A new online support group for family carers of people with dementia has been launched by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

The aim of the new group is to help alleviate some of the pressures being placed on carers during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as loneliness, isolation, stress, fear and anxiety.

According to the society, research it has carried out suggests that these pressures are increasing on family carers and for some, are "reaching a critical point".

It noted that the pandemic has been a "perfect storm" for the carers of people with dementia because so many services that offer some respite, have been closed. These include day centres, social clubs and face-to-face carer training.

As a result, many carers have nowhere to go to keep their loved ones active and stimulated.

"There was a crisis in dementia care in Ireland long before COVID-19, but now it's unthinkable what family carers are going through with no access to vital key supports and services.

"There is a real sense of fear, anxiety and isolation out there and people are crying out for support at this desperate time," commented the society's CEO, Pat McLoughlin.

The society has continued to support people with dementia and their families through services such as its national helpline and its online family carer training.

This latest service will act as a dedicated space for family carers to access information that is relevant to them. It will be similar to the society's face-to-face support groups, but will be online.

Carers will be able to talk openly and support each other, ask questions and discuss topics of interest, access discussion forums and a weekly live meeting, and get guidance from dementia advisers and expert tutors.

In addition, each online support group will be a manageable size, and carers can log on whenever they want, meaning that this support is available 24 hours a day. A support group will last for 20 weeks and the society aims to establish 10 groups made up of 30 carers each, i.e. 300 people.

"This is a great opportunity for family carers who are looking to for online support at this very difficult time. There are huge benefits to this online support group as participants will get support over a much longer period of time than any of the other education and training interventions offered by the society, thus combatting the feeling of isolation and stress that we know many are currently experiencing.

"This should lead to lower levels of family carer stress, and an improvement in relations between the family carer and the person with dementia under their care," commented the society's external learning and development manager, Fergus Timmons.

People who want to avail of this new service should email onlinesupportgroup@alzheimer.ie or contact the Alzheimer National Helpline, which is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and from 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Call 1800 341 341.

You can also watch a short video on the new service here.