Free legal advice for dementia carers

AN innovative new Warrington service will offer free legal advice to carers of the growing numbers of people diagnosed each year with dementia.
The Dementia Law Clinic has been set up to advise on the many complex issues that can arise when caring for someone with the condition, including care home disputes and powers of attorney.
It will be just the second clinic in the country to offer free legal support to dementia carers.
The central Warrington clinic, opening this month, is the result of a unique partnership between the University of Manchester and Warrington-based adult social care charity Making Space.
Free advice will be available to families who have a Warrington postcode and are caring for a friend or relative with dementia.
Morning sessions will provide a dementia friendly environment for families to come along and find our more about dementia from the Making Space central dementia team, consisting of a consultant Admiral Nurse Kath Williams, dementia development coordinator Rachel Yates and
supported by the dementia project worker and volunteers.
In the afternoon, the clinic will provide one-to-one consultations where families can speak with post and under-graduate law students, from the University of Manchester, to discuss personal circumstances and find out key facts to discuss with a qualified legal team.
Neil Allen, a barrister and university law lecturer is one of the legal supervisors.
He said: “When someone attends a one-to-one consultation at the Dementia Law Clinic, we will discuss their case with them, clarifying the facts and legal issues. A letter of advice will then be sent out within two weeks.
“Our first clinics will involve face-to-face meetings between carers and legal students, but down the line we hope to increase the frequency of our advice sessions by making use of Skype computer technology”.
Kath Williams said: “This new clinic is going to make a real difference to local families living with dementia who don’t know where to turn.”
Across the UK more than 800,000 people are diagnosed with dementia, but it is acknowledged that 60 percent of cases may go undiagnosed. These figures are set to increase as advances in healthcare mean that people are living longer.
The majority of people with dementia are cared for at home by an unpaid relative or friend and the average age of a family carer is 60-65.
The first two Warrington clinics will run on Friday July 3 and Friday July 10 and will be held at Making Space’s head office, at Lyne House,  Allen Street WA2 7JB. Families are welcome to drop in at the clinic from between 10am-12:30pm, where they will also be able to request a
one-to-one consultation at future clinics. Future dates will be announced very soon.
Enquiries can be made to Kathryn Williams on 07772 916 182 or
[email protected] or Rachel Yates on 07738 148 284 or
[email protected]