To help support our Dementia patients and their carers we are encouraging all our practice staff to complete dementia awareness training and we have a nominated Dementia Champion, Amanda Berry, who attends regular dementia training and updates.
We have put together some information on this page which may be helpful to patients/carers living with dementia to improve their quality of life. There are a number of different organisations, charities and support groups across Barnsley that offer some great support.
BIADS - Barnsley Dementia Support, Telephone: 01226 280057 (website biads.org.uk)
BIADS offer Activities for Carers, Drop in cafés, singing groups, day trips and many other activities.
Butterflies - Dementia Support and Activities Group, Telephone: 07545 815 513
Butterflies support group is located at King Street Community Centre in Barnsley, everyone is welcome at Butterflies they specialise in people living with demean and socially isolated people. They offer lunch clubs, support groups, Tea dance and regular days out, trips and occasional short breaks.
Barnsley Dementia Carers Outreach Support, Telephone: 01226 288 772
This service is for you if while caring for a person with dementia or memory loss:
You need support for your own health and wellbeing
You need help to improve your own resilience and confidence
You feel isolated or un-supported in your caring role or post-caring
Dementia Action Alliance
Their website www.dementiaaction.org.uk holds valuable information and links to other organisations across Barnsley.
The Herbert Protocol
The Herbert Protocol is named after George Herbert, a war veteran of the Normandy landings who lived with dementia and frequently went missing.
As part of South Yorkshire Dementia Action Alliance's dementia home safety project it is encouraged that people living with dementia and their carers complete the Herbert Protocol. This is a police initiative and uses a form to collect historical information that can be used if a person living with dementia goes missing. Information such as other places the person has lived in, favourite places, other names they have used (e.g. maiden name) and up to date photograph can all help the Police to find the person and find them quickly. If a person living with dementia is reported missing the carers hand the form to the police. All police officers carry mobile devices and once they have the form they scan it into their phone and circulate it instantly to every officer in the area and if relevant to neighbouring police forces.
Please go to the South Yorkshire Police website for more information and to download the Herbert Protocol.
