Glen Merrilees his poems to raise awareness MH from personal experience

I met and heard Glen merrilees   speaking at the ALLAINCE conference last year sharing his wonderful poems about his life and to raise awareness on mental health issues 

He sent me a few today you can follow Glen @glenmerrilees 

Mental health - Awareness

FAIRGROUND FROM HELL

I’M VISITING THE FAIRGROUND

FOLK SAY I LOOK WELL

BUT I’M VISITING THE FAIRGROUND

THE ONE THEY BUILT IN HELL.

YET AGAIN I’M STRUGGLING

FOR I AM NO DAY TRIPPER

MOOD IS UP THEN DOWN AGAIN.

CHAINED TO THE THE BIG DIPPER.

STOMACH ON THE WALTZER

MY BODIES ON GHOST TRAIN

HORRIFIC THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE

FLASHING THROUGH MY BRAIN.

I’M ON THE HELTER SKELTER

I CLIMB AND REACH THE TOP

GLAD TO PAY FOR FUN RIDE

THEN SUDDENLY I DROP.

BROWN NUTS FROM THE TROPICS

I SIT AND WONDER WHY

I’M A SELF DEFEATING TARGET

A COCONUT THAT’S SHY.

SMALL FORTUNE FOR MY TICKET

TRY AND HOOK A DUCK

BUT LIKE THIS SOULS THAT EMPTY

I AM OUT OF LUCK.

WATER FLUMES WERE HOPELESS

LIKE TIG I’M ALWAYS HET

THOUGH THE SUN IS SHINING

I ALWAYS END UP WET.

PAID FOR THE CLAIRVOYANT

MY FUTURE COULD I SEE ?

BUT OMENS WERE HORRENDOUS

TURNED WHITE ON SEEING ME.

I TOOK SEAT UPON A DODGEM

I WOULD DUCK AND DIVE

USELESSNESS AND SELF REBUKE

WHY AM I ALIVE.

I WAS SAT UPON A PONY

ON THAT MAGIC CAROUSEL

MADE THE FACE THAT’S SMILEY

SO NOT A SOUL COULD TELL.

I VISITED THE FAIRGROUND

YET NOT A SOUL COULD TELL

I VISITED A FAIRGROUND

THE ONE THEY BUILT IN HELL.

DEPRESSION

CAN YOU SEE ME THROUGH THE DARKNESS

CAN YOU SEE ME THROUGH THE GLOOM

DEPRESSIONS MADE A HOME FOR ME

A CELL, A TINY ROOM.

REACHING OUT FOR ANSWERS

I TRY TO QUELL THE PAIN

SOMEONE STOLE THE SUNSHINE

I’M IN THE DARK AGAIN.

THERE’S LOVED ONES ALL AROUND ME

ARMS STRETCHED OUT IN AID

DEPRESSIONS GRIP IS STRONGER THOUGH

IT’S ME WHOSE BEING PLAYED.

THOUGHTS THEY COME TO HAUNT ME

KEEP FLASHING THROUGH MY HEAD

YOU WORTHLESS, USELESS, WASTE OF SPACE

YOU ARE BETTER DEAD.

I’M JUST A SINKING BATTLESHIP

ON A STORMY SEA OF PAIN

A JELLYFISH UPON A BEACH

BENEATH THE ACID RAIN.

THIS SICKNESS KEEPS RETURNING

ON AND OFF FOR YEARS

I’VE FOUGHT SO MANY BATTLES

I’VE SHED SO MANY TEARS.

YET I SHALL KEEP ON FIGHTING

AS I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE

IGNORING ALL THE MADNESS

AND THAT SUICIDAL VOICE.

SO LISTEN HERE DEPRESSION

PUT THIS UPON YOUR WALL

I’LL CRUSH YOU UNDERNEATH MY HEEL

AND I SHALL STAND UP TALL.

BARRIERS

THERE’S PEOPLE THROWING INSULTS

THERE’S PEOPLE THROWING STONES

YOU CANNOT SEE THIS ILLNESS

NO SIGN OF BROKEN BONES.

SO MANY NASTY COMMENTS

REMARKS ARE SO UNKIND

YOU CANNOT SEE THIS DARKNESS

THIS POISON IN THE MIND.

HEY LOOK, THAT GUY IS MENTAL

A LOONEY, WHAT A WASTE

YOUR BITTER, TWISTED COMMENTS

LEAVE AN ACRID TASTE.

JUST REMEMBER I’M A VICTIM

TO THIS PAIN YOU CANNOT SEE

DEPRESSIONS MADE A HOME IN HELL

ESPECIALLY FOR ME.

DO NOT JUDGE THIS COVER

YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO LOOK

I’M DROWNING IN A SEA OF PAIN

PAGES MISSING FROM THIS BOOK.

WOULD YOU BERATE THE LOWLY CRIPPLE

AND CALL POOR SOUL A NAME

MY ILLNESS NEEDS NO CRUTCHES

HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME.

I DO NOT PLEAD FOR SYMPATHY

UNDERSTANDING IS THE KEY

AS WITHOUT THIS MURDEROUS ILLNESS

YOU’RE JUST THE SAME AS ME.

JUST SHOW SOME UNDERSTANDING

AND MAYBE LEND YOUR EARS

THEN MAYBE YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE

OR STEM THE FLOW OF TEARS.

BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS

I TRY TO CHANGE YOUR VIEW

ONE IN FOUR’S A VICTIM

AND THE NEXT ONE COULD BE YOU.

Love stories 

HAVE YOU ?

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE BEAUTY

IN A PARTNERS CHILDBIRTH PAIN

OR FELT HER ADORATION

WHILE DANCING IN THE RAIN

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED HER SLEEPING

AS YOU GENTLY STROKED HER SKIN

ADORATION IN YOUR FINGERTIPS

A LOVE FROM DEEP WITHIN

HAVE YOU EVER SUFFERED HEARTACHE

BEING PARTED FOR A DAY

COUNTING DOWN THE SECONDS

YOU’D TRADE YOUR SOUL AWAY

HAVE YOU EVER SEPERATED

AND SUFFERED MONSTROUS PAIN

EVERY FIBRE IN YOUR BODY

YEARNS TO HOLD HER ONCE AGAIN

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED A THUNDERSTORM

IN A LOVERS WARM EMBRACE

OR CAUGHT A TEAR OF HAPPINESS

RUNNING DOWN HER FACE

HAVE YOU EVER SHARED A SUNSET

THEN WATCHED THE STARS ABOVE

THE BUBBLE THAT YOUR LIVING IN

A BUBBLE FILLED WITH LOVE

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD CONTENTMENT

IN A LOVERS SUBTLE SIGHS

TWO AS ONE UNITED

AS YOU LAY BETWEEN HER THIGHS

ALL THESE THINGS WELL I HAVE DONE

AND OH SO MANY MORE

A LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY, MAN

WITH THE WOMAN I ADORE.

COPYRIGHT © GLENN MERRILEES

The Westquarter Rose

A started go’an tae disco’s

Where I met ma prom night  queen

A walked in’tae that jam packed bar

She wi’s the only one I seen

So noo I’ve met ma Aileen

Ma sunshine in the sky

That deep depression lifted

Now tears of joy I’d cry

It didn’t take that long tae see

Tae see she wi’s the one

Three years of love she gave me

Then she gifted me a son

Her love it gently snared me

And slowly pulled me in

For me not not to return it

Would be a moral sin

How much I now adore her

There ain’t nobody knows

She’s gorgeous she’s my princess

She’s my own Westquarter rose

COPYRIGHT © GLENN MERRILEES

she’s my lifebuoy when I’m drowning

She’s my anchor when I’m high

She’s always stood beside me

I’ve goat tae question why

Please tell me what you see in me

Are you low in self esteem

You’ve went and picked a nightmare

But you could have had your dream

There’s better men are out there

Bigger apples oan the tree

But I must have a guardian angel

For I’m blessed that you opted fur me

So what is it that you see in me

When I’m sick, I’m sad, I’m down

You lift, understand, and heal me

You’re my laughter you’re my clown

The things that we’ve been through

All the problems that arose

You’ve always stood beside me

My own Westquarter Rose

The years they passed like weekends

An a wi’s happy fur a while

Though I’d struggle through the winters

When I’d wear a plastic smile

By Glenn Merrilees

COPYRIGHT © GLENN MERRILEES

It really is all about people and relationships - are you ready to play your part? VIA Shaun Maher

It’s all about people and relationships!

Shaun Maher writes for Alliance Scotland Viewpoint 

It’s all about people and relationships!

At the end of November 550 people gathered at the SECC in Glasgow for the third learning session of the Person Centred Health and Care Improvement Collaborative.  The delegates were predominantly staff with a background in acute healthcare however, there were also a small, but very significant cohort of people with lived experience of health and care in attendance who made a lasting impact on the delegates.

Shift in focus

The learning session was opened by Michael Matheson MSP who reiterated the Scottish Government’s commitment to person-centred care.  He was followed by Dr David Reilly from the Glasgow Centre for Integrative Medicine, who eloquently celebrated the successes and strengths of the health and care systems over the past three hundred years, but also helped us to see the limitations and inadequacies of this model for the challenges faced in the 21^st Century and beyond.  His message was that we need to focus on the whole person -  mind, body and soul - in the context of their being and the things that matter to them, if we are to succeed in our quest for longer healthier lives for the people of Scotland.

Professor Jason Leitch from the Scottish Government then challenged us to make compassion reliable by focusing on the five “Must Do With Me” elements in every interaction with every person, every time:

1. What matters to you?
2. Who matters to you?
3. What information do you need?
4. Nothing about me without me.
5. Flexibility

His message was that if we used tried and tested improvement methods to make these elements reliable, the way we deliver health and care in Scotland would be transformed. 

The improvement collaborate is designed to help teams learn how to make these things happen reliably at scale. (You can read more about Improvement Science here:  http://www.qihub.scot.nhs.uk/default.aspx )

We are listening but are we really hearing?

One of the other core messages of the learning session was that the best way to understand whether you are doing a good job, and the best place to look for improvement ideas, is to listen to the voice of lived experience.   In other words, unless we listen deeply and systematically to the stories and experiences of people who use services and supports we will not improve meaningfully, and we will not achieve our ambition.

The other voice that needs to be heard alongside the voice of lived experience is the voice of the people who deliver services or supports, the staff or volunteers  who work day in, day out,  in the reality of what it’s like to try and care or support on the ground.  If we fail to listen carefully to these collective voices we will not succeed.

Are you ready to play your part?

Two of the highlights of the session in November were Tommy Whitelaw of Dementia Carer Voices sharing his story of caring for his Mum Joan, and representatives of Glasgow Neurological Voices sharing how they had worked jointly with teams at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow to improve services.

The Neurological Voices team shared the story of how they had been invited to come into the Southern General Hospital and use their personal and collective observations to lead and drive improvement.  It was an inspiring story of a service that truly wanted to hear the voice of lived experience to inform improvements.

Tommy’s story highlighted the challenges experienced both by him and all carers and their loved ones up and down the country.  His story (http://youtu.be/36_Y_3y0yXM)  is moving and poignant, highlighting the enormous variation in the quality of the  health and care system, especially when it comes to valuing people. Yet Tommy  didn’t leave us in despair, but hope, joy and inspiration.  The things that really made the difference were the people and the relationships, when someone put their arm around and said: “you’re doing alright” or asked: “what really matters to you?”

His closing words reminded us of the power of human connections and the responsibility that  we all have to one another: “You all have a role to play in someone’s love story!”.

 It really is all about people and relationships - are you ready to play your part?

Shaun Maher, Improvement Advisor, Person-Centred Health & Care

We can all create a different future, says Dr Lisa Curtice Via Scotsman

My friend and colleauge Dr Lisa Curtice had an article in the Scotsman today.I hope you can take time to read 

Tommy

By DR LISA CURTIC

We can all create a different future, says Dr Lisa Curtice

Predictions of the challenges facing health and social care in Scotland present a gloomy picture. Scotland has one of the lowest life expectancies in Western Europe. Men living in the most deprived areas of the country can expect to live 11 years less than those in the least deprived. By 2035, the number of people aged 75 and over is projected to increase by 82 per cent. The number of people with long-term conditions is expected to double by 2030, as is the number of people with dementia.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Public Policy for Regions at Glasgow University reports that the public spending cuts still to come will be the harshest yet.

But are we asking the right questions about the future? Suppose that, instead of asking when the tide of disease will overwhelm us, we asked what is most likely to keep us well? Or, rather than wondering how to further stretch an overburdened public sector, we asked what we could do differently, what we could stop doing at all and what contribution we could all make to creating a different future?

An alternative vision is available, not just from boffins, but from practitioners, third-sector groups and citizens. Their views provide unequivocal steers about the kind of care people want. Few want to end their life in hospital, although at present half of us do so. Most express a preference to die at home or in a hospice. Carers say they need to know whom to contact for help before a crisis drives them to breaking point. People want support that is co-ordinated and offered when they need it, the information to make decisions for themselves, to be respected as an individual, and to be enabled to live their life to the full.

What would doing it differently look like? It includes enabling people with long-term conditions to be more in control of their lives. The Self Management Strategy for Scotland, “Gaun Yersel”, published jointly by the Alliance and Scottish Government in 2008, was written by people living with long-term conditions and their unpaid carers. It led to the creation of the Self Management Fund for Scotland, which has supported initiatives to enable people with long-term conditions to grow in confidence, learn from others in similar circumstances, try different experiences and make new friends.

A different path also means establishing strong relationships between agencies, such as the NHS, local authorities and the police, and those who use services, so that each becomes part of the solution.

If staying or becoming well is the aim of public service delivery, then relationships between practitioners and the people they support will change, as will those between services and communities they serve.

The Alliance has published reports that show how professional practice can change when the conversation between practitioner and patient is about what matters to the person, rather than what the professional can “fix”. A re-evaluation of what creates health, such as an emphasis on having something meaningful to do, puts the spotlight on life outside the hospital or day centre. The community then becomes, not the source of problems, but a reserve of assets to invest in and nurture. The People Powered Health and Wellbeing programme at the Alliance brings together experienced third-sector partners to help make co-production the usual approach to health and social care.

It is these cultural changes that the integration of health and social care must enable. Reporting in 2013 on reform of public services, the Scottish Parliament’s local government and regeneration committee concluded that efforts “are not yet delivering the scale, nature or rate of change that is needed”. It is already too late to carry on doing as we have always done. Now is the time to back frontline staff and citizens to create the change they want to see – and changes in health trends will follow.

• Dr Lisa Curtice is programme director for People Powered Health and Wellbeing at the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland www.alliance-scotland.org.uk

concert for caring -Celtic Connections A Celebration ofCaring

speaking as part of 6Cs Live! Week of Action, NHS England

Hi

With great thank to Dionne Hilton Project Development Manager AA2 Programme Lead NHS England

For inviting  me  to speak and be part of a patients panel during 6Cs Live! Week of Action,

I was a guest  speaker at the NHS England policy directorate event in Leeds a few weeks back that Dionne attended ,so a big thank you for the opportunity to be involved    

I will post more details once received 

The detail of the conference on Wednesday 22nd January is 09.30 – 15.30  in London. 

   

Our Action Area two 6Cs Live! Week of Action focusing on ‘working with people to provide a positive experience of care’ starts on Monday 20th January. As part of this week of action, you and your teams are invited to attend a free national conference on Wednesday 22nd January 9.30 – 15.30 at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London, 61-65 Great Queen St, London WC2B 5DA.

The event is to support, encourage and celebrate the success of nurses, midwives and care staff in delivering Compassion in Practice and to share best practice with regards to improving the patient experience. It will also provide a platform for thought-provoking debate and challenge for continued improvement through excellence in commissioning.

The format for the day will consist of keynote speakers and workshops. There will be workshops taking place throughout the day which attendees need to select as part of the registration process.

Keynote speakers on the day will include Dame Julie Mellor – Parliamentary and Health service ombudsman and Helena Herklots – CEO Carers UK.

Workshops on the day will include:

• Patient Voices – Pip Hardy, Co-founder, Patient Voices Programme and Patrick Cahoon,  Associate Director for Service User
• Experience based CO-design webinar – Jocelyn Cornwall, Director, The Point of Care Foundation
• Transforming patient and staff experience – a values-based approach – Hana Ibrahim Projects Manger – Macmillan and Julie Wells  – Director, Transforming Health Ltd
• Service design of CYP mental health services and the co-design with young people – Simone Button, Service Director, Children and Young, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• People Participation, Paul Sherman – Associate Director – People Participation, East London mental health NHS Foundation trust

As this is offered on a first come first served, please book early!

Please select your workshop options via the link below and you will be contacted nearer the time to confirm your workshops.

Thank you - for reading my awareness blog ,thank-you for the kindness and support

Hi

Thank you.

I started writing this blog in February 2011 as the loneliness and isolation both Mum and I faced was becoming such a painful part of each day. I was not really sure who I was writing to or if anyone would ever read our story, struggles, hope, tears and joy.

In fact for the first months no one really read my blog ,but I kept writing about how I felt as this was helping me,I needed to tell someone how I felt and writing my wee blog helped ease the lonliness 

The wee blog about our story, the stories of many others , the Tommy on Tour campaign and now the Dementia Carer Voices project reached 200,000 views today and if you include the views the films have received and other social media  ultimately adds up to near the quarter of a million mark.

Thank you for the kindness via Life-stories - my blog - twitter - Facebook and in person 

Thank you caring, for viewing, for supporting us for,  helping take away some of the loneliness we felt and loss I felt since mum passed away.

We were lonely but never truly alone. Thank you for the-kindness -  the kindness of people most of whom I have never met.

Pageviews all time history.          205,145

A year of photos 2013 

http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-year-in-photos.html?spref=tw

A Year of Talks 2013 

http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.com/2013/10/more-new-talks-added-2013-2014.html?spref=tw

Dementia Carer Voices Resource Page 

http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/what-we-do/projects/dementia-carer-voices/resources-page/http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/what-we-do/projects/dementia-carer-voices/resources-page/

New talks- 2014 the awareness campaign goes on

Hi

2013 has been a very busy year for Dementia Carer voices with lots of engagement ,meetings and outreach
I have just compiled a wee THANK YOU and list  2013 A year of talks and 2013 Year in photos on  2 previews posts

we have much lined up for 2014 to fulfill the project brief aims and hopefully outcomes
my maim passion is to speak to as many people as possible and share the experiences of the families who write to me along with my own experience caring for mum and mums story

over and above the work we do on a daily basis we have lots of requests coming in to do talks and workshops in 2014 a few of the confirmed  are listed below with I hope lots more to add

Thank you to all for the opportunities

Tommy      

January

20^th – Celebration of Caring in Scotland Concert

21st - speaking Watford starlight center 

22^nd - Speaking at London 6Cs Live  Conference

28th - Speaking at Carers Event in Birmingham

February

3^rd - Speaking to Edinburgh University Nursing Students

5^th - Speaking at St Andrews Hospice in Airdrie 

6^th – Presentation to NHS Education Promoting Excellence Board (Morning)

6^th - Speaking at University of Abertay Dundee (Afternoon)

17^th  – Speaking at Royal Edinburgh Hospital

19^th - Speaking at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy

24^th - Speaking at Palliative Care Conference in NHS Highlands

25^th, 26^th and 27^th – Speaking at NHS Grampian - 3 day tour

March

5^th – Speaking at conference in Argyll

19th - speaking Caledonian university 

28th  - Speaking at conference in Middlesbrough

April 

10th - giving 2014 Dementia MasterClass Caledonian Universty

Who we are what we do Dementia Carer voice - links -information-outreach - film

Hi 

Please see below a link to the Dementia Carer Voices web page along with information on the project. Once on the page, you can click the 'resources' button on the right hand side to have a look at the project's films and key resources. 

Tommy 

http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/what-we-do/projects/dementia-carer-voices/

Reaching out to carers of people with dementia and giving them a voice through a “letters campaign” has been part of the awareness raising activity of Tommy Whitelaw, who has experienced first hand what it is like to care for someone with dementia. Tommy has also made a film about dementia and caring for someone with dementia with a view to reaching a wide audience in the UK and beyond.  Read Tommy's blog .

Dementia Carer Voices builds on the awareness activities from 'Tommy on Tour ' .This ALLIANCE project has been made possible with funding from the Scottish Government.
The ALLIANCE recognises the importance of the Carer Voice in informing future service provision and in empowering carers themselves. To this end the Dementia Carer Voices project aims to

• Harness the work undertaken to date, particularly by the Tommy on Tour  campaign
• Develop this by supporting Tommy Whitelaw to undertake further outreach work to carer organisations across Scotland

In doing this, the ALLIANCE will highlight the importance of family carers being enabled after diagnosis to build and sustain a network of support, preventing crisis situations and feel enabled to ask for additional help when it is needed;

• Capture the experiences of carers across Scotland with a view to informing future policy and service provision
• Raise awareness of the issues around caring for someone with dementia including among health and social care students
• Empower carers by providing information based on the Charter of Rights and Carer Strategy about caring for someone with dementia
• Highlight the role of Carers as natural resources; Carers as people with needs; Carers as people with independent live
• Work with other Carer Organisations and key stakeholders to ensure that relevant strategies are well informed by the views of service users. (As a network organisation which includes organisations such as - Alzheimer Scotland, Carers’ Coalition and Age Concern within our membership, we are well placed to undertake this role).

The project will do this through visits and talks to Carer Organisations; the provision of written materials with key carer messages; dissemination of information including through social media;  network events and consider possible future film to raise awareness/understanding.

The project team have put together a short survey to enable them to capture key messages from carers which will be used to influence future policy.

If you have experience of caring for someone with dementia you can contribute and have your say on your hopes and concerns for the future by visiting http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V7SYL2G 

For further information, contact Programme Director Irene Oldfather , Project Engagement Lead  Tommy Whitelaw , Policy and Information Assistant Christopher Doyle or Administrator Laura McCulloch.
 To sign up to recieve future updates, click here.
You can browse all of the projects resources, including short films, by clicking here. 
Follow Dementia Carer Voices on Twitter  .