Luke lives with vascular dementia, which was diagnosed in 2015. His wife Jenny is his sole carer. They have been using Guideposts’ Connect at Home service since 2022.

Luke can only be left alone for a short time, so Jenny can easily get stuck in the house and feel isolated. She would be on duty 24/7 without the 3 hours each week when their befriender, David, takes Luke out.

How does Connect at Home help?

With Connect at Home, David visits weekly and mostly he and Luke visit somewhere in the locality while Jenny has time to herself. Luke also has other conditions including glaucoma – so he has to be very careful with steps when out and about!

While Luke is with David, Jenny often goes shopping or meets up with a friend for a coffee, and sometimes she catches up with things around the house, with the space to herself and space to think.

“A few hours respite gives me some freedom.”

Luke is very comfortable with David, and shares things with him that he wouldn’t share with his family. He is a man he can relate to. Luke loves old buildings – he was a builder, and loves looking at architecture and how buildings are made, so they have a great time looking around towns and villages. One day they went back to Luke’s childhood home, and had a lovely time reminiscing.

Luke and David also go to the library, where Luke uses the IT facilities to make internet searches for canals and looks at them on their really big screen, which he loves.
Every other week, they go to the Guideposts CONNECT group in Whitminster, where they take part in dementia friendly activities and are part of the community. Luke loves that he’s mostly the only man there in a group of women!

Jenny says “It works really well, because we both get a break. More of the same is needed for thousands of people across the country. It makes a life more bearable, to have just a little time to yourself.”

How does Guideposts care for family carers?

Most of Guideposts’ work impacts family carers: the people who look after their loved ones at home, with little recognition or recompense. While we often focus on the cared-for, Guideposts services make a big difference to the carers too, whether or not they attend. Very often it walks hand-in-hand.

Our Carers groups in Hertfordshire support carers of those living with mental health conditions, and CONNECT groups in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire welcome cared-for and carers together in dementia friendly activities. Giving tailored support to family carers is a big part of our work.