(Left to right- May, Louise & Emma)
Who are we?
Disc Dementia Support is a team of three who provide free support and guidance for anyone supporting a loved one or friend with Dementia. We run carer support groups and dementia courses as well as face to face phone and email support. We have lots of factsheets to help and caring tips. All the support we give is at no charge to the carer so any help we can get will help us to carry on helping others. Dementia is a very complex disease and as it effects everyone differently it can be very difficult for the carer, so having someone to talk things through and share experiences can really make a difference.
To have a carers craft club will give them a safe space to either talk about things and get support or to enjoy time away from dementia and start a craft project or finish a project that because of their caring roll they have not had time to finish. This will give time for carers to meet others as so often being a carer can be very isolating and this can have a negative effect on their emotional and mental health. A healthy carer means they will be able to keep their loved one at home for longer. If we had the funds we would use that to have office space to get art and craft materials so that carers can take home anything they make which will give them a sense of achievement. We will provide tea's & coffee and biscuits in a nice warm atmosphere where they can get advice and support if it is needed.
Impact
Carers can be overwhelmed by their caring role and this can have an negative impact on their emotional well-being and mental health. We say that you can not pour from an empty cup, so having time at a craft club to take time and recharge can hopefully help with their well being and as a result reduce any anxiety. This will hopefully help to reduce stress and loneliness for the carer and this will have a positive impact for the person with dementia.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Disc do not charge carers for any support we provide, so we need to cover the cost of our support. We have some funding from lottery to help us but we want to expand our support and provide the craft sessions to carers. We have an office to give a safe space for carers to come and also pay for our phones and office equipment paper ink for printing factsheet ect.. We would like to buy craft equipment and materials for carers as well as providing light refreshments in a warm friendly space.
We would like to advertise on social media as well as spreading the word through East Sussex and connecting with all other social groups to make sure we can reach everyone from all different areas within our community especially the hard to reach communities. We will never charge carers as this will put a barrier to carers getting support they desperately need.
How we’ll spend the money raised
The money raised will be spent on craft materials and equipment to encourage carers to try new crafts. Also we will buy refreshments so carers can have tea coffee and biscuits. We always like to provide vegan and gluten options to make sure everyone can enjoy a hot drink while they are at group.