GREAT NEWS - Funding Announcement
22.10.2009
Huge vote of confidence for Age Concern Wirral
THE NATIONWIDE FOUNDATION APPROVES GRANT OF £260,000 FOR AGE CONCERN WIRRAL: 450 people suffering from the effects of early onset dementia will benefit from support service
The Nationwide Foundation has approved a large grant of £260,000 to Age Concern Wirral to fund an advocacy service for people aged over 50 suffering from early onset dementia. The service will represent people who are making key decisions which affect their lives, in particular those around housing and financial matters. This is expected to include advice about dealing with significant income decrease, maintaining homes and exploring options for alternative housing. This funding will support the charity’s project for three years.
There is no specific statutory funding for dementia sufferers aged under 65. In addition, this group of younger people have complex problems. For example, they may have dependent children, have carer responsibility for older relatives, be main wage-earners and have mortgages and other credit. The advocacy service will enable sufferers to plan their finances and housing needs, allowing them to live independently for as long as possible.
Through the provision of this service, Age Concern Wirral will be able support around 450 people living with dementia and their families. The funding Age Concern has received from the Nationwide Foundation will enable two advisors to be recruited who will provide housing, financial and dementia expertise. They will work closely with beneficiaries and their families to learn about their needs and wishes.
As well as benefiting dementia sufferers in Wirral, Age Concern will develop a model of best practice and will seek to use its experience to influence policy and commissioning processes locally and nationally.
Lisa Parker, chief executive of The Nationwide Foundation, says: “We are delighted to be able to award this grant to Age Concern Wirral. Early onset dementia often affects people who are not yet retired and have significant bills to pay. Dementia can affect anyone and if housing and finance issues are not sorted out in advance, families are left with serious issues, such as how to pay the mortgage when the sufferer can no longer work. These complicated problems occur at just the time when the family are increasing the care for their loved one with dementia. Over the next three years, the advocacy support service will improve the lives of 450 younger sufferers of dementia and their families who are struggling with housing and financial problems. In addition, it will create jobs for two people and should bring about long term policy changes to widen the benefits.”
Jamie Anderson, senior manager of Age Concern Wirral, says: “We have been delivering services for people aged over 65, suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for over 25 years and have a wide range of experience in supporting individuals, their families and carers with all of the issues associated with dementia. We have been working all year to construct a new wing at our existing Dementia Centre, the Devonshire Resource Centre, specifically for younger sufferers. We are now delighted to be working with Nationwide Foundation to launch this exciting advocacy project to ensure that younger sufferers and their families are able to live as fulfilling and independent lives as possible during the progression of the disease.”