606 Men in Louth Living with Dementia
The Irish Men’s Sheds Association has launched a new manual aimed at raising awareness of the condition, as well as offering advice for “Shedders”, their families and carers on supporting a member with dementia.
Developed in partnership with the HSE’s Dementia: Understand Together campaign and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, the manual Your Shed & Dementia offers tools to help Shedders recognise signs of dementia, as well as offering practical communication and listening tips.
400 Dementia Types
There are over 400 types of dementia, with the four most common being Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body disease, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia. It is also common for people to have more than one type of dementia.
There is an estimated 606 men living with dementia in Louth while each year more than 11,000 people develop dementia in Ireland – that’s approximately 30 people every day.
Common early signs of dementia include increasing confusion, reduced concentration, memory loss, difficulty communicating, personality or behaviour changes, apathy and withdrawal or depression, and the loss of ability to do everyday tasks.
Range of Activities
Irish Men’s Sheds Association, is encouraging men to check out their local Men’s Shed to see what it has to offer.
CEO Enda Egan, said: “Over the past couple of years, as part of our work developing the Sheds for Life well-being programme, the topic of dementia has been regularly raised by Shed members as something they would really love more support and advice on.
“The publication of this manual marks a significant step in responding to this need. As our 450 plus Men’s Sheds across Ireland are now finally beginning to reopen, a key priority in this new chapter for us is continuing to welcome men with early-stage dementia in different ways.
“For example, sheds are offering a range of activities, from DIY essentials, exercise classes and live music sessions online, to gardening and social events in the great outdoors. Why not check out our website, www.menssheds.ie, to find out which activities are available at your nearest Shed, and if there is something of interest for you or your loved one?”
Six Simple Actions
The Dementia: Understand Together campaign is a public support, awareness and information campaign led by the HSE. It aims to inspire people from all sections of society to stand together with the 500,000 Irish people whose families have been affected by dementia, by taking six simple actions, which are to:
- See the person, not the dementia
- Talk about dementia
- Ask how you can help
- Stay in touch
- Support the person to keep up hobbies and interests
- Make sure your service/space is easy to use
Anyone with an interest in dementia should check out the publication at www.understandtogether.ie, where they will also find information on supports such as a local service-finder for people living with dementia and their carers.
Members of the public can also contact The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Helpline for support on Freefone 1800 341 341 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm).
The Your Shed & Dementia manual can be downloaded directly here:
https://www.understandtogether.ie/training-resources/helpful-resources/publications/guidance-and-guidelines/your-shed-and-dementia.pdf
You can contact the Drogheda Men’s Shed on 041 980 0078 or via Facebook.
