Twitter micro blogging: highlights from the week of 4th May to 10th
In you case you missed them, here are some of the highlights of last week’s tweets:
Watch a 2013 CNN program on a Dutch Alzheimer’s village: “Creating a sense of normalcy is the goal” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwiOBlyWpko …
What does it take to become a dementia-friendly city? A report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and a very worthwhile read,
“The York Dementia Without Walls project looked into what’s needed to make York a good place to live for people with dementia and their carers.”
From the Dementia Alliance International blog: Attending ADI2014
No longer will we accept anything about us without us; no longer will we accept the role of victim of sufferer; no longer will we be seen as fading away; no longer will we accept being called demented. Our family carers supported us, we supported each other, and we learned we can and must stand up and speak out, and more importantly, we empowered many other people with dementia to do the same.
A British Medical Association practise guidelines on working with carers:
The new National Strategy for Carers was published in June 2008……..:
• carers will be respected as expert care partners and will have access to the integrated and personalised services they need to support them in their caring role
• carers will be able to have a life of their own alongside their caring role
• carers will be supported so that they are not forced into financial hardship by their caring role
• carers will be supported to stay mentally and physically well and treated with dignity; and
• children and young people will be protected from inappropriate caring and have the support they need to learn, develop and thrive, to enjoy positive childhoods and to achieve against all the Every Child Matters outcomes
What ‘60 Minutes’ Got Right and Wrong About Aging – a good read!
From Kate Swaffer’s blog and website: See the person, not the dementia
Nana forgets, so I remember – one of a very well written series of posts on a blog run by Pippa Kelly.
From the Silver Memories blog: Art and Dementia (Guest Blog by Sarah Goldberg)
I have recently had the pleasure of being the nursing lead on a project generously funded by the Nottingham Hospital Charity, which involved working with artists from The Nottingham Contemporary and The New Arts Exchange to bring art to patients with dementia in the hospital.
The Silence of Doctors Around Alzheimer’s
Just because the diagnosis of dementia can be difficult and treatments frustratingly limited doesn’t mean we can shy away from this disease. We need to face down our own uneasiness, confront our own disconcerting reactions, so that we may be there in full for our patients, their families and, indeed, ourselves.
An important Dec 2013 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report “A better life: valuing our later years”
What can help older people with high support needs to improve their quality of life? This research rounds-up JRF’s A Better Life programme of work and presents a vision of what life can, and should, be like for all of us as we get older.
From the Joseph Rowntree A Better Life, Old Age new thoughts site
Take some time to reflect. Listen to Sir Andrew Motion read his ‘Better life’ poem, view our exhibition of older people’s stories, take a look at our portrait gallery asking what it’s like to be 100 or find out more about this JRF project.
From the Demos.co site an important report, Aging Sociably, regarding the role of businesses in their communities with respect to supporting the social participation of older people
“Businesses can do more to support older people’s social participation…”
Our unique approach challenges the traditional, ‘ivory tower’ model of policy making by giving a voice to people and communities. We work together with the groups and individuals who are the focus of our research, including them in citizens’ juries, deliberative workshops, focus groups and ethnographic research. Through our high quality and socially responsible research, Demos has established itself as the leading independent think-tank in British politics.
An important report from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Ageing and Social Cohesion Programme
The programme was designed as a response to demographic change and explores social connectedness and the strength of com – munities in the UK and Portugal in the context of a rapidly ageing population.
There is a wealth of well thought reporting and research on the issue of society, aging and the important role older people should and can play in society. The “Listening to you: the baseline report from the Campaign to End Loneliness” is another such important statement.
Many respondents believe loneliness to be an important social issue (42% rated it as “very important”) and over half worried about becoming lonely in the future, though few knew where they would go to find help if they did feel lonely (42% did not know of any organistions or services). Many admitted to needing extra support themselves, including a staggering 19% who are in need of extra physical care. However, a third of respondents (35%) said they would like to do more to help others tackle loneliness, including a high number of individuals who despite contending with their own physical and mental health constraints expressed a sincere desire to do more. Much can be achieved by inviting individuals to help while ensuring unnecessary obstacles aren’t getting in the way of them contributing.
Brazilian Students Are Learning English By Video Chatting With Elderly Americans (Video)
An important 2011 report from the Centre for Social Justice:
Age of Opportunity is the second and final report of the CSJ’s Older Age Review, and proposes bold and wide-ranging solutions to the plethora of problems outlined in the 2010 report The Forgotten Age.
The report maintains that any attempt to tackle poverty in later life must begin with tackling social isolation. This can only happen if the statutory agencies which come across the most isolated work harder to maintain the kind of ‘vital connections’ with charities and community groups at a neighbourhood level
A Short documentary on how grandparents support families today across Europe by helping with childcare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bdlnYlzrp0&list=UUsqQ8fCSVr1ITlb-XvhH1Fw
From the New Old Age blog at the New York Times (tweeted originally by @NICElderly – A Conversation With Roz Chast
From the Alzheimers.net blog, How Art Therapy Enhances the Quality of Life for Dementia Patients,
“We would never have discovered my father’s talent,” says Dr. Potts, “if not for an art therapy program at a local adult daycare center, the Mal and Charlotte Moore Center for Caring Days. Dad’s creativity had profound positive effects on him and our family, and after his death we founded Cognitive Dynamics to bring these therapeutic opportunities to others in like circumstances.
An interesting article : Checkmating Alzheimer’s with mind sports, originally tweeted by (Michael Ciamarra @michaelciamarra)
“I never learned to play chess and really had no interest,” he said. “If learning a new activity like chess can postpone mental decline and possibly improve the health of my brain – why not!” Kevrick not only learned to play chess but also became an enthusiastic ambassador for the game sharing his new found passion with other seniors.
From the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York, “A Road Less Rocky – Supporting Carers of People with Dementia”
This research sets out simply what is needed and why, to make what is a difficult journey just a bit easier. The evidence is clear, straightforward and compelling. It shouldn’t be hard to put in place the information, advice and guidance carers of those with dementia are asking for and need and yet we know they frequently don’t receive it.
The Lonely Society, a report from the Mental Health Foundation:
Although many of us experience loneliness at one time or another, it is often overlooked or dismissed. Because our society prides itself on self-reliance, loneliness might carry a stigma for people who admit to it. This is both paradoxical and pernicious: if loneliness is transient, we simply accept it as part of life, but we have a deep dread of being lonely for the long haul. Loneliness might accompany depression or another psychological illness, but it has its own set of characteristics that have specific implications for our mental, physical and societal health. This report is aimed at raising awareness of loneliness and of the steps we can take to reduce isolation.
Measuring Social Isolation Among Older Adults Using Multiple Indicators From the NSHAP Study
The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) data contain multiple indicators of social connectedness, social participation, social support, and loneliness among older adults. We suggest that these indicators can be combined to measure two aspects of social isolation: social disconnectedness (i.e., physical separation from others) and perceived isolation (i.e., feelings of loneliness and a lack of social support). We use the NSHAP data to create scales measuring social disconnectedness and perceived isolation and examine their distribution among older adults.
WATCH THIS – Selfhelp Virtual Senior Center video “what motivated you to use technology“
And also – Selfhelp’s Virtual Senior Center Program: Changing Lives…Every Day
