An exciting and life enhancing opportunity

I've been thinking for a while (and may have mentioned it before) that there are many similarities between dementia and autism.  There is the same need for routine, the possible triggers for anxiety are endless and unpredictable, the need to be within a comfort zone is inescapable and, most importantly, every single person with either dementia or autism is unique.  I also know that holidays with either group can be fraught.  All of this then led me to the recollection of a family run holiday complex not far from where we live which has been designed especially for families of children with autism.  The idea is that the whole family can stay in a cottage alongside but independent from others in a similar situation.  As they say in the brochure 'There is just one rule; no need to apologise, no need to explain'.  Anyway today I went to have a look and it is truly wonderful.  There is an indoor heated swimming pool which families book for private use, there are woodland walks, there is a playground with adult size equipment but best of all the cottages and houses are beautifully designed, are light and airy, decorated in calm colours and furnished with comfy sofas, flat screen tvs and everything else you could possibly want.  Why am I telling you all of this?  Well I have noticed from comments in emails and on various forums that sometimes families struggle when holidaying with loved ones who have dementia and it occurred to me that this holiday complex might be just the thing for those families so I went to talk to Richard and Jan Creane who created the centre.  They were more than willing to listen and the upshot is that they feel, as a trial, for one week next year the whole complex will be reserved solely for families affected by dementia.  As they said this afternoon if, as a family, you are still able to negotiate an airport to go abroad or can manage a long weekend at Center Parcs then The Thomas Centre in Lincolnshire probably isn't the place for you but if you would like a holiday where you can be independent, go off and do your own thing when you want to but stay put in beautiful surroundings if you're having a bad day and be surrounded by other families going through something similar then this might fit the bill.  The dates they can do this are 26th April - 3rd May 2019 and weekend or midweek breaks are available.  If you would like to know more about The Thomas Centre itself then you can look at the website
https://thethomascentre.co.uk/holidaysforfamilieswithautisticchildren.php.  if you would like to discuss a dementia friendly holiday with them then just give them a call on 01507 363463.  Just to re-iterate, this one week the Centre will be reserved entirely for families affected by dementia.  At least one person in the group must have dementia but the rest of your bunch can be made up of friends, relatives and other waifs and strays.

I am really excited by this idea and would love to know what you think so please get in touch with your comments.  Also please feel free to tell anyone you think might be interested.

Comments

Unknown said…
Can't find any mention of costs. Often on specialist holidays this leads to most people not being able to take advantage of the opportunity
Jane said…
I get that but the thing about this is that it's not actually a specialist holiday just a chance to stay in beautiful accommodation at the same time as others going through a similar experience. It's a normal holiday but without the need to explain your situation to others. One of the reasons you can book the pool for the sole use of your group is that Jan and Richard's experience of going on holiday with their son who is on the autistic spectrum is that he couldn't cope with the noise of others in the pool and he reacted badly leaving them to pick up the pieces and get everything back on track. The other thing about this is that you can take family and friends with you so, again, much more like a normal holiday. I don't know the prices but you can ring them and they will do their best to help. The Thomas Centre was set up because they themselves know what it's like to struggle with mainstream holidays.
Lesley said…
This sounds brilliant! Would Contented Dementia spread the word about this for you?
Unknown said…
Jane, I am passing the information onto a Young Onset group that I run, so wanted further details rather than raising false hopes. I fully appreciate the need for the normal holiday in a fully accepted environment as we are planning to book a large seaside house next year to share and so enable us to enjoy a low stress break for all.
Jane said…
That's brilliant. Thank you. I really don't know the cost but if it is on the expensive side it will be because it's high end accommodation rather than because it's a specialist holiday resort. The cottages are beautiful and there has been no 'making do'. I like the fact that family and friends can have a holiday too and that it's self catering which removes another layer of worry. I would also like to say that I'm not in any way connected to The Thomas Centre and won't be getting anything out of this other than the satisfaction of finding a solution to a problem that can happen to any of us going through this.
Unknown said…
I think it's wonderful that the family who run the Thomas Centre plan to offer a dedicated week for people living with dementia and their family and friends. I'll share the information in my next YoungDementia UK newsletter. And just for info, we list the companies and holiday opportunities we've heard of that are tailored for people living with dementia on this page of our website - https://www.youngdementiauk.org/breaks-holidays
If support is offered, it does understandably increase prices but in the case of Dementia Adventure, I know they can offer financial assistance if needed to enable someone to take part in one of their holidays. Best wishes, Kate
Jane said…
Thanks Kate and you've saved me a job as I was going to contact you later today to tell you about this and ask you to spread the word. If this is a success I think there will be more weeks offered so we need to tell as many people as possible.