February exhibition - Dementia Carers in collaboration with MICRA
Wednesday 26th January Onwards
Photographs detailing the lockdown experience of the carers of people living with dementia in rural and semi-rural areas, supported by the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA) and the Centre for Ageing Better.
The pandemic has been challenging for everyone, with people’s opportunities to meet and mingle restricted, and services often limited to online only.
Researchers Annie Harrison and Elizabeth Delgarno from the University of Manchester were concerned about the situation of carers, and particularly carers of people with dementia.
Carers are often isolated and struggle to access support both for the people they care for and for themselves. How did they manage during the lockdown period? Could anything have been put into place to help them? Were carers in rural and semi-rural situations in a better or worse position?
Caption reads: “That is the way her condition has gone since lockdown, downhill pretty quick, and looking at it the other way, it’s been an uphill struggle for me. She really has deteriorated since March 2020. we could’ve carried on as normal a lot longer if it hadn’t been for lockdown”.
Annie and Elizabeth say:
“It was hard to find carers to participate in this study, with many of their support organisations closed and their caring responsibilities often much increased, but a few people volunteered to participate and they were asked to take photographs that represented their experience of caring during lockdown and talk about their experience. These photos are a selection of those submitted, with the words of carers themselves.
“Some themes that carers spoke about were:
· deterioration of the person living with dementia during lockdown due to loss of routine and separation from family and friends
· mixed experiences of care and health services
· the benefits of having access to the natural environment
· carer burnout and isolation”
This research will be shared with those responsible for the delivery of services for people with dementia and their carers, and it was supported by the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA) and the Centre for Ageing Better.