FREE legal advice is being offered to people who care for someone with dementia.

The Dementia Law Clinic has been set up to advise on the many complex issues that can arise when caring for someone with the condition, including care home disputes and powers of attorney.

It will be just the second clinic in the country to offer free legal support to dementia carers and is the result of a unique partnership between the University of Manchester and adult social care charity Making Space.

Morning sessions will provide a dementia friendly environment for families to come along and find out more about dementia from the Making Space team.

In the afternoon, the clinic will provide one-to-one consultations where families can speak with post- and under-graduate law students, from the University of Manchester, to discuss personal circumstances and find out key facts to discuss with a qualified legal team.

Neil Allen is a barrister and university law lecturer is one of the legal supervisors. He said: “When someone attends a one-to-one consultation at the Dementia Law Clinic, we will discuss their case with them, clarifying the facts and legal issues.

“A letter of advice will then be sent out within two weeks.

“Our first clinics will involve face-to-face meetings between carers and legal students, but down the line we hope to increase the frequency of our advice sessions by making use of Skype computer technology.”

The majority of people with dementia are cared for at home by an unpaid relative or friend and the average age of a family carer is 60-65 years old.

Kathryn Williams, consultant Admiral Nurse with Making Space and Dementia UK, said: “This new clinic is going to make a real difference to local families living with dementia who don’t know where to turn.”

The first two clinics July 3 and 10 at Making Space’s head office, at Lyne House, 46 Allen Street WA2 7JB from 10am until 12.30pm.

To find out more, call Kathryn Williams on 07772 916182, email Kathryn.williams@makingspace.co.uk or call Rachel Yates on 07738 148284 or email rachel.yates@makingspace.co.uk