April 2015 - Dementia Concern
Transcription
April 2015 - Dementia Concern
DEMENTIA CONCERN NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 VOLUME 5 ORGANISATIONAL UPDATE Where we are now After a number of changes to the newsletter, we have now settled on the current shorter format. Of the people who filled in our recent survey, 30 wanted the newsletter to continue as before. But I have also taken into account the time and direct costs of producing and printing the newsletter – given that some of our services have long waiting lists; any savings made can be used to shorten these. Dementia Concern has just applied for funds from the Better Care Fund for an enhanced Community Support Service for people with dementia living alone. The aim is to provide extra, co-ordinated community support to help keep people with dementia out of hospital and long-stay care, while improving their quality of life at home. We are also looking at the possibility of providing weekday care at Elm Lodge. We are seeking funds from and making applications to Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group and the Health & Social Care Fund and will know the results of all this by the start of July 2015. I am hopeful, but far from certain, that our funding will continue and that, with your continued support, we may be able to expand services in the coming years. TOM SMITH DIARY OF ON-GOING EVENTS DEMENTIA CAFÉ 2015 Tom works with Dementia Concern as a driver. He began work as one of our bank staff in 2004. Later he was employed as a permanent driver at Elm Lodge and he has been driving for the Working Age Dementia Group at the Hobbayne Centre for several years. Tom is very keen on fundraising for Dementia Concern. He has taken part in the British 10K on two occasions and this July he will be running with his daughter - Sally. Together with his wife Maureen he has successfully nominated the charity for the Let’s Do It Awards jointly run by Barclays Bank and the Ealing Gazette. Tuesday 14th July Wednesday 9th September At the Liz Cantell Room, Ealing Town Hall 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm CARERS’ INFORMATION EVENINGS 2015 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm Wednesday 29th April at Sycamore Lodge ( Demystifying Dementia) Wednesday 27th May at Elm Lodge ( Diagnosis & Medication) To reserve your place, please contact Joy at Dementia Concern on 020 8568 4448 PLEASE NOTE WE PROVIDE TRANSPORT FOR DEMENTIA CAFÉ ONLY WEEKDAY INFORMATION SESSIONS For anyone with an interest in dementia William Hobbayne Centre St. Dunstan’s Road, Hanwell W7 2HB ‘At one time my sister-in-law attended the Elm Lodge day centre so I have personal experience of the effects of dementia. I aim to help people with dementia and their carers to stay motivated and keep going often in difficult circumstances.’ Fortnightly sessions from 1:30 - 3:30 Next dates are: 30th April & 14th May FORMER CARERS’ GROUP Carers’ Centre 46 South Ealing Road, Ealing W5 4QA All meetings are from 10.30 — 12.30 on the third Thursday of each month CARERS’ VOICE The Care Act and its implementation in the London Borough of Ealing Our September 2014 newsletter gave you an overview of the new Care Act. The key points were: Entitlement to assessment and support for people with care and support needs A requirement for local authorities to provide an independent advocate when appropriate Ensuring that care and support functions provided by the local authority are integrated with services provided by NHS and other health-related services At Ealing Community Network’s Health & Social Care Forum on 29 January, Adenike Tilleray, from the London Borough of Ealing, gave an updated presentation on the local implementation of the Care Act. Adenike said that the local authority is working to ensure that social work staff will be aware and trained on the extensive new duties. The process is taking longer than expected but LBE hope to have clear documents in place shortly e.g. screening and assessment tools and a contact centre. Information about personal budgets will also be clearer and will inform service users if they need to make a financial contribution to their care. LBE is learning from internal case studies and will be inviting the voluntary sector to participate in some of these as a way of sharing information and tools across the two sectors. On 6th March a Carers’ Conference was held at Ealing Town Hall to highlight the ways in which care and support are changing. The event focussed on the impact of the Care Act on carers. There was a workshop on the new carers’ assessment form; carers were given an opportunity to give feedback before the form is finalised. Ealing Dementia Action Alliance Ealing Dementia Action Alliance is having a launch event on 18th May in the Liz Cantell room at Ealing Town Hall. As there is limited space, attendance will be by invitation only. The aims of the alliance are: - To ensure that the wider community including businesses and service industries are dementia-aware - To work across organisations to improve the lives of people living with and affected by dementia - To create clarity about how services for people with dementia work in Ealing Universal Credit Roll Out Universal Credit, a new benefit for working age people replacing a number of existing benefits including housing benefit and tax credits, will be rolled out to the London Borough of Ealing from 13 July 2015. Initially this will only apply to new benefit claims by single jobseekers, and will not apply to those who care for someone who has a disability. Your Vote Counts A timely reminder that there will be a general election on 7th May! Anyone who has registered for a postal vote needs to make sure that it is received by polling day. If you’re too late to post your ballot paper back, you can hand it in to your local Electoral Registration Office or bring it to your local polling station by 10pm on polling day. Contact your local Electoral Registration Office if you spoil or lose your ballot paper. You can get a replacement up to 5pm on election day. NHS 111 NHS 111 is the non-emergency medical helpline available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is free from both landlines and mobile phones. The service offers urgent medical help and advice for callers whose condition is neither a 999 emergency or life-threatening, typically where the caller: believes they need to attend A&E or another NHS urgent care service doesn't know who to call or isn’t registered with a GP needs health information or reassurance about what to do next For less urgent health needs, their GP or local pharmacist should be contacted in the usual way. In some cases a health professional will have provided a specific phone number to call when concerned about a condition; the caller should continue to use that number. A team of fully trained NHS 111 Health Advisers, supported by experienced Nurses and Paramedics, will ask questions to assess your symptoms, then give the caller healthcare advice or direct them immediately to the most appropriate local service, including: ambulance – if the NHS 111 Adviser thinks the caller needs an ambulance, they will arrange for one to be sent, while the caller remains on the phone: A&E an out-of-hours doctor an urgent care centre or a walk-in centre a community nurse an emergency dentist a late-opening chemist Where possible, the NHS 111 team will book an appointment or transfer the call directly to the people the caller needs to speak to. NHS 111 calls are recorded, but all calls and the records created are maintained securely, and only shared with others directly involved with the caller’s care. URGENT AND OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS (020) 8568 4448 Dementia Concern for advice & information from your named Dementia Adviser (9:00 - 5:00 Monday to Friday) In an emergency 999 NHS urgent medical help and advice (non life-threatening) 111 GP weekend opening 111 Pharmacy 111 Ealing Social Services (Office hours and out-of- (020) 8825 8000 hours Emergency Duty Team) VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON Donations in Memory Nine runners will be taking part in the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 26th April. Sadly, one of our runners has had to withdraw owing to injury, but hopes to be able to compete for us in 2016. We have received donations in memory of the following people from their families and friends John Davies Aubrey Hill Mabel Morwood Sylvia Raines Rodney Smith We wish them all the very best of luck and hope that they have a fantastic day. BIKE RIDE We are very grateful to Phil Skinner, who has registered for the Prudential Ride London on Sunday 2nd August. Phil is an experienced LONDON MARATHON cyclist and is looking forward to the challenge of this 100 mile bike ride. Update The following verses were written as a tribute to the late Aubrey Hill, by his grandchildren. ‘So heaven has received another angel, The night sky another star, Your life has become a loving memory, I know you will never be far.’ If you know anyone who would be interested in taking part, please speak to Roger or Isabel on 020 8568 4448. ‘A special smile, a special face, A special someone I can’t replace, I love you and always will, You filled a space that no-one will ever replace.’ BRITISH 10K We are looking for runners to fill the remaining places in the British 10K Run on Sunday 12th July. Thank you to Tom Smith and his daughter Sally who have already applied for this event. Fundraising Update CHARITY SHOP CARE CONCERN TEA PARTY Our shop, located at 432 Greenford Road, Greenford, raises money for the charity by selling donated goods. If you have goods to be collected for the shop, please ring Doreen on 8575 3373 and she will arrange collection. Thank you to everyone at Care Concern who raised the amazing sum of £821 at their Afternoon Tea in February. We are also grateful to Balcon Court for hosting this event. Dementia Concern is an independent charity which has been helping people with dementia and their carers in the London Borough of Ealing since 1982. cafés, carers’ information evenings and our workingage dementia service. You can support our work in the following ways: We provide assessment, advice, information, independent advocacy, support and monitoring, home respite care, weekend day care centres, dementia By becoming a member for £10 per year By making a donation By remembering us in your Will Supporting our Organisation: 223 Windmill Road, Ealing, London W5 4DJ Tel: 020 8568 4448 Fax: 020 8568 1294 Email: [email protected] www.dementiaconcern.co.uk Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2748840 Registered Charity No. 1014834 Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group