Encouraging togetherness and learning in dementia care
PARTNERS
Agewell is a social enterprise based in Sandwell, West Midlands. Since 1997, they have been delivering a range of quality services to support and encourage older people to age well, helping them to stay healthier and continue to live independently for as long as possible, and enjoy a better quality of life.
Beatriceallegranti.com
Beatrice Allegranti is an award winning dance artist, dance movement psychotherapist, capoeira teacher, feminist researcher and educator. Her practice has been influenced by a variety of inspirational mentors in the fields of dance, film, capoeira, feminism and psychotherapy.
Beatrice’s international experience spans two decades and encompasses choreography and filmmaking as well as teaching, clinical practice and supervision. Feminist politics inform her practice and her work and collaborations exists at the intersections of biomedical, scientific and philosophical understandings of dance and moving bodies in relationship. Beatrice is passionate about the potential for (kin)aesthetic and embodied practices as vehicle for not just showing – but of ‘knowing’ – giving us a way to understand the complexity of human experiences in a multilayered and creative way. Beatrice Allegranti’s new short film, I Can’t Find Myself, explores the experience of dementia.
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy
Dr Banika Ahuja, is a Clinical Psychologist working in an Older Adults CMHT in the NHS, with experience in working with older adults, dementia care and delivering CST groups and trainings both in the UK and culturally adapted CST in India. She has delivered talks and workshops on mental health, ageing and CST at local and international platforms (E.g. TEDx, VH1, Youth for Mental Health), and pioneered various virtual psychoeducational and psychosocial initiatives to support the well-being of older people in India during the Covid pandemic. She recently published a systematic review on dementia policy in India with Professor Aimee Spector; co-developed and culturally adapted the "iSupport" intervention for Urdu-speaking carers in the UK (manuscript in preparation), and contributed to the book summary chapters in the "Injured Brains of Medical Minds II" , a book by Professor Narinder Kapur, which offers insights into the lived experiences of healthcare professionals living with neurological conditions like dementia.
Dr Helen Donovan qualified in 1994 in Australia as a clinical psychologist, and has worked in older people’s mental health in both Australia and the UK for more than fifteen years. She has been the psychology lead for older people in Bedfordshire mental health services since 2003. She became involved with Cognitive Stimulation Therapy in 2006 after Aimee Spector joined the Trust, and has been involved in CST groups, supervision, training and research since that time. She was part of the SHIELD research team, with Bedfordshire as one of the sites in the randomised controlled trial of Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy. She has provided many CST training workshops and conference presentations in the UK and Australia.
Dr Gemma Ridel is a clinical psychologist currently working with people with dementia in Norfolk. She also lectures on the University of East Anglia Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programme. She has extensive experience of teaching, supervising and running CST groups. She was involved with the Individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy trial, as Norfolk was one of the sites in the randomised controlled trial. She has provided many CST training workshops and conference presentations in the UK and Ireland.
Professor Aimee Spector, University College London, UK. Professor Spector developed CST as her PhD and has since been involved in several ongoing research trials. She has authored four CST training manuals, developed this course and has delivered it to over 2000 people worldwide. Aimee also has extensive clinical experience working with people with dementia and in facilitating CST groups. Professor Spector leads the CST training and is Director of the International CST Centre.
Dementia Community is a Charitable Community Benefit Society, a membership cooperative that aims to provide learning and networking opportunities for the dementia care community.
A voluntary organisation, leading the way for positive change and empowerment in Dementia-friendly Communities.
Founded in 2014, Dementia-friendly Alton coordinates and delivers a comprehensive range of support sessions and services for people living with dementia and their carers.
Working to increase awareness about dementia, to inspire people affected by dementia to live happier and healthier lives and to make every day meaningful. An independent charity, working to make Hampshire a county where people affected by dementia can live their best life, with opportunities to participate in and contribute to their communities and be valued for who they are.
Dementia Friendly Havant Borough
A community-led initiative dedicated to supporting individuals living with dementia, along with their families and caregivers. As a newly established charity, the organisation focuses on the dementia community within Havant Borough. The group emerged from the Dementia Friendly Community Network of Havant, a network that has been meeting and collaborating for the past decade. With a vibrant and engaged community, the group works together across the borough, offering activities, support groups, advice, and raising awareness about dementia within the local area.
Providing a variety of fun, stimulating, interactive activity and engagement sessions for older people in care and in the community.
Medina Publishing
Our Dementia Diary tells the love story of Rachael Dixey and her partner Irene as Irene battled with early-on-set Alzheimer’s. Irene was in her early fifties when she was diagnosed with early-on-set Alzheimer’s and passed away at the age of 66. Rachael talks about the difficulties of accepting the unexpected diagnosis and the brusque way in which the information was delivered. For Rachael, the doctor’s brisk manner gave her a focus in a sea of uncertainty and confusion as she dealt with the loss of the partner she loved and the future she had imagined.
This beautiful story reveals the face behind the bathroom door that we all paint over before stepping outside. Rachael’s exploration of loss and grief is both heart-warming and tear-provoking. Filled with moments of hilarity, anger and a lot of confusion, Our Dementia Diary is a must read for anyone struggling to cope with the reality of the disease.
Rachael’s story has not only been recorded on paper but also adapted for the stage by the playwright Brian Daniels in his play, Don't Leave me Now.
Read Rachael and Irene's Story here
Use the code DP3 to ensure that £3 from every copy is donated to Dementia Pathfinders.
For more information contact Krissi Hill at krissi@medinapublishing.com
A Meeting Centre is a local resource, operating out of ordinary community buildings, that offers on-going warm and friendly expert and peer support to people with mild to moderate dementia and their families. At the heart of the Meeting Centre is a social club where people meet to have fun, talk to others and get help that focuses on what they need. Meeting Centres are based on sound research evidence of what helps people to cope well in adjusting to living with the symptoms and changes that dementia brings.
Zoe Harris cared for her husband for 5 years at home before he moved to a care home with advanced dementia for the final 13 months of his life. Putting to use what she learned from that experience, Zoe developed the range of Remember I’m-Me-Care Charts which are now in use in over 1,400 care homes, also in hospitals and people’s own homes. These have won numerous awards and resulted in Zoe being named as a Nesta/Observer Radical and HSJ Innovator in 2014. Zoe’s previous careers have all had communication at their centre, whether journalism, public relations or marketing and she has combined that knowledge with her personal experience of caring to develop further communication tools such as the My Future Care Handbook and Buddy Service. Zoe has seen first hand the difference it can make to have those important conversations about end of life and how it can bring peace of mind to family members when decisions have been made and shared.
Nicola Corrigan is an experienced artist who leads Dementia Pathfinders’ online art classes, guiding participants to paint and draw favourite objects, flowers and scenes from nature. With over thirty years of commercial experience, Nicola’s portfolio spans abstracts, florals, nautical themes, seascapes, ceramics and more. Her warm, encouraging approach helps make each session enjoyable and accessible for people living with dementia and their carers.
Brian Daniels is an established playwright whose work has been seen nationally and internationally including off-Broadway, New York. His play 'Don't Leave Me Now' explores the impact of dementia on two very different family units. There have been more than 40 rehearsed readings of the play and Dementia Pathfinders have supported a series of these readings with post-performance discussions. Brian is working closely with Dementia Pathfinders now in looking at ways in which drama can positively engage those who find themselves on the dementia journey.
Creating a community for those with dementia, centred around compassionate care for people with dementia and their families. Passionate about helping people with dementia, having experienced first-hand what it is like to care for those living with the condition and how it affects everyone involved. 'Recapture Life' are also aware of how little support is available, especially for individuals with mild to moderate dementia, and are committed to making a difference in any way they can – whether that means supporting those diagnosed or providing much-needed respite for their carers.
Rotary Social Innovation
Rotary for the 21st Century recognises the need to engage with technology, using Social Media to connect with each other and our partners, to help bring about social change and impact. Even if you have limited time, together we can make things happen through cause led projects.Welcome to our new innovative and flexible Rotary in South East Hampshire for people who want to engage and help their community in different ways.
Sandwell Community Dementia Service
Dementia Pathfinders are proud to partner with local organisations to provide Sandwell Community Dementia Service, offering advice, information and support to people worried about their memory and those with a dementia diagnosis in Sandwell. This partnership of voluntary sector organisations work together to provide support all the way along the dementia pathway, as well as, helping to facilitate Dementia Friendly Communities in Sandwell.
Inspired by the time she spent with her Gran, Charlotte Evans founded social enterprise Story Chaplain, which encourages and equips people to use everyday creativity when spending time with people living with and without dementia.
Charlotte holds MAs in Issues in Modern Culture, and Bibliotherapy (fiction therapy). She uses Comfort Words, poems and creative writing in her workshops. Charlotte often uses Wild Pottering, connection with nature and the seasons to encourage meaningful moments. Other resources Charlotte has developed include the Ingredients Cards to encourage quality time with people living with and without dementia, and Use Your Marbles to promote better brain health right across the life course.
The Memory Choir (TMC) is a social enterprise with the aim of enhancing the wellbeing of people living with dementia through singing as a group. TMC was founded in April 2018 by Kim Garner (Romsey, Hampshire UK), a social care professional with a passion for singing and entertaining people of all ages. Being something close to her heart, Kim embarked on a new venture to enhance the lives of those living with dementia following reading some research on how singing can be a beneficial part of overall care.
The Unforgettable Foundation supports people living with dementia and their family carers.