Supporter emails – July 2021

We’re very excited to be hosting our Happy Days outing to Alive Activities’ Dementia Friendly Allotment today! We visited the site a couple of weeks ago – it already looked good but more was planned. We will share photos on our Happy Days Facebook page later.

Great to read BRACE’s latest newsletter which includes our Bristol Dementia Charities Network webinar next Wednesday – Dementia: How You Can Reduce Your Risk, 7th July, 2pm

We’ve been forwarded this information about “Invisible Army: Voices of carers (unpaid),” highlighting what it is like to be a carer in Bristol in 2021. They are looking for carers who would like to take part. Their goal is to shine a light on carers and make the challenges and joy carers cope with every day visible. 

Diocese of Bristol is looking for a Dementia Volunteer.

The Mindful Life charity offer a mindfulness service, which is free to unpaid carers.  The service used to be delivered face to face but moved online due to the pandemic, which has been successful.  Carers can take part in a taster session and can then go on to do further courses in mindfulness if it’s something they find beneficial. More information and a list of dates and times can be found at www.themindfullife.co.uk

The next BOPF Meetup Morning will be on Thursday 8 July 2021, 10:30 – 12:00 hrs via Zoom.  This exciting project has been set up to let BOPF members meet up and have a chat or discussion with new and old friends on a regular basis.  These are relaxed and informal sessions and the content for each of the sessions is decided by everyone that comes along.
Thanks to Alzheimer’s Society for this email update on Cure The Care System.

We’re delighted to be working with Bristol Beacon (previously Colston Hall). Here is their latest newsletter.

Here is CASS’ latest general newsletter and their Bristol South Newsletter.

Bristol City Council is planning how care and support will be provided and funded in Extra Care Housing. 
Extra Care Housing is where people, aged 55+, have their own self-contained homes as part of a larger complex, and have the provision of an onsite care and support service. 
BCC need your views about how care and support will be provided and funded in Extra Care Housing schemes in Bristol. How to take part: 
The Extra Care Housing Survey can be completed online: www.bristol.gov.uk/ECH
Email:ECHCommissioning@bristol.gov.uk
Phone: 07385 417 339 and leave a message with your number (we will call you back within three days) 
We can help you fill in the survey over the phone or by video call, on request. 
You can request alternative formats (easy read, braille or a different language). 
The consultation closes 18 July 2021

It’s our 8th birthday today! 

This day, 8 years ago, BDAA was formed as result of a public meeting asking the question “Is Bristol a Dementia Friendly City?”
We’ve achieved so much in these 8 years but we really want to do more for the next 8 years.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us in that time.

As we’re planning for the future, we’re asking for volunteers to help us:
• Organise and run Dementia Awareness sessions (full training and support provided)
• Recruit other volunteers and help us move the charity forward
• Support us financially or contact organisations about possible funding
• Help to run stalls at events such as Dementia Awareness Days
• Take our “Dementia Guides” to retailers/businesses and explain who BDAA is and what we are trying to achieve.
• Revisit with “Purple Angel Dementia Aware” stickers
Please contact us on office@bdaa.org.uk if you would like to join our small team as a volunteer or if you would like a Dementia Awareness session/workshop or if there’s some other way we can support you.

We had such a great time taking Happy Days to Alive Activities’ Dementia Friendly Allotment on 2nd July. You can see the pictures on our Happy Days Facebook page. Happy Days is having a break next month but we’ll be back at the allotment on 3rd September 2-4pm for another cream tea!
Alive is planning an open day at the allotment very soon so please check out their Facebook page or website for details.

We’ve been asked to share this from University of Southampton:
We are looking for aged 60+ participants to join our survey to improve home-based health care service design. You can access the survey here. You can also contact us to receive a hard copy of the questionnaire.  Thank you very much for your support.
See this poster for further information.

BCC & BOPF Extra Care Housing Workshop, Thursday 15 July 2021, 10:30 – 12:00 hrs
We would like all older people who are living in Extra Care Housing, those considering/interested in this option in the future, or those of you who have a relative, friend or neighbour in Extra Care Housing, to get involved! Housing professionals are welcome to attend, but we will be looking to prioritise the views of older people.Thanks to Bristol Beacon for their latest newsletter and RWA for theirs.

We’ve been asked to share about Memory Connections and the plan to start the first groups by the beginning of August. Further details here.

Thanks to Abi at Alive for this:
I wanted to share the exciting news that we have started taking bookings for the Allotment, at long last!
We have 2 free sessions per week, every Monday afternoon 1.30-3.30 and every Tuesday afternoon 1.30-3.30.
We have an initial taster on August 2nd, then the regular sessions start a fortnight after that.
Please share widely the link below, and ask people to only book onto 1 a week!
https://aliveactivities.org/dementia-friendly-allotment/

We are excited to be taking our Happy Days Memory Cafe to the allotment on 3rd September 2-4pm for another cream tea – we can never have too many!

It’s our AGM in September – we haven’t decided yet if it’s in person or online. But we do have an exciting auction prize to offer. If anyone has any potential prizes you could offer us, please let us know on office@bdaa.org.uk. It would be good to have a handful of items.

We’re very excited that a Meeting Centre is being set up in Bristol. Here is the job advert for the part-time manager – please do share with your networks.

MPs were due to debate the petition: Pay Carers an allowance equivalent to a fulltime job at the National Living wage on Thursday. Here is the link to the transcript.

Arts4Dementia has an online map of local activities. Nothing for Bristol at moment but good resource to use/share your events?

Thanks to BOPF for sharing about this Research Study Seeking Participants. All details on this poster.

The next BOPF Meet Up Morning is next Thursday – all details here: https://bopf.org.uk/our-work/bopf-meet-up-mornings/

Great to read this Annual Review from Bristol Health Partners including their Dementia HIT achievements.

Memory Connections is a new service starting online and in person – further details here and on this poster.

Great to hear about this Dementia Social Group at Chipping Sodbury.

Swansea University Centre for Ageing and Dementia research [CADR] is running this webinar:
An international perspective on safe visiting for care home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday 21st July at 12pm.
Abstract: In response to rising community transmission of COVID-19 and a growing number of care home outbreaks with rapid spread and high mortality, governments and care homes across the world enacted blanket bans on visitors early in the pandemic. However, evidence shows that visitor bans severely negatively impact the mood and behaviour of residents, resulting in a significant increase in psychotropic medication use. Evidence also suggests that bans increased feelings of guilt, fear, worry and isolation in residents’ families and may have contributed to reported increases in staff workload, stress and burnout. This webinar will present international evidence around the implementation of safe visiting in care homes and provide recommendations for implementing safe visiting will be provided.
Registration: https://swanseauniversity.zoom.us/webinar/register/2816236568236/WN_1Nj2igSiR4636jO06sMRQg
Carers Support Centre has asked us to share this  information and poster for Volunteer Dementia Mentors.

• We are looking to recruit Dementia Volunteer Mentors who have  lived experience of caring for someone with dementia .
• Volunteers  will be offering  121 mentoring to  carers who are new to their caring role following a recent diagnosis or are struggling in their role.
• Carers will get  a  30 minute mentoring session  every fortnight so  Dementia Volunteer Mentors will need to commit 2-3 hours a week / fortnightly.
• The support will be via telephone, zoom or even email ( can  be a combination to suit the carer’s needs)
• The sessions will be goal focused and our volunteers   will receive specific training around Goal Planning & Problem Solving using a CBT based approach . These will be short to medium term interventions.
• Volunteers will also receive Mandatory training which includes  Safeguarding. Mentor Specific Training , Understanding Dementia ,  Effective Communication Skills as well as a CSC Induction.
• Volunteers will be provided with comprehensive support :  Peer Support , regular check ins with  their Volunteer Coordinator and regular access to wellbeing activities

Thanks to Bristol Beacon for their latest newsletter.

Sam, who is a PhD researcher at the University of Liverpool, has asked us to share about her work which is looking at how older people with memory problems use their phones and tablets etc. More information in this sheet and poster.

Here is the latest Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Voice newsletter. Great information.

Did you know, when you sign up to @GiveasyouLive the retailers you shop with will make a donation to us for every purchase you make?   It’s completely free, and the funds help us to keep providing our vital service. Sign up for us today! > https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/bristol-dementia-action-alliance-bdaa?utm_source=toolkitEmail&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=22&utm_campaign=2021-introduction