News and Events
Welcome
Welcome to DementiaWeb Oxfordshire's new page for News and Events. The events listed below welcome people who have dementia and their carers, friends and family. The news items are about dementia related issues.
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia
Inquiry into how to improve dementia diagnosis rates in
the UK
The APPG has launched its next inquiry which will focus on
improving dementia diagnosis rates across the UK. Currently we
know only 43 per cent of people in the UK living with dementia ever receive a formal diagnosis.
Overall we also know that, despite an emphasis in national policies, little
progress has been made towards improving diagnosis rates over the last few
years.
For further information on this
inquiry please go to APPG.
You can share your views by visiting the online questionnaire appropriate for you or your organisation.
Alternatively you can email your evidence to appg@alzheimers.org.uk or post it to:
APPG Evidence
Sarah
Tilsed
Alzheimer's Society
Devon House
58 St Katharine's
Way
London
E1W 1LB
Please Note: The deadline for written submissions is Friday 2 March 2012.
Report of the National Audit of
Dementia Care in General Hospitals 2011
The audit is funded by the Healthcare
Quality Improvement Partnership and managed by a project team based at
the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Centre for Quality Improvement
(CCQI).
The aim of the audit was to examine the quality of care received by people with dementia in the general hospital. This created the necessity to collect evidence covering the whole hospital stay from admission to discharge.
Despite the difficulties of collecting data from
casenotes across the admission period, we were delighted with the response from
hospitals. 89% of hospitals eligible for audit submitted data, which equals
inclusion of 99% of Trusts/Health Boards in England and Wales. The high
participation rate shows that care of people with dementia has been recognised
by hospitals as a highly important area for quality improvement.
For further information on this report, please go to Report.
Carers Dementia Training consists of three half day sessions to inform and support you in your role as an informal carer of a person with a newly diagnosed dementia.
Please contact Amy Cottingham for more details on 01865 323207 or email amy.cottingham@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Also, see leaflet for more details.
Please Note: That travel and replacement care costs can be covered whilst you are attending the training.
Assistive Technology
www.2find-me.co.uk is a new watch, GPS tracking device, panic alert, medication reminder and mobile phone. We will have a Carers Watch at The Independent Living Centre, Northfield Farm Lane, Madley Park Witney OX28 1UD for
a limited amount of time for people to see and try. We are also keen to bring this to groups in the community.
We also have a ‘buddi’ www.buddi.co.uk at ILC which we can also demonstrate to you.
If you are interested in seeing these products please contact 01993 700061 to arrange to see it at the ILC in Witney or to arrange for a demonstration at your group.
The Arts and Excellence in Social
Care Settings
With all the competing pressures a care home manager has to juggle everyday it would hardly be surprising if arts activities did not always feature as a high priority. Any care home manager interested in delivering an excellent service, though, will be aware of the contribution the arts can make to well-being and quality of life and see them more as an asset than as an additional and unrealistic duty.
For further information on this report and a list of various arts activities please go to Creative Care in Residential Homes.
Test the Scent-Clock!
The Design Council challenge is a competition in which designers
build and test innovative equipment or services to help people with
dementia.
We are looking to help recruit more people with dementia to test out an idea called the Scent-Clock, which is designed to support and encourage people to eat more regularly.
Do you work with or support people with dementia who might want to take part?
Participation will involve testing some scents in the person’s own home for a period of five days – followed by a 2-hour interview.
The designers would also like to arrange a focus group of people with dementia to test their response to various scents.
Remuneration is available for both participants, and for organisations supporting their involvement.
This testing is scheduled to take place as soon as possible, that means in January 2012.
If you are interested in helping us to
support this exciting new innovation or would like to learn more, please contact Steve Milton on 01392 420076 or 07549
921901 or email to
steve@innovationsindementia.org.uk
Care is in Crisis - Age UK Petition
Many of those who need help and support are being badly let down by a faltering system, while others find themselves having to sell their homes in order to pay for support they need.
Age UK are calling on the Government to reform the care system to ensure people in later life receive high quality care and support.
Age UK would like to collect 100,000 signatures and you can add your name to their petition right now at Care in Crisis.
The Government has promised a White Paper on care reform in the Spring. This is a crucial moment to influence the future direction of social care – possibly for a generation.
Oxfordshire Carers' Forum (OCF) - Confidence 2 Care
Oxfordshire Carers' Forum are very excited about this new programme as it is a tailored and compact version of the original Caring with Confidence programme and is designed to focus on the current needs of adult carers.
OCF will be inviting speakers to discuss carers' benefits and will be teaming up with Carers' Oxfordshire to promote the continuance of carers groups.
There is limited funding but the Forum will also endeavour to assist individuals who feel they cannot leave the person they care for.
If you feel some else may also
benefit from this programme please let them know in any way via website,
email, windows, groups, home visits, etc. C2C need carers to register their interest to enable us to forward plan for other areas in the county.
Supporting Someone at Home?
Confidence 2 Care can help you in this new programme of 5 FREE weekly sessions lasting 2.5 hours with refreshments provided and an opportunity to meet other people in siimilar situations as yourself.
Sessions content includes:
- What to do and how to deal with an emergency
- Balancing caring commitments with other needs
- Improving health and wellbeing
- Tips and strategies on how to make a positive difference to your life and that of the person you care for
- Resources available to carers and how to get the most out of them
Scheduled programmes: (Dates may vary slightly)
- Witney - Begins Thursday 19th January 2012
- Oxford - Begins Wednesday 1st February 201
- Working Carers Oxford - Begins March 2012
For more details or to register please conatct Emma on 01235 520463 or email emma@oxoncarersforum.org.uk
There are limited places available and booking is essential.
Please Note: Oxfordshire Carers' Forum have now a new number: 01235 520440
Oxford Carers' Forum The Charter, 2 Floor Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 3LZ Tel: 01235 520440 Email: support@oxoncarersforum.org.uk
New Community Groups across rural Oxfordshire aim to support people with Memory Loss and Dementia
When Alison gets up in the morning she isn’t sure who she is or where she is. Roused by a loving voice, guided gently through her breakfast and daily routine, she later goes outfor a walk along roads long familiar but hard to place. She is greeted by friendly voices. She is shown across roads and into the local post office. She chats and laughs - especially if the conversation turns a bit unusual.Alongside her are neighbours who understand what she can do for herself and what she needs help with. She is happy. She is living independently and well with her dementia.
Community Groups session dates and locations are as follows:
Cumnor - The Church Centre
13th February 2012 at 7pm 27th February 2012 at 7pm
Enstone - Village Hall
2nd February 2012 at 7pm 16th February 2012 at 7pm 1st March 2012 at 7pm
W & S - Watchfield Village Hall
7th February 2012 at 7pm 21st February 2012 at 7pm 28th February 2012 at 7pm
Charlbury - Memorial Hall, Garden Room
9th February 2012 at 10.30am 23rd February 2012 at 10.30am 1st March 2012 at 10.30 am 8th March 2012 at 10.30 am
Chinnor - The Village Centre
1st February 2012 at 10.30am 10th February 2012 at 10.30am 15th February 2012 at 10.30 am 29th February 2012 at 10.30 am
Chesterton - Village Hall
2nd February 2012 at 7pm 9th February 2012 at 7pm 16th February 2012 at 7pm 23rd February 2012 at 7pm
Deddington - The Living Room, Parish Church
23rd February 2012 at 7pm 6th March 2012 at 7pm 15th March 2012 at 7pm 20th March 2012 at 7pm 29th March 2012 at 7pm TBC April 2012 at 7pm
For more information speak to Catharine Arakelian on 01865 849768 or catharine@newdementiacare.org.uk
This project has been funded by the Skills Funding Agency.
Moving Music Concerts - Jacqueline du Pré Music Building
The Jacqueline du Pré Music Building was the first purpose-built concert hall to be built in Oxford since the Holywell Music Room in the time of Handel. Its inspiration was the wish to create a living memorial to a great artist. A joint fundraising campaign by St Hilda’s College, of which Jacqueline du Pré was an Honorary Fellow, and the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund.
Moving Music concernts are especially designed for people with dementia and their carers.
Concerts are held approximately every 3 months and the next concert will be held on 31st January 2012 from 2.00pm to 3.00pm with refreshments from 1.30pm. The entry cost will be £5.00 and carers go FREE. Invitation.
For further information and to reserve a place please contact:
Danielle Battigelli or Taya Smith at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda's College, Cowley Place, Oxford, OX4 1DY on 01865 276821/ 251305 or email movingmusic.jdp@gmail.com.
NHS Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Cluster Consultation Appropriate Care for Everyone
This is an invitation to join a consultation about the Appropriate Care for Everyone (ACE) Partnership Programme which has a short questionnaire attached to it.
You can join the consultation at the following link ACE consultation.
This is an important piece of work in Oxfordshire which will affect the way we offer care, in particular, to the older and frailer members of our communities.
The ACE Partnership Programme aims to solve one of the biggest problems currrently facing health and social care in Oxfordshire which is delayed transfers of care. It will bring this about by making changes to the way that people avoid hospital admissions, when they do have a hospital admission supporting them to return home quickly and supporting people to remain in their own home wherever possible.
If youor anyone you know would lkike a paper questionnaire, Judy would be happy to supply this or there is a paper version available on the consultation pages which you can print.
The consultation ends on 16th March 2012.
Leisure and Learning Grant for Carers
Available NOW until the end of March 2012
The Leisure and Learning grant is aimed at supporting unpaid cares and the risk of the caring role becoming unsustainableis moderate or low.
It is a one-off payment up to £350.00 depending on a carer's individual needs.
For more information and an application form please go to Leisure and Learning.
People can complete the form on-line and email or print out and complete and post to:
Graham Ablett Commissioning Officer Strategy and Commissioning Team Oxfordshire County Council County Hall, 4th Floor, New Road Oxford, OX1 1ND 01865 323 581 Email: graham.ablett@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Lost in Time and Space
Lost in Time and Space is a chance to take part in an exciting film and art project at Modern Art Oxford, where you can meet new people and try out something new.
We are looking for people with mild to moderate dementia, to pass on and celebrate their stories of Oxford with a group of young participants. If you have memories of Oxford that you would like to share and would like to help a group of young people engage and find out more about their community then this project is for you.
During the project you will have the opportunity to contribute to a film about Oxford made by the young participants, which will be screened across Oxford in May 2012. The project will also involve working with an artist, a writer and a filmmaker.
What will it involve?
Carers/partners welcome too. Tea and coffee provided. Help with transport to the Modern Art Oxford can be provided.
Drop in sessions: stay for as long as you want, 1 hour or 3 it’s up to you.
If you would like to participate contact Sarah Plumb
on 01865 813819 or email: sarah.plumb@modernartoxford.org.uk
Do you enjoy singing? Did you know singing can help with articulation, concentration, focus and motivation? Why not come along and increase your well being with our 'Singing for the Brain' programme specifically designed for people with memory problems. Join us with your partner, family member, friend or carer and enjoy singing together.
When?
A. 1st and 3rd Monday of each month (except Bank Holidays) from 10.30am to 12.00pm.
Or
B. 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 10.30am to 12.00pm.
Where?
A. Colin Sanders Innovation Centre, Mewburn Road, Banbury, Oxon, OX16 9PA.
Or
B. Hanover Court, Craven Way, off Newlands Avenue, Didcot.
For more information contact your local dementia support workers Shirley on 07525 404 176 or Frances on 0752 5404 175 for event 'A' or Clare Abolins on 07540 921 040 for event 'B' or please click on
Cherwell and City Leaflet or Vale South West Leaflet or visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/singingforthebrain
New Watlington Pop-In CaféThis new Pop-In Café is run by 3 trained and CRB checked volunteers with caring experience in Watlington Sports Pavillion on the 2nd Tuesday of each month (from 9th August 2011).
It welcomes both carers and cared-for people with dementia.
For further details please contact Shirley Brown on 07977 605443.
Male - Only Carer (and ex-carer) Support
Group
A new lunch/social group
for male carers meets on a monthly basis (2nd Monday of each
month). Meetings/lunch will take place in the Red Lion Pub in
Adderbury near Banbury from 12.00pm to 2.00pm.
Anyone attending
the group for the first time will receive a £5.00 off their
meal.
For further information please contact:
Alan Steer from
'Carers Oxfordshire' on 0755 743 0876 or email to: alansteer@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk
Banbury Day Centre
Banbury Day Centre are now offering a respite facility for Carers so they can feel that they have left their elderly physically frail or confused relative in a safe place whilst, perhaps, they go shopping or need a few independent hours.
Please contact Sally Marchant for details on 01295 263366.
!!! Important News About SPECAL !!!
The name SPECAL began its life twenty years ago as an acronym (Specialized Early Care for Alzheimer’s) and was used to describe a particular understanding of dementia management.
When we left the Alzheimer’s Society in 2003 to become a charity in our own right, the obvious choice of name for the charity was SPECAL.
At the beginning of this year SPECAL was adopted by IPC Media, the UK’s largest magazine publisher, as their Charity of the Year 2011. Our work with IPC has highlighted an opportunity to improve the visibility and reach of our charity. To this end, we have now renamed our charity ‘Contented Dementia Trust’, which incorporates ‘The SPECAL Method’.
The success of the Contented Dementia book has brought SPECAL, -our method of promoting lifelong well-being - to the attention of a much larger group of people both at home and abroad than we as a charity could ever achieve on our own.
This is one reason to make the change to the ‘Contented Dementia Trust’, but the other is to give greater focus and clarity to SPECAL as a tried and trusted method, as opposed to an abstract acronym. The charitable aim remains the same - to promote lifelong well-being for people with dementia – and we achieve this through using The SPECAL Method.
We hope that you will agree with us that the changes will enable people to understand immediately who we are and what we are about.
Within the next few weeks we shall be launching our new website
and revealing our Contented Dementia Trust logo with the incorporated SPECAL
method. We would like to keep you up to date with what is happening and so will
be emailing you again when all this work has been completed. In the meantime,
please keep in touch with us through our existing SPECAL website.
Carers Oxfordshire
From 1st June 2011 the Emergency Carers Support Service in Oxfordshire is changing.
The service provides emergency care for the cared for, when the carers has an emergency and is unable to do so - but you will need to register as a carer in order to benefit from this service, (ie; anticipate that there may be an urgent need at some point in the future).
Emergency Care can range from 1 to 48 hours (in exceptional circumstances up to 72 hours), depending on need.
Clients can phone the Carers Oxfordshire Helpline on 0845 050 7666 and can register over the phone. Alternatively, they can email: carersoxfordshire@oxfordshire.gov.uk to request registration.
The service remains free and is available to all adult carers of adults.
The current contract with A4E for the Emergency Carers Support Service ended on 31st May 2011.
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
SCIE in partnership with care provider associations is offering training on the Mental Capacity Act.
The training sessions are free to staff working in organisations registered with CQC to provide adult social care.
This includes care homes, nursing homes and domiciliary / home care amongst others.
There are sessions particular to staff working with adults who have
learning disabilities and those who work in adult social care but not in
a care setting.
Training sessions are all aimed at senior staff and managers. There
is a limit of three staff from any one provider on each course.
Further courses can be arranged in other parts of England and Wales.
For Course and contact details are as follows:
To reserve places email David.Thompson@scie.org.uk or phone 020 7831 7090 with the following information:
• Name
• Position
• Name of Adult Social Care Provider
• Care Provider Association membership (if any)
Have Your Say in the Annual Carers Survey
Carers UK are launching their Annual Carers Survey and it will be the results of this survey, from the responses of carers who have taken part, in which will be the centre of Carers Week from 13th to 19th June 2011.
If you care for someone and would like to take part, the survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/carersweek2011.
It is so important that carers voices can be heard in these present times when proposals to cut local services and facilities will affect so many elderly, or frail or disabled people and those that care for them.
If you would like to find out more information about the support that Carers UK can offer please visit: www.carersuk.org.
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
The Oxfordshire NHS Foundation Trust offer a range of services from Young onset Dementia
to Older Adult Services, including Memory Clinics in a number of locations across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
The Trust offer a multi-disciplinary assessment and links to other services, i.e. specialist day services, memory clinics, dementia advisers and carers support groups.
If you feel that either you or a person that you are caring for would benefit from a specialist assessment, please discuss this with your GP who can refer you to the appropriate local team.
Please contact enquiries@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk for further information or via their web: www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk.
For upcoming events please visit http://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/?news=we-are-now-fully-integrated
Carers' Voice - Oxfordshire Carers' Forum
Through consultation, services are developed to meet Carers' needs.
Sevices and support for Carers' developed with the involvement of Carers' are better services!
Oxfordshire Carers' Forum will support you to have your voice heard and influence services by keeping you informed about changes, finding out what you think about them and making sure views are passed on to those who can do something about them.
Make sure that your voice counts. Please contact us on:
Oxfordshire Carers' Forum The Charter, 2nd Floor Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 3LZ Tel: 01235 520440 Email: admin@oxoncarersforum.org.uk Web: www.oxoncaresforum.org.uk
Dementia Adventure - Nature in Mind
Dementia Adventure are planning and delivering a range of specially designed small group short breaks and holidays for people living with dementia and their carers to go away together. The places on these holidays are strictly limited so egister your interest as soon as possible by calling 01245 230661 or email info@dementiaadventure.co.uk.
Please visit Dementia Adventure for further information.
Your News and Events
If you would like your news and events listed on DementiaWeb Oxfordshire, please contact:
Last updated: 31st January 2012