FOR many people Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year.

But for the 45,000 people in Wales living with dementia, their families and carers, Christmas can be difficult.

What is supposed to be a special, heart-warming time can often bring additional stress and pressures for families affected by dementia, which can cause guilt and sadness.

Alzheimer’s Society Cymru is here to support everyone affected by dementia over the festive season through our new Dementia Connect service and specially trained Dementia Advisers.

Our Dementia Connect support line will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day but is open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and on weekends 10am-4pm.

Our Dementia Talking Point online community and our website are also available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can call Dementia Connect on 0333 150 3456 or email dementia.connect@alzheimers.org.uk and a Welsh-speaking phone line is available on 03300 947 400.

We are appealing for more volunteers to come forward to join our Side by Side service, a popular part of Dementia Connect which links people with dementia to local volunteers who help them try new activities in their community or keep doing the things they love by accompanying them on trips to the shops, the football or the cinema, for example.

We can provide volunteers with all the training and support they need, so if anyone can spare some time to help people with dementia and their families, then please contact Kerry Lane, volunteering officer on 01269 597690.

Thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, Alzheimer’s Society Cymru is able to continue transforming the lives of people affected by dementia.

DONNA JENKINS,

Dementia Connect Local Services Manager, West Wales

Alzheimer’s Society Cymru