Age and Dementia Friendly Practice Newsletter January 2025
Friendly Communities Newsletter January 2025 Friendly Communities is a project based at Leeds Older People’s Forum, working to make Leeds an Age and Dementia Friendly city. Contact: Elizabeth Griffin: elizabeth@opforum.org.uk Sarah Prescott: sarah@opforum.org.uk Tony Mullin: tony@opforum.org.uk Click here to subscribe to receive this newsletter News and Information ![]() Coming this summer to Leeds Playhouse -Through It All Together ![]() Howard and Sue, an ordinary couple with an extraordinary passion for Leeds United, are navigating living with dementia. Can Leeds United’s new manager, Marcelo Bielsa, inspire Howard, Sue – and the team – to get Through It All Together? The show runs from 23rd June to 19th July. People living with dementia are warmly welcome to all performances (even if they are Man United fans). Trained, dementia-aware staff and quiet spaces will also be available at dedicated Dementia Friendly performances. Find out more at the Leeds Playhouse website here New Age & Dementia Friendly Places in Leeds ![]() ![]() A warm welcome to the following organisations who have signed up as Age and Dementia Friendly in the last month: Health for All (Leeds) Feel Good Health Club, Leeds Lotherton The Arium Growing Old Gracefully If your organisation would like to pledge your commitment, you can download a copy of our free guide and sign up here to our Age and Dementia Friendly scheme. Every organisation who signs up receives: Age Friendly and Dementia Friendly window stickers, Free publicity via our searchable map, newsletter and social media. The opportunity to list your business or organisation as Age and Dementia Friendly on Leeds Directory, Regular Friendly Communities newsletter, Invites to networking events. Support in achieving your actions, including access to staff training Find details of all 200+ Age and Dementia Friendly places across the city on our map. Contact sarah@opforum.org.uk to find out more. Safe and Found Online Safe and Found Online is an online version of the Herbert Protocol – developed to help people living with dementia who have gone missing to get back to a place of safety as quickly as possible. Safe and Found Online is a digital platform where you can register a profile. This gives people living with dementia, their families and carers, the confidence that if they or the person they care for gets lost, the Police will have the best information possible to start looking for them right away. Find out more and register here New Banking Hub opens in YeadonA new banking hub has opened in Yeadon Town Hall. Banking Hubs offer easy access to face-to-face cash and banking in the heart of communities across the UK. They are owned by Cash Access UK and operated by the Post Office. The arrangements for the Yeadon hub are here. There is also a banking hub operating in Otley, more details here. Abbey House Museum Closure Consultation There is a proposal to close Abbey House Museum to the public, to make an annual saving of £160,000 starting in 2025/26, in response to the financial challenges facing Leeds City Council. The proposal is subject to public consultation, which is live until 23 January 2025. You can fill out the consultation online using the link below. If you require the consultation in a different format please email marketing.museums@leeds.gov.uk. ![]() https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/pQoMAtw/abbey-house-museum-consultation Brain training improved thinking, memory and attention in older people Researchers invited 6,544 people aged 50 years and older to take part in brain training activities that challenge people to think and solve problems. Half did brain training for 3 minutes every day; half completed fake exercises. After 6 weeks, compared with the fake exercise group, those who did brain training saw improvements in: · thinking and problem-solving · memory · attention. The improvements were small, but any improvement in older people’s brain health could have a big impact at the population level, the researchers say. Read more at the National Institute for Health and Care Research website here How men and women experience ageism differently revealed in new survey ![]() Women over 50 are more likely to say they feel they have been patronised, dismissed or ignored because of their age while men are treated rudely or aggressively, a new survey from the Age Without Limits campaign reveals. Read the full story here. Events Carers Leeds Dementia Workshops ![]() Carers Leeds are running a number offree workshops throughout January and February to support unpaid carers in Leeds. The informative sessions aim to provide practical advice and guidance on:Understanding dementiaCoping with unusual behavioursPractical ways to support someone living with dementiaLooking after yourselfMaximising your incomeMental capacity and planning aheadSupport for the person with dementiaEmergency planningThis workshops are open to unpaid carers only, and pre-booking is essential.To register, call the Advice Line at 0113 380 4300. Registration with Carers Leeds is required.For dates, venues and more information, visit www.carersleeds.org.uk/events/ or email advice@carersleeds.org.uk. Yorkshire Water Support SchemeYorkshire Water are offering information sessions for staff and volunteers within organisations which support people, to find out about the support schemes they have available. Please see below dates for the support scheme presentations: 14th January 2025 (09:30-10:30) Click here to register for 14th January 29th January 2025 (15:00-16:00) Click here to register for 29th January 11th February 2025 (09:30-10:30) Click here to register for 11th February 26th February 2025 (15:00-16:00) Click here to register for 26th February 11th March 2025 (09:30-10:30) Click here to register for 11th March 26th March 2025 (15:00-16:00) Click here to register for 26th March Information about the support scheme can be found on the Yorkshire Water website here. Want to Know More About… Healthy Ageing in Leeds10th February 2-3pm, online webinar offered by the Leeds Public Health Resource Centre ![]() The webinar is aimed at anyone working with adults in the city and interested in healthy ageing across the life course, including proactive and preventative work. It will be delivered by Hannah McGurk and Helen Laird from the Leeds Public Health Ageing Well team. The session will cover: An overview of healthy ageing and ageing well in Leeds, including data and the voices of older people. What we can all do to support people, and ourselves, to stay healthy in later life and to reduce the time spent in poorer health. Opportunities to get involved in work across the city, including being a part of Age Friendly Leeds. To book your place, please visit: Healthy Ageing Event Leeds Eventbrite Finding Our Way Together: Promoting Well-being After Loss Thursday the 13th of March – 11am to 12pm Join Ruth Owen, of Full Circle Funerals, for an interactive workshop considering grief, its psychological and physical impact and how we can support wellbeing after bereavement. This webinar is relevant to people working in NHS healthcare, residential and nursing care, community care and those in administrative support roles. It is also helpful for allied professionals such as solicitors and those supporting people in community organizations. This webinar will consider: Psychological manifestations of grief, How bereavement affects our physical body, Vicarious trauma vs professional bereavement, The pillars of wellbeing, Staying connected after bereavement, Continuing bonds, Supporting ourselves and others, Supporting children after bereavement. Book your free place here New Cafe for people with dementia opens in Calverley ![]() A new cafe in Calverley has started for people living with memory problems or dementia and their families and friends. Cafe Revive runs the first Saturday of every month from 2-4pm in St Wilfrid’s Church, Towngate, Calverley LS28 5NF. Warm and cold drinks, cakes, biscuits and fun activities will be available each month, with a very warm welcome guaranteed! . Please do come along and share with anyone who may be interested. For questions or more information please contact: kim@calverleyparish.church Upcoming café dates: 4th January; 1st February; 1st March; 5th April; 3rd May Digital drop-ins at Leeds LibrariesNeed help to use your tablet, smartphone or computer to try something new, say hello or get tech savvy? Every week there are several digital drop-ins at libraries around the city. Come along with your device or use a library PC and talk to friendly librarians who will help you get started. Find the dates and locations of the Digital Drop-ins on the Leeds Inspired website. Fall Into Place – Creative and Fun Drama Sessions for 2025Joyful Drama Group – open to all – Thursday’s 10:30-12pm at the Headingley Heart Centre, starting weekly from 9th Jan. Generation Squad – for older and younger people – Fridays 3 – 4:30pm at the Headingley Heart Centre, starting weekly from 10th Jan. Solace Drama – for people seeking asylum and refugees – Wednesdays 10:30 – 12pm, Solace, starting 22nd Jan. Find out more about Fall Into Place on their website here and if you are interested in joining please contact info@fallintoplace.co.uk. Get InvolvedOlder People’s Hub – Save the DatesLeeds Older People’s Forum (LOPF) wants older people to join our Hub to tell us how to make services for older people better. Join us for a cup of tea and a cake and share your thoughts. The next Older People’s Hub is being held at Age UK Leeds, Bradbury Building, Leeds, LS2 8JA on:Monday 3rd March 2025 – 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.No need to book, just come along.Please share amongst your networks and encourage others to join us. LOPF has a small budget to support people with travel needs. If you need help with transport give us a call on 0113 2441697. The Carers Leeds annual Carers Survey This survey asks carers about experiences, concerns and what matters. Carers Leeds will use the findings to improve their service and influence others in the city to act. Please complete it if you’re a carer; share with your networks and encourage any carers you meet to complete the survey. It takes 20 minutes, and there’s a prize draw to win an M&S voucher. The deadline is 20 January. Please complete online if possible: bit.ly/carersleedsannualsurvey2024. Paper copies are available, or the survey can be completed over the phone/in person with a member of staff; pop in to the Carers Leeds office or call 0113 246 8338. Independent Age – Hi DigitalHi Digital created by the Vodafone Foundation, offers free online resources aimed at helping people build digital confidence. Whether you’re new to the internet or have some experience but haven’t fully explored its potential, Hi Digital provides straightforward, step-by-step courses covering essential digital topics. For more information about Hi Digital, visit the Independent Age website. West Yorkshire Safer Roads – Op SnapOp Snap, is a response to increasing submissions of footage relating to driving offences that members of the public have witnessed.Until now, these reports have been submitted to the police in a variety of ways and so a streamlined process has now been developed to deal with them. This will hopefully make it easier for all involved. This portal can only be used for driving offences, it is not for submitting footage of Road Traffic Collisions or public order offences, and is not for reporting crime. More details can be found here Talking Transport: Upcoming meetings ![]() West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) want to hear your travel experiences to help inform their decision-making.New Talking Transport meetings are led by local Councillors who have responsibility for transport, in partnership with WYCA and the local authority. Operators of transport services in the area are also invited to answer questions about their services. Meetings will take place twice a year with people who shape the way transport works in your area. You’ll hear what WYCA are doing to improve transport locally and across West Yorkshire, and have the opportunity to ask questions and share your experiences. The first in-person Talking Transport meetings will happen in early 2025. There will also be one West Yorkshire-wide online meeting (webinar) in February.Upcoming meetings• Leeds Civic Hall, Calverley St, Leeds LS1 1UR (entrance on Portland Crescent): Tuesday 28 January, 3pm-5pm• Online webinar (West Yorkshire wide): Wednesday 19 February, 5pm-6:30pmHow to sign upIf you’d like to come to an in-person meetings or join the online webinar, you can:• Sign up via Your Voice page • Email yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk• Phone MetroLine on 0113 245 7676 Have your say on the new West Yorkshire Climate and Environment PlanHelp shape the emerging Climate and Environment Plan for 2025 – 2028. In the draft plan, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority set out the areas to prioritise and actions needed over the next four years. They also explain the longer term vision for reaching net zero by 2038. They need to hear from you to make sure they’re prioritising the right things to reduce our regional carbon emissions. Your feedback will help to shape the final plan for 2025 to 2028. Please complete this survey by 31st January 2025 Leeds City Council budget – Have Your Say Take part in the annual budget consultation and give your thoughts on what is proposed. Like councils up and down the country, Leeds City Council is facing significant financial challenges. By taking part, your views will help make sure decisions made are in the best interests of the city and the people who live, work, visit and study in Leeds. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete and closes at the end of Wednesday 8 January. To have your say click here Resources NHS Low Income Scheme The NHS Low Income Scheme is set up to help people pay for: NHS prescription charges. NHS dental treatment charges the cost of sight tests, glasses and contact lenses the cost of travelling to receive NHS treatment NHS wigs and fabric supports (check with your hospital for their arrangements for supplying NHS wigs)How much help you get depends on your weekly income and necessary outgoings, plus any savings or investments you have at the time you apply. If the amount you have left is low, you may be able to get help through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Any help you’re entitled to is also available to your partner, if you have one. If you have already paid for treatment, you can apply for a refund at the same time as you apply for the scheme. Applying online A new service is currently being trialled whereby some people can apply online for the NHS Low Income Scheme. You can only apply online if you do not have capital or savings of over £6,000.To apply, you must be at least one of the following: a pension era student earning a wage receiving state benefits living in a care home. Information on the scheme can be found on the website: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-schemeIn the ‘How to Apply’ section there are links to order an HC1 form to be printed and delivered, or the HC1 form can be downloaded to fill online here: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/nhs-low-income-scheme-lis/. Forms should also be available from GPs and Job Centres. Support for family carers providing personal care for people with dementia Family carers often face challenges adapting to the role that providing personal care brings, and this can be worsened by lack of knowledge and skills, information, guilt and embarrassment. The challenges around personal care are often a tipping point for the person living with dementia to move into a care home. The caringhelp website provides information and advice for family members and unpaid carers who are supporting a person living with dementia. It has a particular focus on personal care which covers a range of topics such as: helping someone with washing, bathing, and using the toilet; teeth, hair and nail care; dressing, shaving and personal appearance; and hearing and vision. Free data through the National Databank at O2 stores The National Databank works like a foodbank but provides free data, texts, and minutes to support those facing data poverty.O2 is offering free mobile data to those most in need, helping people stay connected to essential services like banking, job hunting, and staying in touch. Leeds O2 stores at Trinity, White Rose, and Crossgates now provide access to the National Databank, co-founded by O2 and Good Things Foundation, the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity. For more information about Free data through the National Databank at O2 stores, visit the O2 website. Carers Corner There is a new section of the Leeds Directory – ‘Carers Corner’ – which includes a wide range of information for carers aswell as signposting to local and national support. Carers Corner can be accessed from the home page of Leeds Directory Home | Leeds Directory or directly Looking after family or friends | Carers Corner | Leeds Directory Living with Dementia in LeedsUseful information and links to sources of support: Leeds City Council Dementia webpage Leeds City Council Dementia support advice Dementia Friendly Leeds webpage The Dementia Support LineAlzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support Line is available for anyone affected by dementia who needs advice or support. If you, or anyone you know, would like to speak to someone, please consider getting in touch. Some friendly support and advice can make all the difference. Call: 0333 150 3456 Click here for Dementia Support Line information Dementia UK leaflets, videos and 24 hour HelplineLooking for information or advice about dementia or Alzheimer’s? Call Dementia UK‘s Dementia Helpline for free on 0800 888 6678 for support from their dementia specialist Admiral Nurses. The Helpline is open from 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturday to Sunday. You can also order FREE Accessible Easy Read Leaflets from Dementia UK. The leaflets cover lots of subjects and areas like tips on communication when someone doesn’t remember you, pain and dementia, and creating a life story. They have a number of useful videos on subject such as understanding changes in behaviour – watch HERE Leeds Directory ![]() Access to vetted and rated trades for essential and urgent repairsHelping people stay safe but socially connectedhttps://www.leedsdirectory.org/ |