FOR those living with dementia in Burnham-on-Crouch, Maldon and the Dengie Peninsula area, there's a charity working to provide a unique service.

With Dementia Action Week coming up next week (17 to 23 May), the non-profit Knightswood Day Care Centre in Asheldham is highlighting its work with those who are living with dementia - and increasing awareness of the support it provides.

When Nub News catches up with Knightswood's Louise Clayton, her passion for what the charity does is easy to see.

"The pandemic has just highlighted the need that was already there," Louise says, "we are the only charity of its kind in the Maldon and Dengie area to offer this level of care to those with advanced dementia, which is invaluable support to not only the clients but their families as well."

Below is an article produced by Knightswood, giving a real insight into the work they do and the centre's new Me, Myself and I project.

Growing old can often bring challenges, but nothing can prepare you for when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia.

Although still physically there, you witness them slowly losing their real selves; their character; their charm; their quirks, all of those special qualities you know and love, becoming someone entirely different.

Knightswood, a day care centre in Asheldham, understands the pressures to those caring for loved ones living with dementia and the desperate need for support in the Dengie area. With this in mind, Knightswood introduced a new

group, called Me, Myself & I, specifically for those living with advanced dementia.

The dementia support group, held at the day care centre currently on Mondays but already looking to expand due to demand, provides mental and physical stimulation in small groups for almost one-to-one engagement.

"This is vitally important," said Nes Dickons, Project Coordinator of Me, Myself & I, "as each person will experience dementia in their own unique way and will need individual support to meet their needs. We want to make them feel

important because although they may have lost a part of themselves, they are still a valued person with feelings."

Nes along with her colleague Nicola Saich-Kersey, dedicated their time throughout lockdown to develop this much-needed group.

"For us, the main reason for starting the group was because we feel passionate about being able to offer clients with advanced dementia the much-needed 1:1 support in a safe space to enable them to express themselves without feeling rushed, pressured or frustrated."

With Dementia Action Week upon us (17 to 23 May 2021), the launch of Me, Myself & I has come at a crucial time. There are currently around 850,000 people diagnosed with dementia in the UK, with thousands more living with the disease undiagnosed. 209,600 will develop dementia this year, that's one every three minutes.

Knightswood's dementia trained carers create a setting of calm with motivating activities, proven to activate body and mind. Activities such as painting, modelling clay, music, scrap-booking, photos, puzzles and use of their first class sensory room, to name just a few.

Knightswood's new sensory room, the only one of its kind in the Dengie, provides the perfect setting to support those living with dementia or to anyone of any age that would benefit from the gentle stimulation of sight,sound, touch and movement. Their approach enhances the senses to help relieve stress, evoke the feelings of comfort and maximise a person's potential to focus, all of which help improve communication, memory and wellbeing.

Caring for someone with dementia can be extremely hard, often leading to feelings of stress, frustration and guilt.

Knightswood believe that their support is just as important for the families and carers as it is for the clients themselves.

"A day at Knightswood provides invaluable respite to families who become carers," said Nicola. "For them, it's a 24/7 responsibility so with our help, they get some precious time back to themselves, which as we all know is so vitally important for mental health."

With Knightswood's fleet of accessible transport, clients can be collected and taken safely home, giving that little bit more breathing space.

"Here at Knightswood, we pride ourselves in supporting our community and constantly strive to do more to improve the lives of not only our clients, but their families too, because we care."

For support or more information about Me, Myself & I visit the Knightswood Care website using the link here or call 01621 774532 for more information.