Powys' Dementia Matters 'could be closed by Christmas'

Dementia Matters runs meeting centres across Powys for people with dementia and their families, providing activities and advice for those who attend and is considered to one of the most effective dementia services in Wales.

However, its future is now under threat with the charity needing to raise £50,000 in the next three months to stay afloat.

Deborah Gerrard, Dementia Matters' chief officer in Powys, said the service has struggled to find new funding for some time and had to make a lottery grant last two years longer than planned.

“For five financial years I have been pleading Powys Regional Partnership Board (RPB) for funding,” she said. 

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“I have spoken to the RPB manager, the chair, the vice chairs and the Powys Dementia leads steering group chair to get support to access funds since 2019, but have been met with total silence.

“Powys has almost double the number of people living with a diagnosis of dementia than any other Welsh county.

“Meeting Centres save the Health Boards and local authorities money by reducing hospitalisation, GP visits, helps to keep people living independently for longer saving care fees/adult services funds.”

The Alzheimer’s Society's local services manager in Powys, Louise Nicholas, added: “There’s no way we could take over anything like this. We don’t have the staff or the knowledge of the local area. We were hoping to run a partnership which could have provided extra value for money with being signposted both ways.

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“But that is now all up in the air and we are very, very concerned.

“Demand is huge, we’ve only scratched the surface in Powys. Dementia is Wales’s biggest killer – of the people being born today one in two will develop dementia. It is a public health emergency.”

Owen Durbridge has been attending sessions in Newtown with his wife Janet for 18 months, and said the service has made a huge difference to their lives.

“For people with dementia, like my wife, there is no place to get information,” said Owen. “You think you might know something, but you don’t until you have talked to everyone else and they tell you what they’ve done and what they’ve found helped.

“The carers and the people who deliver with it both benefit from the facility here, so it’s very worthwhile. I’ll be gutted if it has to close."

Gill Sandilands, who used the service until her husband passed away last year, added: “If someone does something that is obscure or off the wall in Tesco’s there’s tutting and side stepping, it’s not understood. Whereas here no one takes any notice because we’re living with it."

Some service users were close to tears when they spoke to the County Times about the “devastating loss” of the service, which would come in the wake of Newtown losing its day centre.

Sheena Atkinson with husband Denis (Image: Ruairi Walsh)

Sheena Atkinson has been bringing her husband of 65 years, Dennis to the meetings since 2019 and said it has been like “finding a new family”.

“It will kill me if this goes,” said Sheena.

“It’s the only time we really get out, when you go out can’t really socialise.

“Here you can because we’re all on the same level. Through this I have had enormous help. Dennis was having a number of falls in the house, I got in touch with the hierarchy and I got help straight away.

“When you come here you feel such relief, I used to lay awake at night, I never thought I could get this kind of help."

Powys Regional Partnership Board Chair, Kirsty Williams said: “Dementia Matters in Powys have done valuable work with people with dementia and their carers for several years across the county.

“I’ve been pleased they’ve been able to access Regional Partnership funding through the Social Value Forum in recent years and we do recognise the ongoing challenges around sustainability of services.

“We will continue to work in partnership to ensure people with dementia and their carers in Powys are able to access support.”

You can donate to help save the service on their just giving page here.