AN internet guide to what it’s like for people who have dementia has been singled out for a top award.
Health and social care charity PSS was voted Britain’s best provider of learning and development by Skills for Care – the Government body that monitors the training of people caring for those with dementia.
The Liverpool- based organisation’s “virtual dementia” tour was one of the ground breaking training tools that caught the eye of judges, along with their online dementia centre.
The tour simulates what it can be like to have dementia, helping carers and professionals understand what the person they are looking after is going through.
Pam Stopforth and Carolyn Goble, from PSS, accepted the award at a ceremony in London, hosted by former GMTV presenter, Fiona Phillips.
Fiona has personal experience of dementia – her mother was suffering from it when she died a few years ago and her father has Alzheimer’s.
Pam said: “We try to break down the isolation that carers can feel and give them the skills to cope with what can be a very difficult situation.
“We offer practical advice and support that helps them day to day but we also show them how to deal with the stress that builds up.
“We have a support line they can call, to talk to someone at the end of a bad day and an internet café where they can talk online to staff and other people in the same situation.”
Pat Davin, 65, who cares for her husband who has dementia, has been through the PSS training and was at the awards ceremony.
She said: “I learnt how to understand my husband’s behaviour and realise that what could seem like bad temper was simply that he didn’t understand what I was trying to tell him to do.
“I might be trying to get him changed but he feels he is under attack and is trying to protect himself. I’ve learnt how to read his reactions and try different techniques.”
PSS, tel 0151 702 5565
