3rd – 7th June was National Volunteer Week, and we thanked our wonderful volunteers for their hard work.
We have a range of volunteers who support our activities at Sage House – such as art, music, singing, exercise classes and social groups. Volunteers also help in the Café and in the offices providing much needed support for our team.
As a thank you for our volunteers we held an Afternoon Tea, kindly sponsored by Cameron James Solicitors and Ascot Lloyd Financial. The volunteers were also presented with a certificate to acknowledge the time they have given to the charity.
Volunteers enjoying their afternoon tea and cake
What is it like to be a volunteer for Dementia Support?
Shaun Lyndon Smith is the owner of Hair at No.4 Salon in Chichester. He very kindly donates his time and expertise at our Sage House Salon on a Monday and Wednesday morning.
My experience is personal as my father had dementia and sadly my mother in law is going through a very similar thing.
Cutting hair for people living with dementia and their carers and the happy feeling of looking good is something I can give people. Hairdressing is an artform I can give to people and give back to the community. I enjoy doing it and the people here are great so they always make me feel welcome. I’ve built up a bit of a bond with some of the clients here; they all walk past and wave and say ‘hello Shaun’. So the more I can give the better I feel; its great fun. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it.
As part of Dementia Action Week 2019 – a national event to raise awareness about this disease, Dementia Support will be holding dementia friends sessions at Sage House.
What is a dementia friend?
Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition.
Become a dementia friend, or make your business or organisation dementia friendly. A session lasts up to an hour and will give you valuable insight into what it is like to live with dementia.
Our sessions in Dementia Action Week are taking place on:
Monday 20th May, 10am – 11am
Tuesday 21st May, 2pm – 3pm
Wednesday 22nd May, 2pm – 3pm
Friday 24th May, 11am – 12noon
Register by calling us on: 01243 888 691 or email: info@dementia-support.org.uk Please note these sessions are free of charge.
You can find more details about the initiative on the dementia friends website: www.dementiafriends.org.uk
https://i2.wp.com/www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo.png?fit=836%2C333&ssl=1333836Nicki Clarkehttps://www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dementia-Support-Logo.pngNicki Clarke2019-05-16 17:14:302019-05-21 09:26:39Dementia Action Week 2019 - become a dementia friends
During our Wayfinding Week – 13th – 17th May, we will be visiting various local West Sussex towns to offer support to the local community.
Come along and chat to the dementia Wayfinding Team for information, advice and emotional support. Look out for them on their Pink Sofa.
Dementia Support has unique Wayfinders – individuals who provide emotional support and practical advice to enable people to navigate the dementia world.
“It is an honour and a privilege to support people living with dementia. No-one should struggle alone with this disease, as a Wayfinder I will always be there for people living with dementia and their families and friends. Caring for a loved one with dementia can be tough, both in a practical sense and emotionally. I am very proud to be a Wayfinder and look forward to meeting people on our pink sofa. Come over and say hello.” Jacquie Pond, one of the Wayfinders at Dementia Support.
Whether
you are living with dementia or a family member has dementia, stop by the pink
sofa and have your questions answered. You can find the sofa and the Wayfinders
in the following locations.
• Monday 13th 9.30am – 12.30pm – Bognor
High Street nr Santander Bank
• Monday 13th 1.30pm – 4.30pm – Rose
Green, outside Co-op Funeral Care/ Rose Green Post Office
• Friday 17th – 1.30pm – 4.30pm – Witterings – Witterings Medical Centre, Cakeham Road, East Wittering.
Our Wayfinder Appeal
Every 3 minutes somebody will develop dementia; that could be someone in your family. The charity wants to reach everyone affected by dementia in our West Sussex area.
Currently the
Wayfinding team can only reach 10% of people in our area, so Dementia Support has launched a new £1 million Appeal to help
fund more vital Wayfinders and dementia services at Sage House and out in the
community. This will reduce loneliness, give the best quality care, provide
hope and support for the whole family affected by dementia.
Ben Cornick, 43 from Westbourne near Chichester, is taking on the life changing challenge of running the London Marathon. He is running in memory of his uncle Bill Worden and raising money for local charity Dementia Support and for Dementia Revolution – the marathon’s charity of the year.
Ben and his daughter Izzy visiting Sage House
Ben discovered race running quite late and this will be his first marathon. He took part in the Great South Run in October 2018 and was inspired to continue. He has been motivated to maintain his new found fitness but also to keep raising money for Dementia Support and the charity’s new dementia care facility Sage House in Tangmere.
Both Ben’s aunt and uncle, Sylvia and Bill Worden, have been involved with the charity since it was established in 2014. They were both supporters of the new dementia support hub – Sage House, and they were keen to see it built for the local community. Bill himself had dementia, and sadly died two days before Sage House opened without seeing the fruits of his support.
The family
are still heavily involved with the charity, Sylvia volunteers regularly at
Sage House and nephew Ben is fundraising through his runs and marathons.
Ben entered to run the London Marathon through
a ballot which was advertised at his work.
Admittedly he did it on a whim and thought there was a slim chance of
him successfully being allocated a place. However, he did get a place much to
his shock and to the surprise of his family.
Daughter Izzy, aged 10, said she remembered: “Dad collected me after school and said he had some news – I thought he was joking when he said he was running the London Marathon. But I am very proud of him. We go out together now, I cycle and Dad runs alongside me.”
Ben
started his training back in August for the Great South Run which was 10 miles,
and after Christmas he started the Beginner Marathon Plan. Each weekend he has
gradually increased the miles he has run, and at the end of March he achieved
22 miles (a marathon is 26 miles).
Ben’s 22 mile route
“I have
never been a runner, it was not a goal of mine last summer but once I got
started I found I really enjoyed it. I
get an adrenaline rush, but it is also relaxing; if I have had a bad day going
for a run is a great remedy.
“It has been great for my physical health too – I have had to change my diet, be aware of having a drink at the weekends if I want to run, and I’ve noticed a positive change in my fitness too. It has taken a lot of commitment – I have missed a friend’s 40th birthday, fallen over in the dark – but I’m doing it for a great cause and in memory of a wonderful man, Uncle Bill, who I was very close to.”
“I’m
looking forward to being one of the 40,000 running on 28th April,
but I’m also looking forward to a month of enjoyment afterwards! I’m hoping to achieve a run time of 4 – 4.5
hours. It will be a great atmosphere I’m
sure, and the family will get to enjoy the race from the grandstands.
Ben’s Marathon T-shirt
I am part
of the Dementia Revolution groups on social media, and we have been a great
support for each other. We have also received a lot of encouragement from Scott
Mitchell – Barbara Windor’s husband. After
the marathon the Dementia Revolution team are having a party to celebrate.
“I would
love to keep on running, and to keep on raising money for Dementia Support over
several marathons.”
Ben is
number 27496 – see if you can spot him on Sunday 28th April!
On
the 11th February the High Sheriff of West Sussex, Caroline Nicholls
DL, attended a thank you lunch and commended the volunteers for their amazing
dedication.
She
spoke of the first time she visited Sage House before it was completed, as an
empty shell with a vision of providing complete dementia care under one
roof.
“The vision is now achieved; it is bright,
welcoming and it was an honour to be at the official opening back in May
2018. It is a facility I wish was around
when my mother had dementia. We were
complete novices all those years ago and somewhere like Sage House would have
been perfect for us to get help and advice.
The work of the
volunteers is what makes charities like Dementia Support special; it is what
makes West Sussex special. It engages our community and you should all be very
proud.”
Charity
Chairman and Founder, Anthony Wickins, also thanked the volunteers for their
contributions and support for the charity.
As well as a team of staff, Dementia Support have 55 volunteers who
support the dementia activities, café, office administration, fundraising,
befriending, and information and advice service.
Sylvia
Worden has been involved with the charity since its early stages. She spoke about how it has also been a
support for her to volunteer following the death of her husband, who had
dementia.
“It has been a
tremendous help to me since Bill died last year. Sage House is a very positive place; we are
like a family. I support people through
the befriending ‘chatter tables’. People
need to be able to talk about dementia and know that we can live well with
dementia.”
Another
volunteer, Angela Natoli, whose husband lives with dementia and is in a nursing
home, helps in the Sage House Café: “I
see carers and families come in with the weight of the world on their
shoulders; I know how they feel and I volunteer so I can give something back,
even if it is just getting them a coffee and providing a friendly ear in the
café. Sage House is a happy place and it
shows that dementia doesn’t always need to be doom and gloom.”
The
High Sheriff also met two art students from the University of Chichester –
Chloe Davies and Nafisa Dewan, who are at Sage House on a work placement as
part of their degree. They run art
sessions working towards a project for a group living with dementia and their
carers; this is the third art placement with the university and the cross over
of generations is a huge success.
Local
home care providers – Guardian Angels Carers, have chosen local dementia
charity Dementia Support as their Charity of the Year for 2018/19.
Nicola
Godwin and her team of ‘Angels’, including dog Bella the mascot, visited Sage
House in Tangmere, where Dementia Support provide their services, to kick start
their partnership on the 15th November. Their aim is to raise £5,000 over the next
twelve months, and the team have plenty of fundraising ideas.
The
Angels have already fundraised at a Bonfire Night and a street collection in Arundel. They also have plans to hold a charity
football match with Chichester Ladies Club, sell home-made Christmas wreaths, do
a sponsored self-defence class, and two daring ‘angels’ and going to do a
parachute jump.
The
team are also kindly volunteering their time and helping at various events;
they will be volunteering at the Sage House Christmas Fayre on Saturday 1st
December.
Guardian
Angels Care was established by ex-Olympic sailor Christina Bassadone; through
personal experience she saw the limited care on offer and decided to set up a
care company that provided compassionate, professional care, and helped clients
retain their independence, dignity and individuality.
The
team have chosen Dementia Support as they see dementia every day and the impact
it has on people’s lives. They are all Dementia Friend trained, which increases
awareness and understanding about dementia.
Nicola
Godwin, Recruitment Co-ordinator, said “we
see carers supporting all stages of dementia on a daily basis and it just highlights
to us how important dementia care is. We
are very impressed with what is offered at Sage House and we are delighted to
be involved. This is a great partnership
for us; we can refer our own carers and families to Sage House to access the
support there, and we can help provide information about having care at home.”
Lesley-Anne
Lloyd, Fundraising at Dementia Support, spoke about the benefit the partnership
will have for the charity: “we are
thrilled that Guardian Angels Care have chosen Dementia Support as their
charity of the year. Not only have they
pledged that they will raise a significant amount of money, but they are also
volunteering to help with our fundraising efforts as well”.
https://www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dementia-Support-Logo.png00Nicki Clarkehttps://www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dementia-Support-Logo.pngNicki Clarke2018-11-15 16:05:512019-03-15 16:10:55A Union of Caring Angels – Guardian Angels Care choose Dementia Support as their Charity of the Year
https://i2.wp.com/www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SageHouse-HRH-204-1.jpg?fit=2048%2C1367&ssl=113672048Nicki Clarkehttps://www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dementia-Support-Logo.pngNicki Clarke2018-05-10 13:14:472018-05-10 13:21:52Sage House is officially opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex
A team from local construction company Ascia Construction successfully completed their sponsored bike ride on 25th February for West Sussex charity – Dementia Support.
The biking builders were very fortunate to have pleasant weather for the ride, although a bit cold. They started out at nine in the morning and trekked from Rowlands Castle through Kingley Vale, Goodwood and down into Boxgrove and Tangmere, finishing at the Dementia Support Hub after midday.
The builders were greeted by their families, the Dementia Support Team and Chairman of Trustees, as they came over the finishing line. Muddy but happy to have achieved their goal, they were also rewarded with an amazing bespoke cake, kindly made by Lynn Ward from Covers Builders Merchants.
Ascia are currently building the new Dementia Support Hub in Tangmere, near Chichester. For many of the building team there is a personal drive to complete the Hub and help with fundraising for the charity as some of their family members have dementia. They have raised £1,652 for their sponsored bike ride.
Tim Brown, Site Manager, spoke about the ride: “It went really well, we were very lucky with the weather and had a great journey down to the Hub. It was great to see everyone turn up to welcome us over the finishing line. We were caked in mud and appreciated the hot drinks and cake!”
The Managing Director, Neil Cole, said: “We can see what a great charity Dementia Support is and how they enhance the wellbeing and quality of life for local people living with dementia. As a local business it is great to be supporting a local charity, especially as we are already so involved with creating this new facility.”
Lesley-Anne Lloyd, Head of Corporate Fundraising, spoke of her appreciation: “Thank you to our amazing biking builders for fundraising for the Dementia Support Hub, it means a great deal to us all and we are extremely grateful. We have a great partnership with Ascia and we appreciate their hard work and dedication to our customers.”
https://i0.wp.com/www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180225_095512.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536&ssl=115362048Nicki Clarkehttps://www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dementia-Support-Logo.pngNicki Clarke2018-02-26 10:20:252018-03-27 10:28:57Biking Builders Cycle 26 miles for Dementia Support
#DSBuild Week 7; The walls are in – take a look at our curves!
#DSBuild Week 6 The Hub is really starting to take shape now. Rooms are starting to appear, as are windows and doors where there weren’t windows and doors – its very exciting! Roll on spring 2018 when we open!
#DSBuild Week 5 – some before and after photos of the renovation work in the Hub. You can really start to see it all taking shape. Thank you to the Ascia Team for their great work
#DSBuild week 4 – we have walls! The new Hub is taking shape. These rooms will be the Memory Assessment Service and Consultation Rooms for information and advice. Looking good
#DSBuild Day 23 – Some of the walls are going in and they are core drilling the slab as we speak – noisy but essential work! Big thanks to builders Ascia for working around our customers so we can maintain our activities here at the Hub!
#DSBuild Day 18 – Hard hats were adorned for our first informal site review which went very well – as you can see smiles from Ascia’s Site Manager Tim, our Architect Nigel as well as two of #Dementia Support’s Trustees!
#DSBuild We are now in week 2 and walls are being pulled down, moved, rebuilt! The main work going on is a sound proof wall between the occupied and the unoccupied part of the Hub, so we can continue our activities and services without being disturbed by the building work. This will also seperate the units once the new Hub is open.
#DSBuild It has only been a week and there is already a huge difference. Ascia Contruction have done a sterling job clearing the Hub – take a look at these progress photos:
#DSBuild Day 5 – New staff uniforms have arrived!!
https://i0.wp.com/www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/SAM_0042.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536&ssl=115362048Nicki Clarkehttps://www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dementia-Support-Logo.pngNicki Clarke2018-01-05 15:02:402018-01-05 15:13:29New Hub Build Blog
A new community event is bringing together the residents of Tangmere and people living with dementia. Singing for the Soul is a social singing group for the over 50s and people living with dementia. The group has been organised by Dementia Support volunteer and Tangmere resident – Sue Saunders, who was inspired by a community singing group in Southbourne.
“After seeing how the Southbourne singing group was run and their success, I wanted to emulate something similar in my local village of Tangmere. Everyone who comes gets fully involved and regularly attends each week; it provides company for people who were previously isolated.”
Sue and her fellow volunteers were delighted to win the Observer Community Award for Best Community Event. It was a pleasant surprise as the group is relatively new (started September 2017), but it demonstrates how valuable and well regarded it is in the local community.
The purpose of Singing for the Soul is to provide opportunities to sing and socialise for people over 50 years old, without being a formal choir.
Research into community singing groups (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2012) showed noticeable wellbeing and mental health benefits for those attending.
One attendee spoke of her experience: “I thoroughly enjoyed it; it is a very uplifting, ‘leave a smile on your face’ event.”
Another attendee said: “Gets me out to meet others who enjoy singing in a group; I really enjoy it.”
The group is also dementia friendly which fits with the work of charity – Dementia Support, which is based in Tangmere. People with dementia have a special ability to remember songs, and music becomes a route to communication and engagement. Singing can help lift well-being during and after the session.
They meet every Monday afternoon, 2-4pm in the Tangmere Village Centre. It costs £2.50 per person to attend, with refreshments and homemade cake included.
https://i2.wp.com/www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/IMG_3617.jpg?fit=2048%2C1365&ssl=113652048Nicki Clarkehttps://www.dementia-support.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dementia-Support-Logo.pngNicki Clarke2018-01-05 12:24:102018-01-05 12:24:10Award winning Singing for the Soul
