Community, Networks, and Support
People living with dementia and their family carers have been meeting students and researchers at Bangor University as the “Caban group” since 2017.
The Caban group work closely with the academic staff and students at the School of Health Sciences and the North Wales Medical School to help undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers understand what is important to people living with dementia, and how best to support them.
Members have also educated the current and future health and social care workforce through awareness sessions, consultations and presentations in small groups, training events and conferences. They have also performed dementia audits for public spaces such as the National Slate Museum, sharing their experiences of a place to guide improvements.
Current members say:
“Bangor University have been lifesavers, I do training sessions for the students and it feels like I’m making a difference. Feeling valued and like you’re contributing is really important for maintaining mental health and well-being”.
“I was a bit dubious at first but found out that I enjoyed getting involved in research and it is something I can do. I felt absolutely valued again and actually felt like I was contributing to society again”.
What could I do if I join?
- Join conversations with students or researchers.
- Help create resources for other people with dementia.
- Sessions can be in Bangor or on-line.
- You choose how much you want to be involved and in which way.
- Expenses are paid.
Everyone’s diagnosis and experience of living with dementia is different. Our students and researchers would like to learn from your experiences to improve our understanding of how to support you to live as well as possible with dementia.
Please contact Jen Roberts for an informal chat:
Tel: +44 1248 388346
e-mail: j.roberts@bangor.ac.uk
Between 5% and 15% of people living with a dementia receive a diagnosis of a rare or young-onset dementia (before the age of 65). A rare dementia diagnosis brings with it a set of unique and complex challenges, yet there is a widespread lack of understanding and a shortage of dedicated resources to support people affected by rare dementias.
At Bangor, we are working in partnership with colleagues in University College London who run Rare Dementia Support, a UK based service working to support people affected by five rare dementia conditions (for more information please see http://www.raredementiasupport.org).
Have you been diagnosed with a rare dementia?
Do you care for or support someone with a rare dementia?
Join us online for our RDS in Wales Support Group meetings
- A friendly social gathering for anyone affected by rare dementia in Wales
- A safe place to talk, share experiences, and connect with others affected by rare dementia
- We meet once per month, via the online platform Zoom
If you would like to attend, for joining instructions please contact:
Jen Roberts: j.roberts@bangor.ac.uk / 01248 388346
The North Wales Dementia Network was established (2016) with the aim to share best practice, improve collaboration, and increase the impact of dementia research into practice.
The Network members include people living with dementia, unpaid carers/supporters, staff from third sector agencies, health and social care professionals and researchers.
By involving people living with dementia and their supporters at the heart of the network the ideas come from the grass roots, stimulating greater collaboration and setting priorities with those living with dementia.
North Wales Dementia Network Facebook page:
- Please join the North Wales Dementia Network Facebook
- Members share details of support groups, classes, activity groups, research activities and more.
To join the mailing list, please contact: nwdementianetwork@bangor.ac.uk
- We send occasional emails to share important information and activities (e.g., research opportunities, consultations, conferences)
- Invitations to conferences run by DSDC Wales Research Centre are shared via this mailing list.