Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, met Havering resident, Sandra Lawrence, this week in parliament to learn more about the experiences of unpaid carers. Carers have had a particularly challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Carers Week 2022 presents an excellent opportunity to recognise the amazing job they do on a day-to-day basis, providing unpaid care and support for others.

Sandra has been campaigning in particular to raise awareness of Lewy body dementia, a form of progressive dementia that affects a person's ability to think, reason, and process information. She is a member of a fantastic local group, the Havering Dementia Carers Support Group, whose volunteer team Julia met last month for coffee at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch. 

The Group meets every Monday from 10.30am to 12pm at 2A Newmarket Way, Hornchurch, RM12 6DS, and is run by an incredible team of carers who want to provide a space for others in the same situation to talk freely and reduce the sense of isolation carers too often feel. They also offer advice on how to support a loved one who needs care, including how to talk about getting a diagnosis. Julia’s team will be working with them to raise the experience and needs of carers with Health and Social Care Ministers.

Contact [email protected] and meeting details for the group can be found here  

Learn more about Lewy body dementia here.