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Tavistock Relationships awarded grant to deliver dementia work with care homes

Published in Press Releases on December 19th 2018

Front line care staff to receive free and subsidised training in helping couples affected by long term conditions

Tavistock Relationships is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant by the Rayne Foundation to develop its work to help couples affected by dementia. One of the aims of the charity, which has just celebrated its 70th birthday, is to develop the skills and capabilities of frontline health and social care practitioners to better understand and respond to the impact of relationship issues between couples throughout the life-course.

A grant from this charitable funder will allow Tavistock Relationships to continue its development and delivery of training to care home and care agency staff who work with people affected by dementia.

Currently, the overwhelming majority of services focus exclusively on the person diagnosed with dementia or on their partner/carer. However, research indicates that focusing on and supporting the quality of the relationship between the person with dementia and their partner/carer can lead to significant reductions in the mental load experienced by the carer, a factor which – if left unchecked – is linked with deterioration of the quality of the relationship between partners and the further progression of the disease itself.

Commenting on the award, Chief Executive Andrew Balfour, said:

“We are very grateful to the Rayne Foundation for recognising just how neglected this area of work has traditionally been. With the increase in dementia that we are seeing, it is imperative that we look to new, innovative and more humane ways of helping people and their partners affected by dementia. From the clinical work and training we have already carried out, we know that what we will be offering frontline staff has the potential to make a substantial difference to lives of couples affected by this disease”.

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About Tavistock Relationships

Established in 1948, Tavistock Relationships is a registered charity internationally renowned for delivering and developing advanced practice, training and research in therapeutic and psycho-educational approaches to support couples.

Working from two London bases (Warren Street and New Street) as well as operating a nationally available online service, Tavistock Relationships has over 100 professionals providing an effective and highly-regarded form of couples’ counselling and psychotherapy.

Last year, Tavistock Relationships held nearly 20,000 therapy sessions, helping thousands of people with their relationships. The charity received very positive feedback, with more than 93% of its clients saying they would certainly rate the organisation’s services as good. and would recommend it’s services.

For more press information contact:

  • Paula Scott, PR consultant T: 07932 740221, E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notes for editors

  1. Information on the Rayne Foundation.
    For over fifty years The Rayne Foundation has given to many different causes and organisations. As well as being a traditional philanthropist, Lord Rayne (1918-2003) made great efforts to ensure that the Rayne Foundation was engaged with the needs of society. Early grants included help towards creating the Rayne Institutes – in London, Edinburgh, and Paris in the 1960s and 1970s – which built a bridge between medical research and hospitals where researchers and doctors could work alongside each other.

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