The Empowered Connectors programme invites Carers who have been on the Empowered Conversations journey – whether that’s attending our Communication Courses or receiving one-to-one support – to share their experiences to help others who are facing similar situations.

Meet Empowered Connector Michael Dowd from Swinton who talks about caring for his mother.

“It is not possible to describe in a precise form how it feels to care for a loved one with dementia.  It is simply grief extended to before the person departs: exhausting, emotional, fearful, lonely, angry, grief, and mental and spiritual torture.

Empowered Carers has given me the space to talk – often at length. I sometimes talk myself into revealing a solution to a problem confronting me at the time.  Other occasions, advice is offered from an outside pair of eyes when I cannot see the wood for the trees being too close to the situation.  Otherwise, it is simply a welcome chance to talk – albeit often about dementia and the caring situation – a subject I long to leave behind but cannot escape, more so due to the pandemic over the last two years which has seen me confined to home and confronted by the situation more than ever.”