Dementia Carer Voices May 2018 Newsletter

Dementia Carer Voices May 2018 Newsletter

We Want to Keep You GDPR comes into force on the 25 May. To keep receiving our newsletter you'll have to opt-in. You can do so by emailing dementiacarervoices@alliance-scotland.org.uk Welcome to Dementia Carer Voice’s May Newsletter My name is Matthew and I’ve just finished my fourth month working as the new Policy and Information Assistant on the Dementia Carer Voices team at the ALLIANCE. It has been a really busy few months for Team DCV but I’m really enjoying my work here so far. I have seen first-hand the impact our project has and the difference it is making in people’s lives. My job is to support the work of the Dementia Carer Voices project by writing content for the website, conducting background research and engaging with partners across the health and social care sector. You can read all about the work we have done in the first few months of the year below. We hope you find it interesting! Poetry Project We are currently working on a project with the University of Glasgow to collect poetry from people living with Dementia, their carers and loved ones. ALLIANCE Director Irene Oldfather and UK Lead Tommy Whitelaw previously worked together in partnership with Jane and Diane collecting letters from carers. We are proud to be able to work with Jane Joy (Nursing & Health Care Lecturer at the University of Glasgow) and Dr Diane Willis (Senior Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University) again on this exciting project. To date, we have received 56 poems. Each of them provides a unique and incredibly moving depiction of life with dementia. It is the intention of Diane and Jane to examine the poems from this time up to the present day and share their content for educational and publication purposes. This will help to inform carers and health providers on the needs of individuals living and caring for people with dementia. Share Your Opinion Would you like to share your experience of living with dementia, caring for a loved one or working in health and social care? Or do you work within an organisation or project that aims to support people who are living with dementia, caring for a loved one or working in health and social care? The Dementia Carer Voices team would love to give you a chance to share your opinion on the ALLIANCE website! We have a huge outreach and offer a great platform for people who are looking to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas. We have hosted opinion pieces from Kate Swaffer, the East Renfrewshire Prevention team, Lingo Flamingo, the Care Inspectorate and Carers Scotland in the past. However, we are not exclusively seeking opinions from organisations. We are also interested in promoting the voice of lived experience. Our pieces are usually 600 words at the very most. If you’re interested, please also send us a copy of your organisation’s logo (if applicable) and a photo of the author which we can upload to accompany the text. To submit a guest opinion, or for more information, feel free to email us at dementiacarervoices@alliance-scotland.org.uk Our Recent Opinion Pieces ‘What Matters to You Day?’ Day 2018 ‘What Matters to You?’ Day 2018 is coming up on the 6 June. ‘What Matters to You?’ Day aims to encourage and support more meaningful conversations between people who provide health and social care and the people, families and carers who receive health and social care. You can find out more about the day on their website. Tommy recently wrote an opinion piece for our website stressing the importance of the five ‘Must Do With Me’ steps. You can watch him speak about this on our YouTube channel. Last year, we recorded podcasts and we are keen to support more conversations and case studies this year. If you’re interested in getting involved email us at dementiacarervoices@alliance-scotland.org.uk Tommy's WMTY Day Opinion Piece Annual Conference The ALLIANCE’s Annual Conference is coming up on the 4 June at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. Action: The 2nd Health and Social Care Integration Event will offer opportunities for people and organisations to take part in meaningful, open and honest discussion. By sharing stories and showcasing initiatives that are helping to improve people’s lives, the ALLIANCE’s 2018 annual conference will provide an important contribution to the debate around health and social care in Scotland. The 2018 event will focus on Action and will showcase people and organisations working on innovative, engaging and co-produced projects that aim to improve outcomes for people who access and deliver support and services in Scotland. You can visit our website for a full list of speakers and workshops. If you are interested in attending, you can register here. Register for the ALLIANCE Annual Conference

Further News

You Can Make a Difference Campaign We are excited to announce that we have now received our 18,000th pledge to make a difference! Our You Can Make a Difference campaign has now reached over 120,000 people across more than 700 talks and have met so many remarkable people so far. These 18,000 pledges are from a personal perspective so each of them is unique and from the heart. 18,000 people have stopped and reflected on what they can do in their lives to make a difference. And no matter what your role, everyone has the potential to transform the lives and experiences of people with dementia and their carers, often in seemingly small ways. You can read all of the pledges we have received so far on our website, as well as our pledge case studies, most recent publication and 5 Steps to Change resource. Our Pledges Activities for People Living with Dementia You can have a look at the News Section of our website to keep track of dementia friendly events and activities that are coming up in 2018. The Social Programme has announced six months of free activities for anyone affected by dementia, whilst Glasgow Movie Memories has recently announced the next three months of film screenings as a part of their ongoing initiative. Free Activiities for Anyone Living with Dementia The Scottish Ambulance Service Our ALLIANCE Director Irene Oldfather has recently been appointed to the Board of the Scottish Ambulance Service. Irene commented that ‘it is a great honour to have been invited to sit on the Board. I’m looking forward to working to make a difference.’ Scottish Ambulance Service Resources You can find a range of resources that are useful for people living with dementia on the Support and Information Page of our website. For example, NHS Health Scotland, in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, have recently published a range of free resources to support people with dementia, their carers and people working in the field. Resources

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Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html