Around 600 local carers looking after a loved one with dementia will benefit from a new project through support from a local carers charity, thanks to a grant from West Lancashire Freemasons to Blackpool Carers Centre.
Blackpool Carers Centre has been the single point of access for unpaid carers in Blackpool since 2005. The centre provides care and support to loved ones due to age-related illness, such as dementia, disability, mental ill-health, or substance misuse. The centre works with carers aged 5 to 95 and above, providing whole family support, one-to-one support, peer support, benefit and financial advice, emergency planning, drop-ins and respite activities. These provide carers with knowledge, support and reassurance to enable them to make informed choices about their lives. Working across six days a week, including evenings to ensure support is there when families need us most. The centre is a well-established and high-profile organisation in the VCFSE sector and statutory provision and a network partner of Carers Trust and has been awarded an Excellence for Carers Quality Mark and Trusted Charity Standard Quality Mark Level 2.
The £60,000 grant will support Blackpool Carers Centre to develop and embed its Music, Movement and Memories project as part of their offer for adults caring for someone with dementia. The three-year project will offer themed sessions based on encouraging, engaging and motivating activities to create shared positive memories for the carer and cared for. The project will focus on delivery of activities designed to stimulate the senses, through gentle exercise, relaxing music, singalongs and memory-focused exercises, allowing for carer and cared-for interactions to be developed through both routine and repetition and enabling carers to continue to build on these connections in their home settings.
The grant will make a significant difference in the lives of carers and their families, reducing the social isolation and loneliness felt by many unpaid carers, supporting them to develop social connections with the cared for through music and movement, whilst supporting their knowledge and skills in caring for a loved one with dementia.
Research shows the number of people living with dementia will continue to increase. In the UK, it is estimated one in 14 adults over 65 has dementia, with the number of people living with dementia in the UK expected to reach one million by 2025. The 2021 census found Blackpool has a larger proportion of people aged 50 and over than the national average. Local figures for Blackpool suggest by 2030 people aged 65 and above will make up over a quarter of Blackpool’s population; in addition, the population of over 80 years of age will grow at a faster rate, increasing by 40 per cent, resulting in more family members having to take on a caring role. This, coupled with high numbers of older people living in Blackpool, means as a service we are experiencing increasing numbers of carers coming forward to access our services for dementia support, seeking knowledge and reassurance to enable them to make informed choices and opportunities to connect with their loved ones.
The grant from West Lancashire Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families, and friends from across England and Wales.
Alison Brown, Quality Director for Blackpool Carers Centre, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to West Lancashire Freemasons for their generous grant. Thanks to them, we can support our mission to make a better life for carers through delivery of a dedicated Music, Movement and Memories project for carers caring for a loved one with dementia, whilst reducing the social isolation felt by many carers.”
David Barr, Assistant Provincial Grand Master of the West Lancashire Freemasons, said: “I’m very pleased that we have been able to support the Blackpool Carers Centre in their mission to improve the lives of carers. Caring for someone with dementia can be rewarding, challenging, and sometimes overwhelming. The Music, Movement, and Memories programme will help carers manage these demands while also allowing them to make friends and receive support from others in the group.”
For further information about the Blackpool Carers Centre, please see the website www.blackpoolcarers.org or contact alison.brown@blackpoolcarers.org