What works resource pack
There are 79,236 people living with dementia in the South West. The pack will help people with dementia and their families to be able to play an active role within their own communities by providing appropriate opportunities and structure to express their own views.
People with dementia may experience memory loss, confusion, and struggle in unfamiliar surroundings or have problems with speech and understanding. The resource pack is made up 18 cards each aimed at giving specific information, advice and top tips on a range of topics that will help overcome or prevent this, and support people with dementia to get involved in activities whilst recognising their current abilities. The artwork chosen to be used on the cards was also selected from a range of designs created by people with dementia at Downend Day Centre in South Gloucestershire. The winning design was produced by Douglas Price.
Norrms McNamara (aged 53), from Torquay, diagnosed with early onset dementia, and contributor to the resource pack, says,
“When you are diagnosed with dementia, no matter how much support you have, no matter how much information may be available, the feeling of helplessness and worthlessness is overwhelming.
These cards will help to give people with dementia a voice; it will give people with dementia their self worth back, and the confidence to carry on doing things they used to do”
Debbie Donnison, South West Area Manager for Alzheimer’s Society says,
“The aim of these cards is to strengthen and directly involve people with dementia as well as their families and carers. People with dementia have been the driving force behind this project by sharing their experience and showing how they can have influence in the things that matter to them.
Everyone has worked together to provide tools and techniques for staff wanting to engage and consult with people with dementia. These cards are a true reflection of partnership working at its best”
The launch of the resource pack has been helped made possible by the Hilton Hotel Bristol who have supported the launch event. The next step following is to make the resource pack available in electronic and booklet format to share across the South West region.
this is a great idea will this be available in Southampton and Chichister ?
Hi Tracey,
The pack is freely available as an electronic resource. Download it here.
A limited number of hard copies were produced for distribution in the South West. You could contact Anne Rollings, project lead, arinterim@btconnect.com to enquire about the possibility of obtaining a hard copy.
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Many thanks
Rowan Purdy
on behalf of the
South West Dementia Partnership
info@southwestdementiapartnership.org.uk
The cards sound like an invaluable resource to me. I wish the South West Dementia Partnership every success with this initiative. All best, Heather Pearson (Daughter to Mother in year 12 of Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease: Facebook,Personal Dementia NewsBlog,supporting the Tesco Triple Charity Alliance,Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer Scotland)
Having launched the cards we are now getting requests for copies across the UK. Not only are they useful for staff but we are finding people living with dementia and their families are using them to talk about dementia; how people can live well and be involved in activities whilst recognising their strengths.
Thank you for all your comments so far.
I am so pleased to see programs such as this being launched. As a professional who works with families and those diagnosed with dementia I have been involved with a number of local programs. At this time I work with 2 support groups. One, Caring and Sharing, is for caregivers. We offer education with various professionals who provide their expertise to assist the family caregivers. I also co-facilitate an early onset support group (under 65, In Harmony, for both the individual who was diagnosed as well as their support person. As a group we meet separately and together to help them work through some of their issues. This group has been involved in research, publically advocated at government and medical venues and spoken out on challenging issues. They are an amazing group of people.
This Resource Pack is going to be so helpful to families while they all pass through the journey of dementia together. Well Done!
I have read the very helpful and well put together Resource Pack. I take great care to listen and communicate effectively with people who have hearing loss – making sure I allocate plenty of time and patience.
I do appreciate the extra consideration required when I am helping those with hearing loss and dementia. Printing a few of the resouce’s pages will be a useful reference for me and I have saved the whole document for reference and interest.
Thank you.
what is really brilliant – these cards and prompts still provide people and professionals the nuggets to change perceptions of dementia. I now work within a care home setting and with people at later stages of dementia. Invaluable to teach staff how to support ‘people’ not dementia to have quality of life. Thank you to people with dementia who led this project. Anne Rollings