How to support our members living with


Dementia


Dementia is now the leading cause of death in the UK, new figures have revealed, with heart disease falling to second place. One in three people over 65 will develop dementia, and two-thirds of people with dementia are women.


At the moment there is still no cure for dementia although there are some drugs that can slow the progression and can greatly improve the quality of life for those who are living with the condition. Research is moving forward and REPoD (Rotarians Easing Problems of Dementia) has just launched the RED Box appeal with Alzheimer’s Research UK encouraging Rotarians to donate their spare change at the end of club meetings. A similar Rotary appeal in the USA has raised over $5.4 million to go towards research projects.


The sad truth about this disease is that so many of our own members are now being diagnosed with dementia or are caring for a loved one with the condition. However, receiving a diagnosis of dementia doesn’t mean that you should immediately put your life on hold. There are still many things you can carry on doing; in fact research has shown that remaining active and keeping your social links going for as long as possible can in itself slow down the progression of dementia.


So what can we do to help support our fellow members who may be living with dementia or caring for someone with this disease?


• Understand a bit more about what dementia is and how it affects people. You can do this by arranging for your club to have a Dementia Friends session. These are easy to arrange via a local Dementia Champion. In fact there are now many trained Rotary and Inner Wheel Dementia Champions who can provide these sessions. www.dementiafriends.org.uk.


• Find out ways to encourage and assist both those with dementia and their carers to keep coming to meetings and social events for as long as possible.


• Liaise with the Rotary Club members to see if you can pool your efforts. Even if the person with dementia or their carer isn’t a member, they can still lend a hand.


• Organise a taxi rota to help bring those who are no longer able to drive to the club.


• Arrange home visits and outings. Spending 20 minutes or so sitting with someone with dementia in their home environment can also give a carer some much needed respite.


• Organise special knit and natter or craft making coffee mornings. These informal social events can be very therapeutic for both carers and those with dementia. You can use these sessions to make fidget quilts,


sensory pillows and twiddlemuffs or create memory boxes (for more information on these dementia friendly items visit www.repod-int.org).


• Offer to take the person with dementia to the local Memory Café or any local Dementia Friendly events such as swimming and walking. This will also provide the carer with some respite.


• Offer to create some easy to heat up freezer meals. Having food easily available for those with dementia who may be living alone and for overworked carers can be a real life- saver.


• Provide twiddlemuffs or fidget quilts at club meetings. If a member with a later stage dementia is feeling anxious at being in unfamiliar surroundings these offer a calming distraction.


• Organise a Reminiscence session as part of a club meeting and ask members to bring in an item they can talk about. Long term memory stays well preserved in people with dementia and talking about moments from the distant past can be a fun and therapeutic activity for everyone.


These are just some ideas as to how you can support your members living with dementia. If you have any other suggestions or questions then we would love to hear from you.


Geri Parlby REPoD (Rotarians Easing Problems of Dementia www.repod-int.org / geri@repod-int.org


Lunch for Chas


On 28th October the Inner Wheel Club of Girvan (D 23) held a fundraising lunch in aid of CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland). CHAS is an organisation which provides support and care for families with a baby, child or young person who has a life shortening condition.


As well as hospice care given at Rachel House, Kinross and Robin House, Loch Lomond, there is “CHAS at Home” service which supports many families across Scotland. The families are so appreciative as they gain support in many ways including, most importantly, being given the chance to experience happy memories in an otherwise very sad situation.


Fundraising all goes to help as the care provided is free of charge. There was a happy atmosphere at our fundraising lunch, and many photos were taken of people enjoying the nourishing soups and delicious desserts.


Mary Ballantine - Girvan


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Innerwheel


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