South Gloucestershire Dementia Friendly Communities

We work with organisations and individuals to raise awareness of dementia, ensuring that those who are living with this condition are respected, valued and able to participate in their communities.

Whilst all Memory Cafes are still closed, the Dementia team are busy offering support in other ways. We have been delivering activity packs to The Retreat Memory cafe members, and we now have a new team of amazing volunteers bringing their creative expertise and willing hands to put together more varied packs.

For information on services being offered in South Gloucestershire and how to help support those with Dementia, whilst keeping yourself safe, please read our latest Newsletter HERE.

Support Groups - Please note that our Peer Support and Telephone support groups are not running at this time.

COVID-19 Resources

Rare Dementia support

People with rare form of dementia may find the lockdown and the new guidelines for COVID-19 difficult to understand as their symptoms of dementia are unique and lesser known. These resources might be of help to them and their carers, but may also be useful for others with with more common forms of dementia.

Useful website resources:

Chair exercise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETUVrHVL_yI

Rare dementia support. Living with dementia and covid-19 : emergency kit

https://www.raredementiasupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Living-with-dementia-and-COVID-19-an-emergency-kit.pdf

A document on behavioural dementia and COVID-19 advice for carers

https://www.raredementiasupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/bvFTD-Coronavirus-advice.pdf

Creative Resources Pack

https://www.raredementiasupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Arts-and-culture-resources-2020.pdf

Dementia Friends Sessions

Want to help make your community more dementia friendly? Then join us for a 40-minute online dementia friends information session:

Wednesday 19th May @ 10:00AM Book HERE

If you have any questions about these sessions or the work of South Gloucestershire Dementia Friendly Communities please email us at dementia@southernbrooks.org.uk

Please note: No face-to-face Dementia Friends Information Sessions will be taking place until further notice, due to government guidance regarding COVID-19.

Dementia Friends Information Sessions are an opportunity to learn about dementia and how it is experienced by those who are affected by this illness. It will help to build understanding and remove the negative stigma that is associated with this condition.

If you want to know more about dementia, you can come along to an hour-long Dementia Friends session that will give an introduction to dementia and examples of local dementia-friendly work. There are monthly, free Dementia Friends sessions at Casson Centre, Rodway Road, Patchway BS34 5DQ.

We are also happy to provide in-house dementia awareness sessions for your staff/volunteers. For more information on this and for information on the Dementia Friends initiative, how to become a Dementia Friend, or if you are interested in becoming a Dementia Champion following your Dementia Friends session.

For more information contact Winsome Barrett-Muir on dementia@southernbrooks.org.uk or call Winsome on 01454 868571.

After attending Dementia workshop Anna was so inspired by the efforts of others and the dementia friendly initiative, she thought her firm had to get involved. Read more about Anna Molter's story here.

(Formerly known as the South Gloucestershire Dementia Action Alliance)

Since January 2015, Southern Brooks has been leading work to support communities and organisations across South Gloucestershire to become dementia-aware. Our aim is to create dementia friendly communities. These are communities where those living with dementia and their families/carers are respected and included in society as valuable members and where people learn about dementia and the simple things that can be done to enable inclusion for those affected with dementia.

This project has been commissioned by South Gloucestershire Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group.

Dementia Friends session: An opportunity to learn about dementia and how it is experienced by those who are affected by this illness. It will help to build understanding and remove the negative stigma that is associated with this condition. These sessions lasts for one hour and are free.

Presentation and talks: We can attend your organisation/business to deliver a presentation on making your organisation dementia friendly, including working with you to bring this about. This is available to both businesses and statutory/voluntary sector and faith organisations.

Membership of the SGDAA: any organisation/business or community group can become a member of South Gloucestershire Demenria Action Alliance. All we ask is that you commit to simple dementia-friendly actions. Joining your local dementia action alliance/Dementia friendly community will enhance your reputation and benefit your customers/staff/volunteers. It will also ensure you're complying with the Equalities Act. Membership gives you opportunities for networking and promoting your organisation on the DAA website.

You can read our mission and the National Dementia Declaration HERE and download a membership form HERE.

Work in schools: one in three children born now are at risk of developing dementia in the future. There is also a significant number who have a family member living with dementia. For these reasons we think it valuable for children to learn about dementia. We can design a programme to suit your needs from a 15 minutes assembly to a whole school dementia awareness sessions.

Publications and Dementia friendly signs: We have created a number of booklets and have some dementia friendly toilet signs that we are able to share with members of the SGDAA. Please get in touch if you would like to receive these.

Have a look at SGDAA on South Gloucestershire Council’s website for ideas and resources for dementia-friendly actions - whether you are a business, school, a local action group or an individual.

South Gloucestershire Dementia Action Alliance SGDAA

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Testimonials

"I've attended a lot of training courses, but this hour long session on dementia awareness has been the best course I've attended. It was concise and interesting and valuable when my father was later diagnosed as having dementia. The course has been such a help to me."

Member of library staff, Kingswood library.

"We had a Dementia Friends’ session in the Branch. It was a surprise to find that staff have family members who are affected by dementia as it is something they had not really discussed. We have started giving out Patchway Memory Café leaflets to our customers. The knowledge that there is a source of help in the community for them is a life- line for myself personally. Thank you for helping us be more aware to help our customers when they need us in difficult circumstances."

Carol, Customer Services at Lloyds Bank, Patchway