It’s just nice to talk : One-to-one sessions supporting family caregivers
Lil Edwards from Bolton cares for her husband, who has been living with dementia for four years. The pair enjoy using local dementia cafes and centres, and Lil began accessing our one-to-one support sessions in June 2022, which are specially tailored for family caregivers.
The sessions offer a safe and confidential space for people to talk about their everyday challenges, health and emotions, either online or over the phone. Talking about her experience of being a caregiver, Lil said: “After we got the diagnosis, for the first 12 months I felt supported, but after that, I felt alone. You feel ‘dropped’ – left with no help at all.
“There is someone you can call but there is no one reaching out to you asking if you are ok. If there are any benefits you can claim for instance, no one tells you, you have to find a lot of things out for yourself.
“But for the last eight months I have been speaking to Judy from Empowered Conversations every fortnight. If there is anything I need to know, she is able to find it out for me. I have found it really beneficial because she is always there for me. I always look forward to my chat with her – it’s nice to just talk to someone.”
Find out more about our one-to-one support sessions: https://empowered-conversations.co.uk/empowered-carers/