Thank you from my heart 2000 pledges received to date - on our make adifference tour

                                                  

A BIG thank you from  the heart to everyone who has made a pledge so far ,for our  You Can Make A Difference Campaign and tour  as of today we have received just over 2000 PLEDGES 

Thank you

Tommy 

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland’s (the ALLIANCE) Dementia Carer Voices project has reached an important milestone on their ‘You Can Make a Difference’ campaign, gathering 2000  pledges from people across the country promising to make a difference in the lives of people with dementia, their families and carers.

The team have been taking the ‘You Can Make aDifference’ campaign to staff and students throughout Scotland ,England ,Wales  to highlight that no matter what their role, everyone working in Health and Social Care Services has the potential to transform the lives and experiences of people with dementia and their carers, often in seemingly small ways. 

The talks involve Project Engagement Lead Tommy Whitelaw sharing his own personal experiences from caring for his late mum, Joan, and the experiences of others who have written to him since he wenton tour in 2011. The campaign allows staff the opportunity to reflect onthese personal stories and make a pledge based on one key message or action that they will take away and apply to their everyday practice to make a difference. 

Some of the pledges received so far include;

“I pledge to view the person I care for as all that they have been, all that they are and all that they can be.” 

“I pledge to treat people with dementia and their carers the way I would like to be treated.”

“I pledge to make a difference as the future nurse to listen to the carers and patient.  To give them the best support and care they needed and not to make them ever feel isolated.”

Tommy Whitelaw, Dementia Carer Voices Project Engagement Lead, said: 

“Carers tell us that a little bit of time, listening and understanding can make an unimaginable difference during what can be a very difficult and lonely journey. The pledges that we have received have been truly inspiring, and we’re looking forward to working with people and seeing those pledges fulfilled.”

Irene Oldfather, Director, the ALLIANCE said:

 “This work reaches out and touches the hearts of many people, not least Health and Social Care students and professionals. These interactions are an ideal opportunity for staff to pause and reflect on what is really important to the people in their care.  Make a pledge, make a difference.”

how you can make a pledge 

We launched the ‘You Can Make a Difference’ Campaign in February of this year and it has been so inspiring to see it grow. Tommy Whitelaw has given over 100 talks already this year, with 178  scheduled in total, and we wanted to really thank those who have gotten involved and made it all possible. The talks involve  Tommy sharing his own personal experiences from caring and the experiences of others who have written to him since he went on tour in 2011, to help people understand some of the issues that carers face, and what we can all do to help overcome these issues.

The campaign  has really shown the difference that every single person can make, no matter how small it may seem. This has been through asking people to reflect on carers experiences, and tomake a pledge about one key action they could take to really have a positive impact in the lives of others. Some of the pledges have been about a simple change in attitude such as “I pledge to listen with open ears and open heart.” This type of change is one that we can all implement in our own lives, no matter who we are, where we live, or what we do.

The full collection of pledges, along with further information on the campaign can be accessed online at dementiacarervoices.wordpress.com, where you can submit your own pledge to make a difference.

To get in touch, please call the project team on 0141 404 0233 or emailmakeadifference@alliance-scotland.org.uk