D – Other support mechanisms
D1: Local support
D2: Age UK
D3: Alzheimer’s Society
D4: Shropshire Carers Support Team.
D5: SWANN
D6: Recommended reading, television and audio resources
D7: Sitters
D8: PALZ
D9: Voting
D10: Clothing
D11: Music
D12: Art
D1: Local support
Free tea and coffee mornings –
Methodist Hall, Bishop’s Castle, SY9 5DD, Friday morning 10.30am – Noon.
St John the Baptist Church, Bishop's Castle, SY9 5AF, first and third Wednesdays of the month, 10.15am - Noon.
Walking for Health Group – Monday 10.30am outside Enterprise House
SpArC runs accessible cinema film sessions.
Walter’s Workshop – Enterprise House, call in for a coffee and chat or sit and watch, bring something to repair but it’s not essential; call 01588 638038 or email: info@bishopscastlecommunity.org.uk.
There is an 800 club info pack of local support information brought to each meeting with info that has been gleaned by everyone.
Diane Breeze, Community Wellbeing Outreach Officer from Shropshire Council’s ‘Health, Wellbeing & Prevention’ team, supports the local community in a wide-range of situations including suicide, alcoholism, domestic abuse and dementia-related support. Diane works part-time (Monday, Tuesday and Friday) She can be contacted on Tel: 01743 254235 and email: diane.breeze@shropshire.gov.uk.
D2: Age UK
There is lots of information and leaflets available on the Age UK website. Some are also available in the Bishop’s Castle library.
Silverline 24hr telephone service 0800 470 8090 is run by Age UK. It’s a free, confidential telephone service just for older people, providing friendship and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Age UK offer:
· An information and advice service
· To look at allowances if the carer is of pensionable age. Or, if the carer is not of pensionable age, then the Citizens Advice can advise on allowances.
· A befriending service (mainly for the Carer)
The Age UK Digital Inclusion Team Shrewsbury are available to help.
D3: Alzheimer’s Society
The Alzheimer’s Society website is a useful tool to take a look at. There’s a website shop with a wide variety of useful items. It’s also where you can find the ‘This is me’ form.
Dementia Support Forum is a helpful online community where anyone who is affected by dementia can receive valuable support. It's free, open day or night, and can be accessed online.
D4: Shropshire Carers Support Team
The team is operated by Shropshire Council and supports unpaid carers and family carers. There is a helpline for information, signposting and emotional support, open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm: 01743 341995. Michele Lee from the team can be contacted via michele.lee.carers@shropshire.gov.uk
The support team is part of a national online support network and organises peer support groups, coaching and home visits but prefer to give support via phone. If appropriate the team will refer a Carer for an assessment or Carer’s emergency plan.
The team is keen to encourage carers to register with the Shropshire Carers Support Team, in order to identify the most useful type of support and the scale of support required. You do so by completing the Carers Register form. Anyone on the register gets a ‘check in’ call every six months. It is not a time-limited service. You can self-refer to the service and the hospital system can sometime help with a referral.
The team can be contacted by email shropshire.carers@shropshire.gov.uk For Carers who are unable to access the internet please contact the Shropshire Carers Support Team on 01743 341995 and they’ll complete the form on your behalf while talking with you on the phone.
June each year is Carers Activity Week organised by the Shropshire Carers Support Team.
D5: SWANN - Shropshire Wellbeing and Navigation Network
Launched to assist unpaid family carers, as well as adults who may be struggling with wellbeing, independence,
isolation, low level mental health challenges or recovery after illness or hospital discharge.
The service offers early, preventative support to help those people stay well, remain independent and reduce demand across statutory services.
Find out more about SWANN here: The Shropshire Wellbeing and Navigation Network | Shropshire Council
To make a referral please call 0345 678 9012 and select option 2.
D6: Recommended reading, television and audio resources
Books available to take out from the Bishop’s Castle library:
Photo books and memory bags are available to prompt conversations with the person with dementia.
· Be with: Letters to a Carer by Mike Barnes
· Telling Tales about Dementia: Experiences of Caring Edited by Lucy Whitman
· Dementia by June Andrews. Practical advice for families, professionals and people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
· Dementia Care: A care worker handbook by Belinda Goode and Gayle Booth
· Will I still be me? by Christine Bryden
· Dancing with Dementia: My story of living positively with dementia by Christine Bryden
· What I wish people knew about dementia by Wendy Mitchell. Her YouTube videos are also worth watching.
· There are free leaflets from Age UK and Alzheimer’s Society available at the back of the library
Other reading recommendations:
· Confidence to Care by Molly Carpenter. A practical resource and self-help tool for family and carers. Recommended by Alzheimer’s Society
· The Thirty-Six Hour Day by Nancy Mace and Peter Rabins. A guide for families and carers
· Alzheimer’s Society magazine “Dementia Together” (six a year). Free or via voluntary donation - subscribe through the Alzheimer’s Society’s website.
It can become difficult for someone living with dementia to hold a story in mind long enough to read or listen to a regular fiction or factual book. For those who have enjoyed reading previously, short stories or magazines may be more accessible.
Television recommendations:
Those who enjoy television might begin to find it difficult to hold a story arc in mind through a long tv series. Programmes that have storylines which are completed in each episode may be more enjoyable.
Animations such as Gromit films, Fantastic Mr Fox
BBC iPlayer:
· BBC Music Memories, which includes Memory Radio that contains archive and music-based radio programme featuring different decades of music plus printable activity sheets to accompany them
· Nature programme might also be of interest if following a story becomes more difficult.
D7: Sitters
Members of the 800 Club have different arrangements to organise breaks for the carer: some are paying a friend £12 per hour to meet the person with dementia for coffee, go for a walk, etc; another carer pays a sitter £15 per hour to have tea, go for a walk, do some chores together.
Professional carers (that includes personal care) are about £30 through an agency, or £20 privately.
D8: PALZ
The purpose of the PALZ group in Shrewsbury is to provide people who have previously held challenging and demanding jobs, who are now living with dementia, with a social environment that mirrors their previous working environment of peer support and mental challenge. The meetings take place every two months and a wide range of subjects are presented on and discussed. Their aim is to increase self-respect and confidence, as well as providing mental stimulation. Here’s a short video about the purpose of the group and a link to their upcoming programme palzuk.org.uk/shropshire-group-programme/
D9: Voting
There’s no need to have mental capacity in order to vote.
You may wish to be the person who carries out their proxy vote at the Polling Station or it may be easier for you to arrange a postal vote, which needs to be done a few weeks in advance of any election. Instructions for both will be on their voting form. Please note: the proxy cannot be the attorney.
D10: Clothing
A company called the Ablelabel was recommended to help with finding easy suitable clothing www.theablelabel.com
D11: Music
Playlist for Life - a music and dementia charity. Connecting through music can be so important, helping reduce anxiety, improve mood, manage more difficult tasks and evoke memories. With today's technology you can create your own playlists easily. It can also be a paper exercise so you don't have to own a smartphone!
Visit playlistforlife.org.uk for more information and FREE resources. You can also email info@playlistsforlife.org.uk or call 0141 404 0683.
Dementia Disco - a monthly disco for those with Dementia, their carers and family. 1st Saturday of the month at Smithy's Bar Shrewsbury Football Club. Visit Dementia Disco coming to Shrewsbury Town FC - Shrewsbury Town Foundation for further information.
D12: Art
Arts for Dementia UK - In collaboration with artists and cultural organisations Arts for Dementia UK support, promote and deliver inspiring arts activities for people living with the early stages of dementia.
Arts for Dementia use the power of the arts to inspire people living with dementia to get creative, connect, learn new skills and most importantly, have fun. Their free workshops aim to challenge, boost confidence and enhance wellbeing through a variety of art forms from visual arts, drama, sculpture, dance and more.
Events, newsletters, FREE workshops (including online groups)
Further information can be found on their website here: Home - Arts for Dementia