RCC10. Dementia Group
Proposer: Mike Collins
Funding allocated: £2,631.50
The Proposal:
The group was formed to help dementia sufferers, families and carers to cope, to be able to find support and information, and come together to help each other. Our strong passion and ambition is to broaden local awareness and increase our own and others’ knowledge and coping strategies with the disease.
This all came about after inviting several agencies supporting dementia to explain what support is available for people. We have now developed a steering group with 10 active team members.
We have now gained the knowledge based on the help from other agencies and are now able to support people with issues around Dementia.
With this knowledge, we have tested and designed a social marketing approach, by having a banner and a leaflet to aid people with concerns to direct them to the appropriate services and have delivered awareness raising events in the community.
Our group wanted to be able to have informed discussions with people who have concerns around Dementia issues and have been able to give sound advice.
The project has been live since 2012 and is wholly run by community volunteers. The team get a little bit of support from the Older People’s collaborative in the form of meeting space, administration support and a nominal budget for printing.
The Change Champions Programme galvanised us to do something. It was good to be working with like- minded people. The ability to draw like- minded people together helped form good relationships across the team. We were able to formalise a consistent approach to running meetings and how team do outreach. We have no barriers between us and the public it is all eye to eye contact. This is in contrast with the approach from the Alzheimer’s’ Society outreach approach. Which has little personal engagement. We are always evolving our approach for example we now have plain envelopes that the public can put leaflets in making support bespoke to people and promoting confidentiality.
“We valued the initial training and the ongoing support also the small sum of monies to get the show on the road.”
What we spent the grant money on!
Awarded £2,631.50
Item Cost Total
Rental of meeting rooms September to December
£60.00
Resupply of bookmarks
£130.00
Paid for in the next quarter
£43.86
Display Table
Room hire and minute taking services for 12 meetings
£558.96
Moving and handling trolley
£22.48
Resupply of bookmarks
£260.00**
Display board & case
£342.60
Sub-Category Total: £190.00 £1,347.90
What we achieved!
9 members of the team have become Dementia Friends.
Steering group meetings are held regularly
We have designed and tested note pad stickers.
We have had 132 meaningful discussions with community members and sign posted to the most appropriate services.
203 hours worked on this topic by our volunteers, giving talks, attending events and actively leafleting to achieve our marketing aims.
Engagements & Signposting Totals for Year to September 2015
| Events Attended | 18 | |
| Male | Female | |
| Browsing/leaflet Taking | 9 | 48 |
| Direct Contact | 34 | 189 |
| Signposting to GP | 16 | 36 |
| Signposting to Alzheimer’s | 18 | 30 |
| Signposting to Dementia Friends | 2 | 7 |
| Signposting to Admirals Nurse | 3 | 23 |
| Signposting to Memory Cafes | 10 | 79 |
| Volunteer Hours | 68.65 | |
In total since the commencement of the project (2012 to 2016) there have been 1683 meaningful contacts with the public.
Sustainability
The group has been empowered following the continued support of the Health Collaborative Team. The learning and support of the agencies has driven us to take ownership of the project. However, it is good to know that we have the networks and support developed by this team to enable the project to move forward.
We are still looking for additional funding streams to support our growth; however, we are working very closely in partnership with other agencies, such as the Alzheimer’s Society and support each other’s aims.
The initial project has exceeded expectations in many ways. We do more than just give out leaflets. Our approach is about better targeted sign posting. The public find our approach reassuring and they now know where to go and get help advice and information.
There are small ongoing costs which, in the short term, which are currently being supported by the work within the Health Collaborative Team. Our biggest fear for the programme is that we run out of money. It is a Very low cost service run by volunteers but occasionally we need an additional donation to help the work so we fund raise small amounts to buy equipment.
The team has grown from two volunteers to a pool of 10 any new volunteers would need Dementia Friends training and possibly the Change Champions Course. We don’t have access to Dementia Friends training locally? We currently have to go for 3 days to Leeds or Nottingham which is difficult with no budget for travel.
Benefits of our marketing around the community
We have been successfully engaging with people who really need support and guidance. Many we come into contact with are at a significant crossroads in their life because of health concerns about themselves, their partners, parents or other friends and relatives. They often do not know where to go for support. Our group’s conversations, however informally, at our events etc., to discuss their concerns can, reassure them and point them in the direction to the most appropriate services.
This was a new initiative and there are no figures to compare with. However, it is fair to say that this initiative targeted unmet needs and although there are not vast numbers that have been directed to appropriate services.
All the contact have been appropriate and have resulted people gaining information to direct tem into appropriate services
Its given people who in times of uncertainty and concern around their self, a family member or friend someone to talk too and direct them into the most appropriate services.
Unexpectedly, care staff from care home value our information stalls as they don’t have this information in the care home. We targeted Scartho Village and were able to hit the whole community using local shops.
We have had some challenges namely, getting information from partner agencies. Because of budget cuts they are reluctant to provide leaflets free of charge despite us being able to support their work. We have a small supply then we rely on the kindness of the Older People’s Collaborative for small amounts of printing. Some of the leaflets we get from partners are date stamped and have a limited life span and we prefer to not have the date on them so we can continue to use them.
We have made a number of new relationships which have helped us and the partners we work with. Our main partners are the Alzheimer’s society and admiral nurses. We use their fact sheet to distribute on their behalf. We have a good relationship with the Care Plus Group and the Dementia Action Alliance – we have a supply of free materials from them. We have built a local reputation amongst other services promote Friendship At Home & Admiral Nurses memory clubs. We have a good relationship with market stall in the centre of Freshney Place precinct. A coffee stand lets us use space. Have a couple of tables and talk to people having coffee. In Tesco’s and ASDA in Grimsby we have a regular stand and we have been advertising in the Grimsby telegraph.
GOOD NEWS STORIES
1) Sharing information to support professionals
Following having a stall at an event at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital a member of the A&E department visited and picked up a lot of leaflets saying they did not have this type of information on hand in A&E. I now have a contact email address and forward any new documentation to them.
After a visit to a Health and Wellbeing older peoples club, we have been asked back to give a talk and be available with our stall.
2) Fund raising opportunities
Through the Dementia awareness Team being proactive we have arranged for 6 people to walk the Humber Bridge Memory Walk. The walkers will have raised over £700 for Alzheimer’s Society.
3) Dementia Day – Our Marketing Campaign in September 2015
On 21st September world Alzheimer’s Day the Dementia awareness team have planned a leaflet drop of relevant leaflets for customer facing staff for shops in Scartho Village a part of Grimsby an area where most shoppers are older people.
By promoting supportive services available for dementia, we want to demonstrate how those suffering that they have the right to a good quality of life and that they should be able to remain independent in their local community.
Case study – Man who couldn’t get diagnosis from GP but was signposted to Alzheimer’s society who has been able to help. A 14 year old boy asked “What is dementia” my granny has it. having the skills to deal with dementia in the community helped ‘A chap got out of car – confused as his wife normally goes into supermarket. A team member had confidence to help him – wouldn’t have had before.
If our project disappeared there would be a big hole in the support and guidance available to people who don’t know where to turn for help and advice on dementia. Often if the family thinks something is happening to their loved one they don’t want to bother the GP and they sit and worry about it which causes further stress and upset.