What we did:

Dementia Carers Count (DCC) provides essential support for the wellbeing of people caring for someone with dementia, offering a confidential telephone advice and support line, 1:1 counselling, online advice, and peer support groups to help family caregivers navigate the unique challenges of their caring role.

This project involved an independent evaluation by Apteligen of DCC’s Carer Support Service to assess its impact, and the potential wellbeing benefits for carers, and to understand how its ‘specialist intermediary’ model functions within the wider health and care ecosystem.

How we did it:

We undertook a mixed-method impact evaluation which focused on understanding the extent to which the different elements of the current support service were meeting the specific needs of dementia carers, and where there were opportunities to strengthen delivery and impact. This involved a survey and interviews with carers who had been in contact with the service, review and analysis of case notes and outcome data, and discussions with staff from other organisations that refer carers to DCC.

What the project achieved:

The evaluation identified DCC’s work as ‘the missing piece of the puzzle’ for dementia carers. The analysis highlighted that since the launch of the service in 2023, it has supported over 63,000 people online, on the phone, and in groups, with carers describing the support as ‘life-changing’. Furthermore, the project demonstrated how this specialist model can strengthen the entire health and care ecosystem surrounding those caring for someone with dementia.

A copy of our final report is available here.

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