Jen Evans’ father Jeff was put into care not long after being diagnosed with dementia. He had an accident, ended up in hospital and that was it.
It wasn’t long after the Christchurch earthquakes and the family was already struggling with the impacts on their home and businesses. They needed some support and they found it at Dementia Canterbury.
“Mum and I went to a support group and it was amazing – one of the best things we could have done. My mental health had really been knocked around and dealing with this on top of everything else was tough. Knowing that other people were going through the same thing made the situation easier,” Jen says.
Jen learned a lot from attending the support group, particularly about communicating with people who have dementia.
Unfortunately, not long after her father’s death, she also began to recognise the signs of dementia in her mother Helen. This time she wanted to be proactive.
“It’s a different picture with Mum. She went through a lot of stress caring for Dad, but because we’d been through it once before, we were better prepared.”
Jen and her mother attended the ‘Living Well with Dementia’ group, run over six weeks at Dementia Canterbury for people with the condition and their carers. Her mother also attends regular brain ignition groups. Jen says she doesn’t know how she would have coped without the support of the not-for-profit.
“Unfortunately, not long after her father’s death, she also began to recognise the signs of dementia in her mother Helen. This time she wanted to be proactive.”
“When you’re going through this, it can feel like many of your usual support people just don’t understand. There’s also a lot to learn and Dementia Canterbury offers so many different types of support.”
Jen believes that every carer should attend the courses run by Dementia Canterbury, but unfortunately due to the organisation’s current facilities, this often isn’t possible. The workshop rooms are small and it can be hard to find parking.
“I’ve seen people unable to find a park nearby, which is important for their parent or partner with dementia, and then they just drive away. I’ve also seen people struggle to access the rooms because of where they are placed – it’s like a rabbit warren.”
Jen is enthusiastic about Dementia Canterbury’s plans to establish a new, modern centre as part of the Canterbury Brain Collective and believes the new initiative will be a big asset to Canterbury.
“If they just had bigger and better facilities, they could provide information to so many more families. They could also help the community understand how to interact with and treat people with dementia in a way that is respectful and caring.”