Practical Resources

Traditionally, Dementia Friendly Keighley used resources within their group activities to help engage with people living with dementia and create a welcoming and familiar environment. The resources would spark conversations and provide opportunities to reminisce.

As groups and activities had to stop or change format due to COVID-19, Dementia Friendly Keighley wanted to ensure that people living with dementia still had the opportunity to participate in activities in the home, receive relevant information to support families at this incredibly difficult and stressful time and use a range of communication to keep people living with dementia and partners up to date.

Each of the summaries below provide you with a brief on what we did, why we did it, outcomes, learning points and what next. If delivered in partnership, we have listed the partners and added testimonies from people who have participated, delivered or volunteered.

1. Information & Support Centre
Information & Support Centre 
Aim/Situation 
OutputOutcome
Learning PointsExtra
1. Information Sheets & Audio
Aim & SituationOutput
Concerns over trustworthy information available for our families and ensuring they are accessible and meeting their needs.We provided over 21 Information Sheets to help families and health professionals to get ‘bite size’ information on different aspects of dementia, both in written and audio format for our communities.
Outcome
The Information Sheets ensured:

  • A range of trustworthy bitesize information for people living with dementia, carers and health professionals to create awareness and support.
  • Information provided in audio and written to enable more people to access the information.
  • Our BAME communities could access the resource and translated in to Urdu and Bangla.
  • To be used in home visits and community health appointments.
Learning PointsWhat’s Next?
To keep the information sheets short and to the point Signpost to other resources if more detail is required.To develop further resources and work with other local communities to translate appropriately.
Partners
Click here to find out more about our partnership with Meri Yaadain CIC.
To see the Audio Information Sheet playlist, click here

To view the ‘Caring for the Carers’ PDF, click here.

To view the ‘Caring for the Carers’ in Urdu PDF, click here.

To view the ‘Caring for the Carers’ in Bangla PDF, click here.

To see our full list of Information Sheets, click here.

Partner Testimonial

Mohammed Akhlak Rauf MBE – Founder & Director of Meri Yaadain – “I think we are bringing together the expert by experience, lived experience and a work experience to ensure your resources will offer equity to BAME people living with dementia and those caring for them.

I am convinced the resources will be a great asset and will enable a wider cohort of people to engage with DFK, access appropriate information and seek support from the expertise of DFK staff; as well as supporting DFK to offer a wider range of informational resources to service users.”

2. Videos
Aim & SituationOutput
We wanted to use other methods of communication to promote our
services and activities and to also provide general awareness. To be
used on social media, but also in surgery waiting rooms and shopping
centre screens. Our promotional videos needed adapting due to
COVID-19.
To adapt the promotional videos to include COVID-19 messages,
provide a video promoting the importance of early diagnosis and what
happens at diagnosis to support our communities.
Outcome
The videos will:

  • Create awareness of changes to services and activities and show people what takes place in the sessions
  • Create an awareness of the importance of early diagnosis
  • Create an opportunity to promote what happens at diagnosis and reduce anxiety for poele pending an appointment.
  • Be provided in community languages
Learning PointsWhat’s Next?
Partners
Click here to find out more about our partnership with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Tai Chi Session

Watch Video

Music & Movement Session

Watch Video

Social Group

Watch Video

Drop-in Centre

Watch Video

Dementia and COVID-19: Memories in Lockdown (Commissioned by CMBDC)

Watch Video
3. Resources
Aim & SituationOutput
Due to lockdown and local restrictions all of our groups and activities stopped. To ensure people living with dementia still had activities to occupy them, we worked with The Memory Tree to develop and deliver home-based resources.40 packs were made up and delivered to suit people living with dementia and their carers. The packs reflected individual needs and were provided person centred activities. Packs included history books, reminiscence, sports, pictures, jigsaws, bingo sets, DVD’s, magazines, dominoes, quizzes, wordsearches, crosswords and aqua paints.
Outcome
The resource packs help to:

  • Increase mental and social stimulation
  • Create conversation
  • Boost self-esteem, mood and improve quality of life
  • Keep active and maintain skills for longer
  • Reduce challenging behaviours as it kept the person engaged, and occupied
  • Worked with 18 different families
Learning PointsWhat’s Next?
  • To implement a robust cleaning schedule and set time aside for cleaning and re-assembling packs
  • To not underestimate the support these packs give to the carer, either as respite or for themselves to participate
  • These didn’t work for all families as people preferred face-to-face
These packs are still available, although demand is less now that groups are opening and restrictions are being lifted.
Working with Care Homes to see if they would benefit for copies of their own.
Partners
The Memory Tree supported this project and continue to deliver this service across Bradford. Click here to find out more about our partnership with The Memory Tree.

Carer Testimonial

Pam (Carer) and John (Living with Dementia). – “We found the resources very useful for both of us. John did sometimes lose interest due to a deterioration of his dementia, but he did enjoy looking at photos of places and loved the quizzes.

I felt the resources kept John engaged and stimulated during lockdown. We used to attend the Respite and Reminiscence sessions and DFK are very good and willing to help and listen”.

Partner Testimonial

Elizabeth – The Memory Tree – “In July 2018 DFK contracted us to run the Respite & Reminiscence service (R&R) which ran every Thursday to offer carers the opportunity to have a break of up to 2.5 hours to go and do their shopping/attend appointments/just have a quiet coffee whilst we ran activities in the DFK Office for the person with dementia. Due to COVID -19 this stopped…

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Carer Testimonial

Howard – Carer of a loved one living with Dementia – “We have used the resources that Nichola has delivered to our home and we have found them enjoyable. Having the resources at home during lockdown made life easier as we has something new to do.

We could use them when we wanted, for a short time and come back to them during the day. DFK are part of our life and we enjoy their activities.”

DFK Resources Catalogue

        

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