Hospice of the Valleys - Dementia Services

CARIAD is a service provided by Hospice of the Valleys, to support families who are living with the consequences of receiving a dementia diagnosis.

Working together with existing care professionals, we aim to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia. Our Social Worker, Health Care Assistants and Mental Health Nurse combine their expertise to support palliative and end of life care needs. Team members are on hand to support families as they navigate the difficult journey, this can include offering practical support as well as information and advice. CARIAD patients and carers can access all standard hospice services as well as:

Dementia Support Activity Group

CARIAD holds weekly activity and support groups in Ebbw Vale for patients already known to the Service. It is an informal setting where patients can access support from the CARIAD team members and from other hospice services. Activities include music therapy, art therapy, reminiscence work, guest speakers and is a place where those with a dementia diagnosis can access support amongst peers.

Future Planning

Having a diagnosis of dementia can leave the future feeling uncertain. The team is on hand to support those accessing the service to consider and plan for the future in an individual and person centred way. This can include support and advice around the completion of lasting power of attorney documentation.

Carer Support

The CARIAD team recognise the additional challenges faced by family members and carers of those living

with a dementia diagnosis. Carer needs are assessed on an individual basis using a carer support needs assessment tool. This enables the CARIAD team to support carers with what matters most to them at any given time.

This support includes carer education sessions, where information, advice and guidance is offered relating to the diagnosis, emotional support and support navigating the social care landscape.

The service offers a specific carers group; “Dementia; through the carer lens”. This group supports carers with feelings around anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss linked to the dementia diagnosis. This group gives carers the opportunity to explore these feelings in a safe environment with others experiencing similar situations.

In Partnership with Age Connect (Torfaen) the CARIAD team will be welcoming a new service, “Your Time, Your Choice” This service is developed to support the needs of carers who are caring for a person with a diagnosis of dementia by providing a short break from their caring role.

The proposed activities will enable carers to access up to 16 FREE sessions from a menu of short break solutions that carers can select from when it’s best for them, when it’s meaningful to them and would offer the most support.

For more information please contact Hospice of the Valleys on 01495 717277 (Blaenau Gwent) or Age Connect Torfaen on 01495 769264.

Carers Short Breaks Project

Dementia Friends Awareness

The CARIAD Service can provide free dementia friendly awareness sessions for carers, schools, business’s or place of work which will enable our community to

become more dementia aware. For further information on this service please contact the CARIAD team on 01495 717277

Dementia Palliative Care Training

The team provide 1 day dementia palliative care training for health and social care workers. This training provides an immersive perspective of the challenges and experiences of those with a dementia diagnosis and those who care for them.

Huge congratulations to our CARIAD dementia service, who were highly commended for supporting people who live with dementia at Y Gwobrau/The Accolades 2022.

Well done to the CARIAD Team a fantastic and well deserved award!!

CARIAD Art celebration

Over the past 5 weeks the CARIAD Group have been participating in creative and therapeutic art to enhance their well-being, where all the artefacts made have been inspired by the forest.

People living with dementia, carers, staff and volunteers have worked together to produce a communal piece of art – ‘The CARIAD Tree of Life’ – a mixed media wall hanging which represents growth, strength and resilience in times of adversity. The project was kindly supported by Tai Calon.

At the end of the project we invited family, friends, staff and volunteers along to a celebratory event to view the pieces of art work. Just under 40 people attended the event. There was a short reading of a poem which complimented the art work. There was also an opportunity for attendees to participate in a short workshop to experience some of the well-being benefits as enjoyed by our participants. We enjoyed a buffet with ‘Black Forest’ dessert to keep in with the theme. We had a nice sing along and dance at the end of a very successful event.

We are hoping to display the art works in our Hospice shops over the next few months for everyone to see.