Archive for the ‘Designing for dementia’ Category

We are really pleased with the service that Exmouth Windows has given us over the past few months as they help us to make Rose Lodge an even better place to live and work. Over the past couple of weeks they have installed a new window in the kitchen which brings a lot of light into the kitchen and also helps to keep the kitchen cool while keeping the flies and other nasties out. And we now have a door from our dining room onto the kitchen courtyard so that residents can use this areas next year (to potter and grow kitchen herbs, help hang up the washing, or just relax. Exmouth Windows have been responsive and courteous, and a pleasure to work with.

Every Wednesday we take residents to the wonderful ‘Singing for the Brain’ circle which is expertly led the very energetic Glenda of the Alzheimer’s Society. Glenda mentioned that she sings in a choir and when offered we snapped up the opportunity for them to perform at Rose Lodge.

So today the Withycombe Warblers came to entertain the residents with a selection from their reportoire which we all greatly enjoyed. About half-way through the performance Tom came up behind the choir and quietly joined in (You can just see him in the first picture).

They are looking for additional singers – if you are interested please call choir leader Claire on 01363 866819.

While the residents are not making much use of the garden we (well actually Dave Skinner) are doing some groundwork. We are extending the car parking area and putting a gate in from the car park to the garden so residents can easily go out for a stroll from the garden, and Dave is laying new soil pipes in preparation for some more en-suites next year. He is also  laying new paths so we can construct a raised vegetable bed. Our vegetable growing has been very popular over the past couple of years but some of our resident find it hard to get to the vegetable garden and work in it. The new raised beds will be close to the terrace and have wheelchair access.  Being raised will help a number of our resident who find it hard to bend down. We are on a bit of a deadline to get it all ready for when the Beacon School pupils come back in spring to grow vegetables with the residents.

A new door from the dining room onto the kitchen yard, and a green bedroom. Picture of door to follow!

As reported by Social Enterprise

Social Enterprise Mark holder Age UK Devon, together with Honiton Memory Café and Dr Ruth Darvill have brought the People’s Millions to East Devon after the public voted them winners of a £43,579 Big Lottery Fund grant in a special competition to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Jubilee People’s Millions is a competition run by the Big Lottery Fund in partnership with ITV and with the approval of Buckingham Palace. Age UK Devon and partners have been campaigning throughout Devon for the last three weeks to gain support from local people. The public vote by phone to decide which local projects should receive Lottery good-cause funding.

A short film about the ‘Heading along Memory Lane’ project was aired on the ITV West Country News on Monday night, up against another Devon-based project, ‘Dancing Devon’. The film featured a vintage Coronation lunch party at Broadhembury Village Hall and the vintage bus, which is the focal point of the ‘Heading along Memory Lane project. Members of the Memory Café spoke fondly about their memories of yesteryear sparked by their journey on the specially equipped Memory Lane bus. The emotionally-charged short film captured the hearts and minds of the voting public, scooping the cash prize for the ‘Heading along Memory Lane’ project.

In a nail-biting finale to the funding campaign, the winner of the public vote was announced – with the ITV film cameras rolling – at the Boston Tea Party in Honiton. Nina Parnell of Age UK Devon says, “We are absolutely delighted to have won the People’s Millions. We would like to thank everyone in Devon who backed our bid and made that ‘call to make a difference’. We couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support from the community – from local businesses and Devon-based employers to community groups, our volunteers and individuals who recognised the importance of this project. We are now looking forward to working with people affected by dementia and their carers to design Reminiscence Day Trips around East Devon on the 1958 ‘Memory Lane’ bus. These trips will enable people with dementia to re-live their experiences of yesteryear, providing therapeutic benefits and encouraging the sharing of happy memories from the past”

Mark Cotton Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the South West region, said: “The Jubilee People’s Millions is a great way of showing what local groups can achieve when they have the support of their community behind them, and we’d like to congratulate Age UK Devon on their success in yesterday’s contest. We are extremely pleased to be running the competition with the approval of Buckingham Palace and there are more fantastic projects yet to be showcased over the next couple of days. I urge everyone to continue to tune in to ITV Westcountry, pick up the phone and vote for their favourite project.”

Adam Crozier, ITV Chief Executive said: “We’re delighted to be able to support the Jubilee People’s Millions, which is a terrific partnership between ITV and the Big Lottery Fund, and gives our viewers the opportunity to influence how thousands of pounds of Lottery funding is spent in their community.”