When my Gran was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and vascular dementia my mum became her carer. My mum had no idea how to support my Gran and the system was confusing. It affected her and caused her significant stress.I have been working in the health and social care sector for many years and so I stepped in and taught my Mum how to respond to my Gran's distressed behaviours, How to make her home safe and dementia friendly, how to move and position my Gran safely for both of them, first aid training and understanding of how dementia can affect pain and the senses.
Not every unpaid caregiver has a son with experience and knowledge to offer guidance, so where can they get help when they need it?
Years of teaching and working in the care sector both adult and child I noticed paid caregivers and unpaid caregivers didn't always understand each other but
Paid caregivers (teachers, foster parents, support workers and care assistants) get some training to ensure safe practice but not enough and unpaid caregivers and parents get minimal training. Both have skills they can learn from each other and should be better trained and supported to manage the challenges of putting themselves first.
The ableHub is a membership site where all caregivers can access training, community, self-care tools, knowledge and tips.
We want to build a resource that costs less than a coffee a week to provide everything caregivers need.
Funding will be used to add resources and courses as well as marketing to get the word out to councils and charities of what we offer.