Sign up to help cure the stigma of dementia

‘We need the whole community to get on board and help us make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city’ – Cllr Ricky Henderson

A new awareness campaign has been launched today (Monday 16 February) to highlight the stigma associated with dementia, and the little things we can all do to help.

Devised in conjunction with Edinburgh residents who have dementia and their relatives, the campaign is part of ongoing work by the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian and Alzheimer Scotland to make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city.

Stigma and lack of understanding are major barriers for people with dementia according to 66% of people who responded to a recent Alzheimer’s Society survey. The research also revealed that 35% of people with dementia only go out once a week or less.

The new campaign includes a radio advert featuring people affected by dementia and a poster campaign for bus shelters, shops, pubs, clubs and pharmacies. It aims to tackle the stigma often associated with dementia and encourage people to be more aware of the condition. It also highlights how we can all play our part to make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city.

Six key ways to help a person with dementia and help them to feel included have been summarised as part of the initiative:

Learning more about the facts;
Show patience, for example if someone is having problems with their words;
Include them in conversations;
Being kind and show respect;
Helping them to join in;
Be a friend.

Health, Social Care and Housing Convener, Councillor Ricky Henderson, said: “With the numbers of people with dementia in Edinburgh continuing to rise, it’s important to address some of the myths about dementia which can lead to people feeling excluded from the community.

“There are little things that everyone can do to support and encourage people with dementia so that they feel confident enough to continue with day-to-day activities such as shopping and getting out and about. This may be a friend with dementia or someone that they meet in the course of their job or in their local neighbourhood. We need the whole community to get on board and help us make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city.”

Helen Hay, Regional Manager of Alzheimer Scotland, added: “Many people don’t understand dementia and think that a diagnosis means that a person is immediately incapable of working or carrying on with their daily routine.

“The campaign will help break down some of the barriers people face when they tell others they have dementia. Simple things like being included in the conversation and being asked to take part in social activities like going to the theatre can make a big difference to a person’s quality of life.”

A number of activities will take place in the city throughout the campaign, including dementia awareness sessions with retailers, councillors, Council and NHS staff. Members of the public are also being urged to become more dementia aware by signing up to Alzhiemer Scotland Dementia Friends programme, www.dementiafriendsscotland.org

A ‘dementia friendly’ performance of Plutôt La Vie theatre company’s production ‘Clean Sweep’, co-hosted with the Festival Theatre, is one of the events planned.

It will be attended by people with dementia, their friends and family and is specifically designed to provide an accepting environment and relaxed atmosphere for people with dementia.

Cerin Richardson, Learning and Participation Manager, Festival City Theatres Trust, said: “The Festival and Kings theatres have been developing work for children and young people with additional needs through their Relaxed Theatre programme and are delighted to be expanding their participation work to include people living with dementia and their families, so that they can take full advantage of the performances in our theatres.”

Find out more about the campaign at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/dementiastigma

Another patient tested for Ebola

A patient is being tested for Ebola at the Western General Hospital after feeling unwell on returning from West Africa. The patient, who has not been named, was admitted to the specialist unit at the Western earlier today.

The test results are likely to be known later tonight or early tomorrow morning.

NHS Lothian Nurse Director Melanie Johnson said: “A patient who recently returned to Scotland from West Africa has been admitted to our Regional Infectious Diseases Unit (RIDU) at the Western General Hospital after reporting a raised temperature.

“The patient will be screened for possible infections and as a precaution will be kept in isolation. We have robust systems in place to manage patients with suspected infectious diseases and follow agreed and tested national guidelines.”

Pauline Cafferkey went out to Africa to assist in the Ebola aid effort and became the first Scot to be diagnosed with the disease when she returned to Glasgow in December. Transferred from the Western to London’s Royal Free Hospital after tests proved positive, the nurse was in a critical condition at one point but has since made a strong recovery.

STV Appeal cash for Young Carers

Edinburgh Young Carers Project receives £2,000 from STV Appeal 2014.

Edinburgh Young Carers Project (EYCP) was established in 1994 and is the main provider of services to assist young carers to cope with the stress and complexities of their family situation. The project aims to increase awareness of young carers and ensure they get support through EYCP, schools or in their local communities.

EYCP supports around 150 young carers annually between the ages of five and 20. The project aims to improve the quality of life of a young carer through helping them maintain a balance between the responsibilities of being a carer and their own needs for time and space for their own personal development through their childhood and adolescence.

The STV Appeal is committed to making a difference in the lives of children and young people living in poverty in Scotland. Across the country, 220,000 children live in poverty and figures from the Campaign to End Child Poverty show that in Edinburgh it’s actually 21.1% of children – more than one in five. Edinburgh Young Carers is one of the projects the STV Appeal is supporting in Edinburgh.

Margaret Murphy, CEO of Edinburgh Young Carers, said: “Young carers often give up a lot through taking on roles and responsibilities caring for a family member and we seek to provide them with understanding, time off and a chance to be the children they are to develop their social skills and to have fun.

“The generous donation from the STV Appeal will be used to support the 1:1 work EYCP provides for young carers who have difficult caring situations, or who are experiencing a particularly difficult period in their lives. We have found that providing this individual support makes a big difference in helping them to cope.”

Since launch in 2011, the STV Appeal has raised over £8.2 million with 297 big and small grants distributed to projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, providing much needed support to over 37,000 children. The money raised is distributed to provide practical help like food and warm clothes; create opportunities for training and employability; and enable social and emotional support for those who need it most.

Rob Woodward, STV CEO and trustee of the STV Appeal, said: “The money donated to the STV Appeal remains in Scotland and will help bring about a positive change to the lives of vulnerable children and young people on our doorstep. With the help of the extraordinary fundraising efforts taking place in communities across the country we have raised an incredible £2.6m in 2014 allowing us to make grants to 297 projects. We are extremely grateful to everyone who supported this year’s Appeal.”

The STV Appeal 2015 is now well underway with an exciting line-up of fundraising activities planned for the year ahead.

TRIM: just a minute …

From the board at Tenants and Residents In Muirhouse please find attached our Minutes for Meeting on 10 February 2015 (below).

10.2.15 TRIM MINS

Tenants & Residents In Muirhouse (TRIM)

Website – http://muirhouseresidents.co.uk
Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/trimgroup
Also on Twitter – http://twitter.com/MuirhouseTRIM

Power to Switch: government encourages energy consumers to shop around

A new government campaign has been launched to encourage consumers to shop around for the best energy deals

13.5 million households across the UK are missing out on their share of £2.7 billion by sticking with their energy company, according to the Department of Energy & Climate Change. They say that by shopping around and taking advantage of the best energy deals on the market, millions of people can save around £200 – and some can save even more.

The ‘Power to Switch’ campaign, launched today, encourages people to switch supplier and save money by visiting www.BeAnEnergyShopper.com. With 26 energy companies on the market and some fixed deals £100 cheaper than they were a year ago, there’s never been a better time to find a great deal, switch and save.

Launching the campaign, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: “When it comes to switching, the power is in people’s hands to get a better deal and save. We’ve reformed the market so that there are more suppliers, more competition, and a much faster and simpler process to switch. That means millions of people can switch supplier and save hundreds of pounds today.”

Energy and Climate Change Minister Amber Rudd said: “We’ve already taken £50 off bills and now we’re urging people to take advantage of the most competitive energy market we’ve ever had to save hundreds of pounds. With Ofgem’s strengthened Confidence Code for price comparison sites, people will be able to have greater confidence than ever before that by switching, they’ll see real savings.”

The Government’s programme of energy market reform includes:

Halving switching times – it now takes only 17 days to switch energy supplier down from 5 weeks last year;
Encouraging new suppliers on to the market – there are now 20 independent suppliers;
Legislating to back Ofgem reforms that force energy companies to make energy bills clearer – and providing information for customers about how to switch.

Ofgem has recently strengthened its Confidence Code for price comparison websites, setting tighter standards on how tariffs are displayed with websites given until the end of March to comply.

Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert, said: “We need to shout loud about the benefits of switching tariff. Too many people think energy firms are ‘all the same’. That’s far from true, there are huge differences on both price and customer service.

“The worry is that news of recent price cuts, even though they were paltry, will have given many false confidence that they’re on a decent deal. Examine the figures and the ugly truth is very different.

“Even after price cuts, someone on a Big 6 supplier standard tariff with typical use will pay £1,158 a year, whereas switch to the cheapest tariff and they’d pay just over £900 a year. So it’s worth people taking 10 minutes to see if they can save themselves £250 ― at an hourly rate of £1,500 if someone else was offering this to you as work, would you turn it down?”

The ‘Power to Switch’ campaign will run for four weeks and will include national, regional and online advertising, encouraging people to switch and save.

For more information about how to switch energy supplier visit www.BeAnEnergyShopper.com or call the Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234.