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News & Events
Stay up-to-date with developments at Dementia Care Partnership - our mental health services, campaigns and fundraising efforts, etc - by browsing through the news stories below.
To be alerted of news, events and other information as it is added to our website, register your details with us by subscribing to our newsletters.
Journalists who would like to speak to our experts, find out more about our latest new and events or receive press releases should please contact our Media and Public Relations Office.
Click on each of the news headlines to read the full details for that story.
DEMENTIA CARE PARTNERHSIP LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
Dementia Care Partnership (DCP) has launched a new website www.dementiacare.org.uk to provide up-to-date information on its services, facilities, learning and job opportunities.
www.dementiacare.org.uk offers a user friendly approach to providing a wealth of information that will be of value to clients, carers, social workers, anyone with an interest in mental health, organisations that may wish to replicate our services, as well as the general public.
Visitors to www.dementiacare.org.uk can find out how DCP was first formed, its pioneering alternative approach to supporting people with dementia, its track record, and philosophy. There is information on the various services that DCP provides including the social, leisure and learning opportunities available at the £2.6m purpose-built Bradbury Centre in Brunswick Village. There are lots of fundraising ideas and examples of how people can support DCP, its clients and carers by being a volunteer. Making a donation has been made easy by donating online, and current job vacancies as well as training that is available is easily accessible. There is also the opportunity for visitors to write in with queries and problems.
People who have a visual impairment or prefer to read larger text can visit the text only version of the website at www.dementiacare.org.uk/text where they will be able to enlarge the fonts, change the background colours and foreground colours to suit their requirements. They can also use other forms of browsers eg text browsers, speech synthesizers, etc.
People who would prefer to hear about the services and facilities we have on offer can visit www.dementiacare.org.uk/audio
"This website will provide clients, carers, mental health specialists, internet browsers, and the general public from within the UK and around the world to have a clearer perspective of what Dementia Care Partnership is all about," said Carol Greenwood, PA to Chief Executive.
Commented Roger Wallis, Chair of DCP’s Board of Trustees, "With more and more people going online both locally and internationally, including charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises, putting Dementia Care Partnership on the Internet seemed to be the logical way forward.”
NEW BRADBURY CENTRE TO OPEN SOON
Dementia Care Partnership leads the way with a major ground-breaking development
DCP’s £2.6m purpose-built Centre for people with dementia, older people with other mental health problems, and their carers, will soon be opening its doors.
The ‘Bradbury Centre’ has been created to incorporate best practice and will focus on social, leisure, and learning opportunities to promote independence and well being. DCP has taken a holistic approach by focusing on the whole family and listened to their suggestions about the type of services and facilities that will make a big difference to their lives. The Bradbury Centre is unique in that many of the facilities will be available to the local community.
The Centre opens into a light, airy and welcoming Piazza, where people, irrespective of illness, disability or background can come with or without their families.
The Restaurant and Coffee Shop will provide a social focal point and welcomed by the local Brunswick Beech community, especially older members. A variety of delicious meals, competitively priced will be available
Day activity rooms will provide a wide range of activities such as music, dancing, joinery, indoor bowls in the ‘noisy activity room’ and in the ‘quiet room, activities such as yoga, reading, sewing. In addition there will be many outside activities such as swimming, rambling and gardening.
People from different cultural backgrounds will be encouraged to share and teach skills and traditions in the multi faith room.
The health and fitness room will be run by trained staff to help our clients improve strength and mobility, and enhance well being. These facilities will also be open to the local community at specified times.
The information technology room will offer access to the Internet and enable clients to keep in touch with family and friends via e-mail. A tutor will hold regular computer sessions.
There will be 5 bedrooms and communal lounge/kitchen for overnight short term breaks providing respite for people with early onset dementia and older people from the black and minority ethnic communities and their carers.
The Training and conference facility with its modern equipment will provide in-house training and external training. The rooms are also available for hire.
The hairdressing and beauty therapy room will be rented out for this service and also for complimentary therapies such as reflexology and Indian head massage to help improve mental and physical well-being and boost confidence and self esteem.
DCP is grateful to the following major funders for helping to make the Centre a reality: Bradbury Foundation, Zurich Financial Services, Wolfson Foundation, Lloyds TSB Foundation, Tudor Trust, Northern Rock Foundation, Rank Foundation, Henry Smith Foundation, Dunhill Medical Trust, Sir James Knott Trust, Charles Hayward Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and Percy Bilton Charity.
RESTAURANT AND COFFEE SHOP OPEN
The Peaches restaurant and coffee shop, overlooking the piazza, is the place to go for excellent value meals. We also cater for celebrations (birthday, Christening etc), and training/conference events. For further information please email: info@dementiacare.org.uk
PATHFINDER STATUS FOR LIFELINE SERVICE
PATHFINDER status has just been awarded to an innovative health and social care provider based in Brunswick Village.
The Dementia Care Partnership (DCP), based at the Bradbury Centre, was one of only 25 organisations nationally, and one of three in the North East, which were selected by the Department of Health’s Social Enterprise Unit to receive the prestigious status.
This is a great honour for DCP which only two months ago, scooped the first prize of the Specialist Services Category held at the Chelsea Football Club. The Positive Practice award was sponsored by Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP), part of the Department of Health.
DCP will now lead the way in delivering their own special brand of health and social care services. Lessons learned will be shared across the health and social care sector. One such service on offer within this trailblazing organisation is the residential short break service which has been described as a holiday retreat by people living with dementia and their families.
“This service is a lifeline for me” said Mrs Boanas whose husband was a former company chairman and now has dementia.
People who have been diagnosed as having dementia or a condition that affects the memory would benefit greatly from this service. Anyone who needs to give their family a break from constantly worry about them and would like to stay in a hotel-style environment just for a few days, can take advantage of the excellent facilities on offer including a coffee shop, restaurant, gym and many exciting activities – or just peace and quiet.
Helen Bell, Registered Manager, said “Separation from loved ones causes more anxiety for someone who has dementia, and this service offers an ideal opportunity for carers to stay with their loved ones, allowing them to gradually get used to the place. The service is also flexible; people can use it for one day, over a weekend, a week or more … whatever suits the family situation.”
“DCP is the only organisation in the north east that offers respite care where client and carer can stay together.”
When someone is caring for a person who has dementia there may come a time when they think – “if only I could have a couple of days to myself, be pampered, use the hairdresser, complementary therapies or the gym”. But they may be anxious about leaving their loved one in a residential home, nursing home or in hospital respite care. Staying together in the short break centre but having quality time to themselves while their loved one is enjoying the activities, may be just the place for them.
Anyone who comes from a different cultural or religious background or struggling to find somewhere for a relative for a break where people can understand their cultural background, speak the language etc, then this service is also an ideal opportunity for a family member to stay or make use of DCP staff who have the relevant language skills.
Clients using the service have the option of eating in privacy or in the restaurant, can take part in all of the indoor and outdoor activities run by the day club. More importantly they become familiar with a number of Telecare devices such as mobility sensors, bed sensors, fall detectors, pill dispensers etc and are able to use them at home if they wish. This helps to reduce perceived risks and enables them to live independently and longer in their own homes.
This residential short break or holiday retreat is one of the services which DCP is planning to set up as a social enterprise supported by the Department of Health.
What an achievement for a charity which 12 years ago brought a group of carers together to develop and deliver services for people with dementia.
DCP constantly listened to the views of people with dementia and their families and with them has systematically set out to develop and deliver services they needed as alternative solutions to residential care.
Rani Svanberg, Chief Executive, said “The voices of people with dementia are constantly listened to and influence the thinking and practice throughout DCP. By walking alongside them and sharing their experiences led to designing and building the Bradbury Centre in the heart of the Brunswick community. People may have dementia, but they showed us that they should not be discriminated or excluded from society or opportunities others take for granted; irrespective of whether they have dementia or not they have the ability to contribute and should enjoy the same rights to live as any other citizens. They are no different to you or I, and very much part of their families and communities.”
To deliver this concept DCP embarked on a capital project to build a Centre to incorporate a restaurant, coffee shop, activity rooms, fitness suite, hairdressing and complementary therapies, activity rooms, training facilities, residential short break, HQ, and garden.
Following the official opening of the Bradbury Centre by the Duchess of Northumberland in November 2005, there has been overwhelming support from the local community who regularly drop in for lunch or a coffee, celebrate special events, and use the gym.
In particular, the support from volunteers is remarkable, bringing their valued skills and expertise to the Centre by playing the organ each week, working as receptionists, teaching dancing, drama, bowls, photography, providing Indian head massage, Bowen therapy, aromatherapy, crafts - as well as fundraising.
With the underpinning of investment of the Social Enterprise start-up fund, DCP will be able to focus on transforming some of the services such as the restaurant, coffee shop, gym, home support, day services and residential short break into social enterprises. In addition there are plans to set up a ‘Volunteering and Employment Agency’ specialising in recruitment and the training of volunteers and employees and developing a Training Enterprise working in partnership with the Northumbria University, involving people with dementia and carers in the training.
DCP has a strong belief that day services offering meaningful social, leisure and learning opportunities are vital in reducing social isolation and mental and emotional well being. There is a diverse range of activities at the Bradbury Centre which the clients have identified, including music, dancing, singing, rambling, golf, swimming, drama, cooking, painting, to name a few. These activities will now be expanded to include ‘Young at Heart’ fitness classes, additional gym classes, as well as extending the hours of the day club into the evening so that carers can have the opportunity to engage in social/learning activities previously denied them. The day clubs at the Bradbury Centre and Shafto Court, Benwell have been so successful that a new day club in Hexham has been commissioned by Northumberland Care Trust.
DCP also works very closely and meets regularly with the local Brunswick community members to discuss partnership working and development of services to benefit the community. Several ideas that were suggested will now be possible to put into practice including theme nights, meal service to people who are isolated, computer classes, healthy eating clubs, evening functions, and a dance teacher is starting Latin American dance classes at the end of February.
A project that the local community group are excited about is a ‘community productive garden’ in the large garden area that was barren until the Duchess of Northumberland donated 21 fruit trees to create an ‘Alnwick orchard’. A large area was grassed over with funds raised by Zurich Financial Services and there are plans for an allotment, sensory garden, children’s play area, memorial garden for a founder trustee, and water feature. A ‘square foot gardening’ scheme will involve local people to plant crops in their ‘square foot’ to grow their own produce and create a ‘cottage industry’ selling jams, jellies, fruit pies to benefit DCP and the community.
John Winter, chair of the local community group, said, “the community has accepted DCP as part of the village and part of the community; which is what we all wanted.”
If you would like information on any of the services, including carers’ forums please contact Carol Greenwood, Dementia Care Partnership, Bradbury Centre, Darrell Street, Brunswick Village, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 7DS. Telephone 0191 217 1323. Alternatively, you can drop in between 9am-5pm Monday-Friday where a member of staff will welcome you.
“Dementia Care Partnership is the best model of a dementia care service I have ever seen in the UK. It provides an ideal basis for developing services which empower people with dementia and their carers within the life of their local community. The Journal of Dementia Care looks forward and is committed to publishing regular updates on the progress of DCP as it transforms some of its services into social enterprises, with active involvement of people with dementia as citizens.”
Sue Benson, Editor, Journal of Dementia Care
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