Resources
Notes on interacting with dementia sufferers (64Kb, PDF format)
The Bible Reading Fellowship has a section entitled The Gift of Years through which they aim to inspire, equip and enable every church across the UK to meet the spiritual needs of older people wherever they may be – in congregations, in residential care, in their own homes and in the community.
Care Network Cambridgeshire provides help for older, isolated and vulnerable people living in Cambridgeshire – enabling them to remain independent and maintain social contact with friends and the community. They equip, encourage and enable volunteers to support local people to lead a happy, healthy and independent life. Their work focuses on three areas: practical help, information & advice, and local groups.
Arts Picturehouse dementia-friendly screenings are held in Cambridge on the third Friday of each month. They aim to make cinema more accessible to local dementia communities by providing a fun and inclusive experience to enable people living with dementia, their families and carers to attend the cinema in a safe and welcoming environment.
The Dementia Services Development Centre, based at the University of Stirling, is an international centre of knowledge and expertise dedicated to improving the lives of people with dementia.
Understanding Dementia: Symptoms, causes, types, and treatment is a helpful resource from Pacific Medical Training in the US.
Helpful Website: Prof John Wyatt, author of “Matters of Life and Death” and “Dying Well” has a helpful website with articles and podcasts on many topical, ethical subjects including the Assisted Dying Bill. From the website you can subscribe to his newsletter. https://www.johnwyatt.com/
“Research Handbook on End of Life Care and Society” is a recently published book edited by Prof David Clark and Dr Annemarie Samuels and available for free online as a PDF. https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook-oa/book/9781035317349/9781035317349.xml
Attendance Allowance
Attendance Allowance is a non-contributory Social Security benefit paid to elderly ‘disabled’ people in the United Kingdom. The benefit is intended to provide support for those who live independently but might otherwise need to go into residential care. It is paid by the Department for Work and Pensions. You could get £72.65 or £108.55 a week to help with personal care because you’re physically or mentally disabled and you’re aged 65 or over.
It’s paid at two different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability. The payment is not means tested, so any elderly person can apply for it, or someone on their behalf.
If you are eligible for the payment, you will receive it from the day that you initially telephone for the forms. In order to receive attendance allowance you do not have to have someone coming in caring for you ‘in attendance’. The money can be used to make it possible for you to get more support – for whatever your needs are.
| Attendance Allowance helpline: | Telephone: 0345 605 6055 Textphone: 0345 604 5312 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm |
| Website: | https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance |
Lasting Powers of Attorney
A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document which, when active, allows someone you trust (the appointed Attorney) to act in the place of the person for whose benefit it has been created (the Donor). More than one Attorney can be appointed to act either jointly, or jointly and severally (alone or together). An LPA makes it possible for the Attorney to act on behalf of the Donor if they become ill or increasingly unable to deal with their own affairs.
There are two kinds of LPA introduced by the Mental Capacity Act 2005: a ‘Health & Welfare LPA’ and a ‘Property & Financial Affairs LPA’. Either type can be made at any time.
You can fill in the application forms on line, or you can download the application forms for both kinds of LPA and the information booklets which accompany the forms on line. Or you can telephone and ask for paper forms to be posted to you – in which case the forms and all the instruction booklets will be sent to you. (A warning: they may take up to three weeks to arrive!)
Some people prefer to enlist the help of a solicitor to set up Lasting Powers of Attorney; many practices have solicitors who specialise in advising re matters pertaining to ageing and the care of the elderly.
Parish Nursing Ministries UK – Real Nurses in Real Communities
This ministry has recently been brought to my attention again as it celebrated its 20-year anniversary!
It is autonomous, holistic nursing with a neighbourhood focus and in the diverse parts of the country where it is working, it seems to be delivering a timely, patient and much-needed service.
Here is a link to their website: https://www.parishnursing.org.uk/about
Is it something you or your church could support?