April 2014 Page 1 Dundee Service Newsletter ;Hi, everyone and a warm welcome to our latest newsletter. It’s lovely to see the sunshine and I hope everyone is looking forward to a wonderful long hot summer. As many of you will probably be aware there have been a few changes in the management structure at the Dundee Service. Gabrielle Colston is now the Deputy Regional Manager working with the Regional Manager on a more strategic level. Mary Gibson is Acting Service Manager and will remain in post until a new manager is appointed. The changes in management have not impacted the service as we have all been extremely busy ensuring that the Dundee Service maintains its high standards. The staff all work extremely hard to ensure that people with dementia and their carers are supported and valued and have fun with the team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers who give up their free time and help out at DRC. The volunteers play such an important part, and we are so grateful for their hard work and commitment. . They are not only an extra pair of hands, but also a very valuable asset. Dates for your Diary:Dementia Awareness Week Week commencing Monday 2nd June 2014 Innovation, Research and Technology in Dementia Alzheimer Scotland Annual Conference 2014 - Friday, 6th June at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow. For more information please contact us on 01382 210200 Best wishes Mary Gibson Acting Service Manager Musical Memories Hi David here – thought I would update you on the choir. We have renamed ourselves “Total Recall”, very short and modern, as that is what the choir is all about. Our Christmas concert was an amazing success, our very first public performance. So a BIG thank you to the choir, and everyone who came along to support us. I also want to say a heartfelt thanks to Denise for stepping in whilst I was unwell, and for the choirs enduring patience during this time. We have decided the theme for our next concert is “A night at the musicals”, performing a selection of our favourites from Musicals and Shows. We will probably have an evening performance on 26th of June at 7.00pm at The Old Steeple Church, Dundee City Centre which will cater for people who work during the day. Tickets are £5 and are available from Dundee Dementia Resource Centre. Total Recall are always looking for new members, there is no audition and you don’t need to be a professional singer; just come along and join us in The Old Steeple Church, Dundee City Centre every Friday 1-3pm. SOMETHING NEW My aim is to set up a music/percussion group where we can learn exciting rhythms on some interesting instruments and discuss our favourite music. The group will have between 6-8 members each week lasting for a block of 8 weeks. If you are interested please contact me. Many thanks, your Maestro David. Dundee Service Newsletter Page 2 Dementia Awareness Week 2014 Carer Support Worker I am now back in the role of Carer Support Worker and I am very happy to be back in this position. I look forward to getting back in touch, supporting you all again and seeing you all at the drop in café. I am going to be off until approximately the 5th of May but will be getting in touch with people on my return to work to set up home visits and re-establish relationships as well as meeting people who are new to the service. I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Broughty Ferry 11.30-1pm. We have had lots of interest from individuals from the world of football. Please come along and support this exciting new project. For more information please contact Nadia on 01382 210200. I am also hoping to hold a football memories event in June, watch this space. Cinema Group I had mentioned before about having a cinema group, maybe once a month, anyone with an interest or requiring more information, please call me. Vanessa Black Carer Education and Information Sessions Dementia Advisor Update It has been a very busy few months for me; we have had lots of new referrals and enquiries at the Resource Centre looking for information, advice and activities. Both of the drop in cafes are extremely busy and are a great resource for information gathering and peer support. The presence of Sharon McLeod from the Dundee Carer Centre at the Monday cafe has been invaluable. Thanks Sharon! Broughty Ferry Dementia Café The café in Broughty Ferry is a joint venture with Alzheimer Scotland and Dundee Carer Centre and has been a great success. Michelle Donoghue from action on Hearing has been present at every café and has been kept busy replacing hearing aid batteries, cleaning out the tubes and offering advice and support to people with hearing loss. We have also had great support from Linda and Audrey, 2 of the pharmacists from McPherson Pharmacy in Broughty Ferry. I am awaiting news about some funding to have the café twice a month. Hopefully won’t be too long, but I will keep you informed. Football Memories Fantastic news the first session of Football Memories is to commence on Tuesday 27th May at the St Aidans Centre, Brook Street in We currently facilitate a joint education programme with other statutory and voluntary organisations. These sessions are held 3 x year. Consisting of 6 week blocks, once a week. For more information or to book a place contact me at DRC. Dementia Awareness Week I have been very kindly offered the use of a retail unit in Broughty Ferry to set up a charity shop to raise much needed funds to help with setting up new groups and to support the people who use DRC. I B Murray and Sons have offered the unit from 2nd of June – 16th June; I am also looking for good quality goods and donations that we can sell, raffle or auction. Offers to help in the shop, and pricing of goods and setting up would be much appreciated. Thanks Nadia Tea Dance – St Aidans Centre, Brook Street, Broughty Ferry The tea dance is going from strength to strength. Jack and Frances would be glad to welcome new dancers of all capabilities. The next dance is on Saturday April 26th 1-3pm. Frances- 01382 500096 Dundee Service Newsletter Page 3 Dementia Awareness Week 2014 Tayside Health Arts Trust We are currently involved in THAT’s Creative Engagement Project at the DRC. We would like to invite you to join us in a small exhibition of our work on Monday 21st April 2-4pm at the Resource Centre. Refreshments will be provided. Early Stage Service Now that the winter is behind us we can start to make plans for the next few months. At present we have our men’s group who meet weekly and we also hold a monthly football memories meeting within this group. There is a weekly snooker group on a Thursday at the local community centre. There is also is also the opportunity to go the Fairmuir Club on a fortnightly basis to enjoy a game of pool, dominoes and darts. Food and drink can be bought here also. We have a history group which meets on a Wednesday afternoon every 2 weeks at the resource centre in Morgan Street where we talk about the good old days sharing lots of memories! The ladies group also enjoy meeting once a week for a ladies lunch at a place of their choosing. We also have a lovely allotment that is looking for some TLC so if you are interested please let us know, the more the merrier. We would like to offer other activities such as walking groups, chair exercises, tai chi…the list can go on but the most important point is that we are here to provide a service that you would like. If you have a particular interest and feel that we can provide the means to make it accessible to you, please let us know. If you have a skill which would be of interest to others we would love to hear about it. We look forward to all your suggestions to enable us to give you the service you would like. Yvonne Scottish Opera Some of the people we support are currently involved in a local project with Scottish Opera. The artistic theme for the work is focused on Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. There will be a performance on Tuesday 17th June at 6.30pm in the Steeple Church, Nethergate, Dundee. For information and tickets contact us on 01382 210222 Many thanks to all who support the Dundee Service, and I hope that we see you all around at some of the upcoming events. Regards Mary Dundee Service Newsletter Dementia Awareness Week 2014 A 24-hour telephone answering service is available at Dundee Service. If you need to talk to us- just leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. www.alzscot.org Have you visited our website? If you have access to the Internet then you can log on and get a wide variety of information sheets and find out more about Alzheimer Scotland’s work. Registered Office: Alzheimer Scotland National Office 22 Drumsheugh Gardens Edinburgh EH3 7RN Alzheimer Scotland is a company limited by guarantee and is recognised as a charity by the Inland Revenue. Registered in Scotland No. 149069. Scottish Charity No. SC022315. Page 4