South Asian Dementia short film launch
According to Carers UK, there are around half a million carers from ethnically diverse backgrounds across the country. Of course, there are some similarities in the challenge of caring no matter what your background it.
Adeelah Khan, carer engagement coordinator talks to the BBC.
But research shows, and common sense would tell anyone, that certain minority ethnic carers have different and distinct hurdles to cross. Language is one barrier, and many services are designed in a way that doesn’t help if the person needing help is from a different culture, such as African Caribbean, or South Asian.
When an older Asian parent is dependent on the family, it can be very lonely. The family may have to go out to work, and the parent might not speak English.
In India, for example, you may be part of an extended family that is so local and so big, that you are never left alone. The carers themselves may feel very alone.
The pandemic made many of these issues worse.
A new short film starring Saaj Raja has been launched by Carers Support West Sussex to highlight that there is support available, and South Asian people can turn to them for support locally. There are carers organisations across the UK that are offering the same support, but research shows it is hard for people to find out about it.
Saaj Raja, actor.
The film was created through discussion between the film maker and local people who are carers from South Asian backgrounds. The aim is to disrupt thinking about how to care for someone living with dementia or memory loss so that no one is left to care alone or in isolation.
During the project the main theme to emerge in conversation with families is the tendency to hide the issue of memory loss. People tend not to talk about it, and want to conceal the problem from family, friends, and neighbours. They fear that they will be shamed if anyone finds out, and that stands in the way of asking for help. The carers who were advising the film makers expressed their sadness that so many people don’t get access to the care that is available because they are under pressure to keep silent and not share their concerns.
Parveen Khan, bilingual memory navigator, with a group of carers and the actor Saaj Raja at the launch of the film
The film was funded through a Dementia Disruption award. You can see the film below, which will also be part of a new ‘Disruption Awards’ project page on our site soon!
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