they had reached crisis point at least once, two-thirds felt unsupported and 70 per cent saw a deterioration in their mental health.
These are the bleak realities behind the statistics. Legions of carers struggling to cope with little help or practical knowledge of how to deal with this unfolding nightmare.
They are a largely forgotten army. If this were any other pernicious medical condition, there would be an outcry. But the vast majority of those afflicted are elderly, so there isn't.
Dementia rarely strikes suddenly. It begins slowly and insinuates itself by degree. Early symptoms such as slight memory loss, minor anxiety and having trouble finding the right words in conversation are often put down to the inevitable effects of ageing (stock pic)
Today the Daily Mail launches a major appeal to fund a new, pioneering support network for these overlooked protectors. Dementia Carers Together aims to raise millions of pounds to provide six-week courses for the relatives and friends of people struck down by the disease.
Delivered in partnership with Alzheimer's Society, the courses will allow dementia carers to share experiences as well as giving them an opportunity to express feelings of loneliness and exhaustion.
On a practical level, they will be informed of their rights and the services available.
While benefits are scarcely lavish, they are entitled to a free local authority check to establish what physical, financial or emotional help may be on offer. The poll discovered this was not widely known.
We realise this campaign is hugely ambitious and asks a great deal of you, our readers. But we are emboldened by the astonishing generosity you have shown in past campaigns.
Dementia Carers Together is being coordinated by Mail Force, the registered charity set up by our parent company DMGT, which has raised more than £35million in previous campaigns.
Whether it was to provide much-needed PPE during the pandemic, laptops to schoolchildren or assistance for Ukrainian refugees, you rallied to the cause.
And what cause could be more deserving than this? Most of us know or at least know of someone who has been touched by the curse of dementia and can appreciate the immense pressure it brings to bear on those who become carers. Please help us to lighten their load.
In the words of Ted Verity, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Mail: 'Together, we can create a nationwide support network that offers practical help, trusted advice and the reassurance that nobody has to face dementia alone.'
Dementia Carers Together
Dementia Carers Together is raising money to fund new courses across the UK to give tens of thousands of struggling unpaid dementia carers vital emotional and practical support.
For further information, visit dailymail.com/dementia
How you can donate
Online: Visit mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate
By Text: To donate £10, text CARER to 70115. To donate £20, text LOVE to 70115. To donate £30, text HEART to 70115. Texts will cost your donation amount plus your network charge.
By phone: Call 0300 1234577. Standard charges may apply.
By cheque: Send cheques made payable to Mail Force Charity to:
Dementia Carers Together, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester CO2 8JY
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