Creating Helensburgh’s new DRC (part 4)

The long-awaited official opening of the new Helensburgh Dementia Resource Centre took place on Friday 22^nd January allowing us to finally offer the facilities and space which we have recognised as being needed in order to best serve people with dementia in our local community.

Alzheimer Scotland in Helensburgh has come a long way from our small beginnings in our previous Resource Centre which allowed us to establish ourselves as an organisation within the local community and to grow both in size and reputation over the past five years. We aimed to provide a new Resource Centre which would enable easier access to information and advice for people with dementia, their family carers and the local community in which all those people live.

In addition we sought to provide better opportunities for all those living with dementia to engage in activities which will stimulate the brain, reduce isolation and enable them to support each other.  The new premises provide us with flexible space which is already being used creatively to provide Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Groups; Book Groups; Reminiscence Groups including the well-loved Football Memories and Peer Support Groups. In addition, Carers and Relatives are able to engage in a number of Carers’ Support Groups which are offered both during the day and in the evening and provide a tremendous opportunity for people who care for a relative or friend with dementia to share experiences and to help each other generate solutions to particular difficulties they may be facing.

The centre is also the base for a Home Support Service which provides personalised care to people living with dementia, promoting their independence and enabling them to keep connected with their community.

Another opportunity which we are keen to maximise is that of providing training and awareness about dementia and the new premises, which includes a well-equipped training room, is the ideal venue. Our intention is to offer dementia awareness sessions to staff and volunteers both from within our own organisation and from other local care providers and also to host Dementia Friends sessions to the wider community, helping everyone to see the difference which small changes made by individuals can make to the overall experience of living with dementia.

It is our hope that the new Dementia Resource Centre located right in the heart of Helensburgh will help to support the local community to talk about dementia and that people will be helped to live well with dementia.

THANK YOU FROM ALL AT HELENSBURGH DEMENTIA RESOURCE CENTRE

There is still time to get involved in our new centre, contact us for more information on volunteering and fundraising HRC@Alzscot.org

https://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/alasad/helensburgh

Let’s Talk About Dementia Resource Centres (part 1)

Creating Helensburgh’s new DRC

Over the coming 4 months we want to take you on our journey as we create a new dementia resource centre in the Heart of Helensburgh.

In 2010 Helensburgh Services opened one of Alzheimer Scotland’s first DRC’s with the support of Helensburgh & District Branch and a group of very enthusiastic volunteers.

This was a brave step in taking dementia into the high street, however very quickly we realised the community of Helensburgh was right behind us with our volunteer team growing from 10 to 25 in the first 6 months.

Why Move

Over the past 5 years we very quickly outgrew our current premises, often having to hire venues that were not always suitable for the events & groups we wanted to host. Our dementia advisor often had to meet with people with dementia & families in coffee shops and our staff found themselves having meetings in the kitchen as the office was too busy.

The Challenge

Premises have been a challenge to source and we have had our hopes dashed a number of times over the past couple of years. We needed to find somewhere that was central, that had space we could use flexibly for a variety of activities while being a welcoming environment for people looking for information, advice and support. The space also needed to be fit for a growing staff team and that could accommodate a Community Outreach Service.

We need YOUR help

We now need to grow out volunteer group to allow us to have the DRC operational as often as possible and offering a variety of opportunities for people living with dementia and their families. We also need to raise £100,000 – that will enable us to create a DRC that is fit for the future and that the community of Helensburgh is proud of.

Please take a moment to support the build of our new DRC by donating to our JustGiving page here. 

To get involved, fundraise or follow our progress email me at jarmitage@alzscot.org or visit our local facebook page.

 

Creating Helensburgh’s new DRC part 2

…next month we will show you what we found and how work is progressing…right in the Heart of Helensburgh!

Jean Armitage, Policy and Engagement Manager, Alzheimer Scotland

@jean5724

My remit as a Policy and Engagement Manager with Alzheimer Scotland is interesting and varied with four main areas of work – Membership engagement, Representation and policy, Fundraising and Supporting & working with Branches.

For me it is about ensuring people’s views and experiences inform policy makers’ decisions, that voices are listened to at both local and national level and that people are enabled to get involved in the way that suits them.