My time with Meeting Centres

The March Meeting Centres UK webinar was led by Professor Dawn Brooker MBE who was reflecting on ‘My time with Meeting Centres’, or as she also called it, a retiring Professor’s reminiscence session. Although Dawn retired as Director of the Association for Dementia Studies (ADS) at the end of March, she was very clear that […]

My time with Meeting Centres

Keeping Seniors Safe in the Bathroom

Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for injuries resulting from a fall. And, it’s estimated that 80% of these falls happen in the bathroom.

Home Care News by Comfort Keepers®

Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room forinjuries resulting from a fall. And, it’s estimated that 80% of these falls happen in the bathroom. Fall-related injuries can range from minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises to more severe injuries, including broken bones, hip fractures, head contusions, and even spinal cord injury.

It’s easy to understand why bathrooms are particularly hazardous for seniors. Bathrooms tend to have slippery surfaces and nothing to grasp in order to prevent falls.

As we age, reduced muscle strength and balance can make falls more common, and those with a history of falls have an even greater risk of falling again. In the bathroom, this can occur when stepping into and exiting the tub or shower; when reaching for a towel bar, sink top, or other objects for balance when walking; and when sitting down and getting up from the toilet.Installing safety…

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The New Golden Girls: Baby Boomers are Moving in Together to Save Money

The growing interest in home sharing, especially for those boomers who are house-rich and cash-poor in expensive housing markets, is being cultivated by nonprofit and commercial programs as well as municipalities. Since 2015, New York, Seattle, Denver, Tucson, Northern California and the metro Washington area all have established or are launching programs.

the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers® blog

Retirement insecurity and rising housing costs prompt more older adults to move in together

By Soo Youn, The Washington Post, February 25, 2022

Jodi Raffa poses for a portrait at her home in Groveland, Fla., this month. She has been searching for a roommate for more than a year to help offset the drastic reduction in her household income after her husband died. (Octavio Jones for The Washington Post)

Jodi Raffa has been searching for a roommate for over a year. Her husband passed away five years ago, and compounding her loss was a 75 percent reduction in her household income.

The 76-year-old lives in a sunny three-bedroom, two-bathroom home overlooking a lake in a 55-and-over community in Groveland, Fla. The sunsets from her back porch are “stunning.” However, the homeowners association fees just went up again and inflation has left her “flabbergasted.”

“I live on a very strict budget and…

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Deinstitutionalisation should remain a priority for EU funding

There should be a greater focus on social housing and on facilitating the process of access to available social housing.

The European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care

EEG’s analysis of Recovery Plans and recommendations for 2022 European Semester

The European Semester represents an important process to strengthen not only economic and fiscal reforms but also social inclusive policies among the European Union (EU) Member States. While the 2021 European Semester mechanisms had been halted to allow a better response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2022 European Semester goes back to its original cycle with the adoption of country reports and country-specific recommendations by the European Commission. It will, however, still pay particular attention to the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs). In order to inform the European Semester outputs, the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-Based Care (EEG) has consulted its members and gathered information on the process of deinstitutionalisation (DI) and on the development of community-based care. The EEG has been focusing on 12 Member States being Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic…

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Challenging behaviours? The importance of language

The position of the Official Solicitor was that residential care was too restrictive. As there is the possibility that moving to a residential placement could be a permanent move, counsel argued that it was in NC’s best interests to remain where he was, especially as he is only 60, so his age is not typical of a care home population.

Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection

By Daniel Clark, 15th March 2022

On Monday 28thFebruary 2022, at 10:30am, I observed a hearing (Case no. 1351116T Re: NC) before DJ Eldergill sitting at First Avenue House London.

In addition to the judge and the two barristers (counsel for the Local Authority, Michael Paget, of Cornerstone Barristers,  and counsel for NC via the Official Solicitor, Simon Maddison, of St John’s Buildings), NC’s social worker was also present.

I was the only public observer at this hearing, which was a bit daunting at first but I soon relaxed as a result of DJ Eldergill’s welcoming demeanour. 

This hearing was exclusively virtual, and held on MS Teams. I received the link 13 minutes before the hearing, and then received the parties’ Position Statements 10 minutes before. As they were both quite short, this gave me the opportunity to read through them, and they gaveme an insight…

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Why funders must take a new approach to disability

Caroline Collier, CEO of Inclusion Barnet, talks about how the Trust’s Strengthening Voices, Realising Rights programme is supporting Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs).

Imagine you’re a woman leading an organisation devoted to women’s rights, working hard to attract funding to promote your cause. Challenging of course, but if you do good work and tell your story in the right way, you will hopefully sustain your organisation and be able to meet at least some of your goals.

Now imagine doing that in a slightly alternative world where the women’s rights organisation you run has to compete for funding with lots of other women’s rights organisations, but with a key difference: almost all your competitors are run largely by men. Imagine that these men-led groups have stronger brands, greater resources, the confidence of funders and the ear of government when it comes to setting out what they believe women want. Imagine that the biggest problem you’re battling is that no one can really conceive of an effective organisation being run by women anyway, because you’re not seen as competent, so everyone’s happy for women’s rights groups to be run by men on their behalf.

As hellish as I trust that sounds, it’s largely analogous to what Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs) face in the UK today. As mostly local, grassroots organisations, it’s hard to compete against the big disability charities (largely run by non-disabled people), build a brand or gain traction with our messaging. We are mostly under the radar of the public at large. Nonetheless, there are DDPOs up and down the country quietly doing some amazing work, and ready for opportunities to do more.

Read in full at…

Source: https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/news/why-funders-must-take-a-new-approach-to-disability/

Under unprecedented pressure: The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman’s Report on COVID and Care

Nonetheless, the report states that COVID-19 exposed fault lines in council and care provider systems which were already present, and added pressure to pre-existing weaknesses caused by Government cuts. Dealing with complaints was stated to be a “casualty of the crisis”, with complaints teams struggling to cope due to being overstretched and under-resourced. It is therefore possible that the impact of COVID-19 may continue whilst a backlog of issues remains, and that more COVID-related complaints may be forthcoming. Whether that leads to claims is once again a wait and see…

BLM HEALTH AND CARE BLOG

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (the Ombudsman) has issued a report on the impact of COVID-19 on local authorities and care providers, dealing with the significant increase in pressure on these services caused by COVID-19. The report covers the period 1 April 2020-30 November 2021, reflects on complaints made by service users and members of the public and identifies common issues arising from such complaints.


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The evolution of Meeting Centres in Scotland

“A Meeting Centre is a local resource, operating out of ordinary community buildings, that offers on-going warm and friendly expert support to people with mild to moderate dementia and their families. At the heart of the Meeting Centre is a social club where people meet to have fun, talk to others and get help that focuses on what they need. Meeting Centres are based on sound research evidence of what helps people to cope well in adjusting to living with the symptoms and changes that dementia brings”

Association for Dementia Studies Blog

The first webinar in the new series took place on 25th February, and joining Dr Shirley Evans to speak about the work that’s been going on in Scotland around Meeting Centres were:

The webinar started with Shirley giving a brief description of what a Meeting Centre is, to make sure everyone was on the same page. Essentially:

“A Meeting Centre is alocal resource, operating out of ordinary community buildings, that offers on-going warm and friendly expert support to people with mild to moderate dementia and their families. At the heart of the Meeting Centre is a social club where people meet to have fun, talk to others and get help that focuses on what they need. Meeting Centres are based on sound research evidence of what helps people…

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A Guide to Getting Rid of Almost Everything

Once you’ve thanked and said goodbye to the items that do not spark joy, what can you do with them? Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, February 21, 2022 online Kids have no interest in the loot amassed by their materialistic boomer parents. Illustration by Anna Haifisch Lately, I, a maximalist, have been yearning to be […]

A Guide to Getting Rid of Almost Everything

“This allows us the illusion of being minimalist. We’ve substituted spiritual clutter for stacks of paper.”