During Worthing’s Mental Health Week at the beginning of October Dementia Friendly Worthing hosted a Q & A with local health professionals in West Sussex.
We have produced a podcast of the event which gives a good overview of what is happening both locally in the Worthing area, and also in West Sussex.
The speakers and professionals involved are as follows and we hope the podcast is as interesting to you as it was to us.
Lynsey Tran, Worthing’s Dementia Friendly Co-ordinator explains how the discussion will look at local dementia services in West Sussex and how they have had to evolve and adapt during coronavirus and social distancing.
Carol Barber, organiser of Worthing’s Mental Health week which this year went online. Carol started the umbrella organisation in 2013 to reach people with all kinds of mental health needs across the Worthing area. The annual event raises awareness of groups with all kinds of issues through talks, exhibitions, films, speakers, therapies and much more.
Bob Smytherman, Co-founder of Worthing Mental Health Week, Trustee of Mind, Chairman of Worthing Dementia Action Alliance and Councillor is always championing the causes that are so close to his heart.
Linda Basford, a carer herself for 15 years, is now secretary of Dementia Friendly Worthing and has first hand experience of how important Dementia Friendly Communities are to people living with dementia and their carers. Both Linda and Bob speak about the importance of funding to continue to support initiatives and services within our communities.
Karen from the Dementia Team at Carers Support West Sussex. Karen runs support groups for friends and family of people living with dementia in the Worthing, Southwick and Adur areas.
Helen, a dementia support worker from the Alzheimer’s Society talks about their telephone support and welfare calls.
Wendy Langley from Abbeyfield Ferring’s Stay Active service explains how she has realigned that service to enable respite to continue in a different way and still give carers a well-earned break.
Mandy is a Dementia Community Liaison Practitioner (a new title) and covers 10 local GP services in Worthing, Rustington, Littlehampton and shortly Arundel. She is based at home but sees patients with dementia using PPE and offers lots of telephone support to carers and families.
Listen to the podcast by clicking Soundcloud here