Oxfordshire News. Issue 2/2016

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1 Oxfordshire News Issue 2/2016 EDUCATED! YDUK has been collaborating with Stockport-based EDUCATE - the Early Dementia Users Cooperative Aiming to Educate. They participated in our Tea & Talk event last July and we strengthened our links in March with Celebrate & Educate, an evening of theatre, poetry and talks, followed by an all-day workshop. We plan to visit EDUCATE in Stockport on 28 June for a networking event with groups from the area during the day followed by an evening celebration at the Stockport Plaza. March s celebration - which also featured a short play by the HALO theatre group - attracted huge praise from those who attended, An amazing evening, A wonderful, well organised and stimulating evening so positive! Superb performances, poetry and memories, An inspirational event. *Stop Press* July 21, 10.30am 12.30pm Sara Wilcox from Pathways through Dementia will be coming to meet members of YDUK to learn about the specific issues facing younger people with dementia in relation to finances and legal issues. If you are interested and able to join us in Oxford, please contact Anna Eden on

2 Out & About What do you do during your support sessions? A special feature of YDUK s individual support sessions is their variety. They revolve around your particular interests and needs, whether that might be sewing, singing, swimming or shopping, gardening, golf or even going to the dentist! Here s what some YDUK members and support workers have been up to... Tom J and Simon H headed to Henley River & Rowing Museum where the photo suggests that Tom worked harder than Simon! 2 Liz s dementia means she can no longer read so support worker Liz G introduced her to audio books and they regularly visit the library during their support sessions. Paula supported Barbara to go swimming and her confidence has grown hugely. Recently Paula took round some knitting as she knew Barbara used to knit. They are now considering if Barbara might join a local knitting group. Tom D went with Chris to see Thriller in Aylesbury, which he really enjoyed - he talked about it and sang all the way home. Paul dislikes crowds and busy places so usually spends his support sessions with Simon W walking the dog. However, recently they went to Oxford to buy a birthday present for Paul s wife. He enjoyed the trip and now wants to visit some other places. Deborah accompanies Lesley to a singing group each week as she loves music, and has also helped Lesley link in with Daybreak, a dementia day club. Tell us what you ve been up to and send in your photos!

3 Getting together The Supper Club They say, Variety is the spice of life! So far this year we've enjoyed a funky jazz night, we've had Elvis in the building and celebrated Easter with lots of chocolate! We've also toasted some wonderful fundraising achievements. April saw the launch of our new name 'The Supper Club.' We think it better reflects what the evening is all about - good food, music and great company - it was never just a Café! We marked the night with balloons, Bucks Fizz, a celebratory buffet and a special cake kindly made for us by Mary Clarke. A great time was had by all! We've lots more variety and fun planned for the months ahead so look out for details in our monthly event s or on our Facebook page. Do join us - we would love to have your company at The Supper Club! Sue Smith Socials Coordinator Save the Date... Friday 8 July, pm. Annual Founders Garden Party Invitations and details will be sent soon, but be sure to put the date in your diary now! Roger s Ramblings Walk & Talks get you out into the countryside in good company, with people you can talk to because they re in a similar situation to you. We stroll no more than three miles. Our next walk will be on Wednesday 8 June, beside the River Thames, on Port Meadow in Oxford. On 10 August we ll be north of Oxford and there will be two more walks on 14 September and 12 October - routes yet to be decided. Please do join us! Roger Stammers Volunteer 3

4 On the spot 4 Simon Hutchens - support worker since Feb AKA The New Boy! I originally trained as an actor but moved on to work with people with learning disabilities for many years, both within education and in the wider community. Friends describe me as a people person and several of you have already shown me around your towns, told me fascinating stories and put up with me taking photographs at the drop of a hat. As you can see I love getting out and about with those I support and recording our visits on film. Tim and I especially enjoyed this MG exhibit! Thank you for making me feel so welcome. Beyond the Balcony On 8 May we returned to the Ashmolean Museum for the launch of our Beyond the Balcony digital art work. Family and friends joined us to celebrate our creative work. The project gave members a chance to learn skills and engage with others in something new, week by week creating beautiful artwork, often incorporating pictures and places with special personal meanings. As confidence grew, the group gelled, shared ideas, formed friendships, rekindled their love of art, and had, Lots of fun. Anna McNally liked it! Turtle Song s live performance Music, As You Like It crowned a nine-week singing and song writing project for people with dementia. It was inspired by Shakespeare s Seven Stages of Life speech. Each song depicted a distinct stage in life in the participants own words, accompanied by some superb music students. The songs were funny, reflective and uplifting and the group s energy was amazing! The Turtle Song team hope to be back in 2017.

5 Have we got news for you? Community Transport Dial-a-Ride is a door-to-door service for those with impaired mobility who cannot use, or do not have access to, public transport. Aspire Oxford runs the dial-a-ride service in Oxford City on Monday to Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm. Call for info or to register. Unforgettable We ve recently become charity partners of Unforgettable, a new social enterprise company which supplies dementia-related products that may be of interest to some readers. You can see their range at EFID Award benefits continue Following our 2012 award from the European Foundation Initiative on Dementia (EFID), YDUK was invited to Bruges in May for a conference with other awardees from 20 different locations. Our Anna s - McNally and Eden - had two wonderful days meeting others, sharing ideas and learning so much. In 2015, EFID made funding available for Go and Visits enabling groups to develop joint projects across Europe. Whilst in Belgium, Anna and Anna visited a day centre with a difference a wonderful place with a library, garden, café and meeting rooms and were entertained by their choir. They also visited a care home which was very much part of the local community with a large café where anyone could drop in for a drink or a meal, and enjoyed cakes baked by the residents! Research request The Memory Research Group, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital is part of Oxford University s Department of Clinical Neuroscience. Current projects include working with people who experience changes in their memory due to different types of dementia. They need people to take part in this research who are between years old, in good health, with no diagnosis of psychological or neurological problems, and who are not taking medication affecting cognition. For more information contact either Dr Samrah Ahmed at samrah.ahmed@ndcn.ox.ac.uk or Sara Bartels at sara.bartels@ndcn.ox.ac.uk 13 5

6 Fundraising Can you help? The Muddy Waters Festival is a Family Fun Day being held at The Plough in Wolvercote on Sunday 24 July. This year they have chosen to support YDUK. We re planning to run a number of stalls and need your help to make the day a real fundraising success. We need Companies supporting YDUK We re delighted to have been chosen by two companies to be their charity of the year. 6 Bottles for our boozy tombola Cakes and bags of sweets Items for our prize hampers (smellies, chocolates or those unwanted Xmas presents!) Help to advertise the event Volunteers on the day. And of course, lots of people to come along too! Please drop off prizes at the Supper Club. Summertown Cake Sale. We ll be back in Summertown again with a cake stall at the United Reform Church on Banbury Road on Saturday 16 July. We re looking for people to bake cakes and also to sell them on the day. If you can help at the cake sale or at the Muddy Waters Festival please contact our Community Fundraising Manager Helen. The Good Care Group, who provide live-in care services, will be hosting fundraising activities across the country, whilst Kidlington and North West Oxford Co-op will be supporting us through their local stores and services. This is a fantastic way to support YDUK if your workplace has a Charity of the Year scheme, please do nominate us. A huge THANK YOU Many congratulations and thanks to Charlie Platts, both for completing the London Marathon and for raising over 1,200 for us; and to Eynsham Rotary Club who raised 750 at their film night! A very big thank you from all at YDUK. helenlerwill@youngdementiauk.org

7 Hands up... if you want to feel like this! Join our YDUK Skydive team 3rd Sept, Hinton Airfield, Brackley Hurry! Only a few places left. Registration closes 4th June 7

8 And finally... Frontotemporal Dementia Support Group (FTDSG) 2016 Annual Seminar There wasn t a spare seat at the FTDSG Annual Seminar in London, and when asked to raise hands as to why we had come it was clear that many more people were there for personal reasons than professional. Sessions included some absorbing talks about current UCL research, including behavioural and neuropsychiatric changes in FTD, and emotion recognition. There was something for everyone, but most memorable for me was Professor Eneida Mioshi s talk about stages in FTD, including management tips taken from many family members. Professor Nick Fox also did a fantastic question and answer session. The presentations will be uploaded to the FTDSG website soon Anna McNally Young Onset Dementia Adviser National Young Onset Dementia Conference 2016 The second national Young Onset Dementia Conference hosted by YUDK and Hawker Events will be held on Tuesday 27 September at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. A number of discounted places will be available for those with dementia. Further details to follow. Contact us There are lots of ways to contact us via , Facebook, Twitter, or of course by phone or post. To any member of the YDUK team, please use the format firstnamesurname@youngdementiauk.org Some useful contacts are Support Service Manager Anna Eden Communications Kate Fallows Community Fundraising Manager Helen Lerwill Support Coordinator Mandy Blair Young Onset Dementia Advisers Emeline Keown Anna McNally YoungDementia UK PO Box 315 Witney OX28 1ZN mail@youngdementiauk.org YoungDementia UK Company No Charity No