Come along for a very festive morning with Christmas Carols and mince pies at the Centre!
We would love to see you for our last Tea & Toast and Golden Hour of the year! 
A huge thank you to EVOC and The Postcode Lottery who have funded all of these sessions this year.
PILTON COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT from 6 – 9pm
At M Club tonight we’ll be meeting at Pilton Community Health Project for some snacks, hot drinks, Christmas crafts and good chat.
Join us and SHE Scotland CIC from 6pm.
Animal care charity Pet Fostering Service Scotland is calling for an end to restrictive housing policies after its service has seen a record number of people looking to put their pets up for fostering.
The charity has seen over 1,000 enquiries to use Pet Fostering Service Scotland’s aid this year, a rise in over 20% compared to last year, and is now unable to find a foster home for all pets of owners in need, which could result in pets not having a safe place to stay.
With pets often abandoned by the people they depend on for care and support, Pet Fostering Service Scotland helps those in emergency situations who are eager to keep their furry companions.
Due to a multitude of reasons, pet owners can experience serious disruption to their home lives, often resulting in the dilemma of how to survive whilst also keeping their beloved pet.
Pet Fostering Service Scotland is a charity which has been supporting pet owners for 40 years. Now, the charity is calling for a ban on restrictive housing policies.
Those who have been evicted and made homeless can often feel there is no option other than to abandon their pets. According to the charity implementing less restrictive housing policies could avoid situations like these taking place.
Often accommodation for those who have either been made homeless or require refuge has a no pet policy. There has also been a rise in pet owners looking for new accommodation that accepts pets, currently having to wait one year for suitable housing to become available.
As a result, Pet Fostering Service Scotland has had to put pets into fostering for a year or longer, which is detrimental to the animal’s health as it is too long a period. This can also be distressing for owners due to the loss of consistent and familiar companionship provided by pets.
The cost-of-living increase has had a significant impact on finding temporary accommodation for those who have been made homeless, as most housing options exclude the homing of pets.
Pet Fostering Service Scotland has processed over 1,000 enquiries for pet care across Scotland this year. 37% of those were from people in a homeless or re-housing situation and as a result could not care for their pets in the short term.
Bob Sinclair Chair at Pet Fostering Service Scotland said: “For those who have been made homeless or are facing an emergency situation, being housed alongside their beloved pet is so important.
“The significance of the companionship between a pet and owner is important for wellbeing for both sides. Changing restrictive housing policies and allowing pets into temporary accommodation could be life changing for these individuals and result in far fewer abandonment scenarios.”
The Pet Fostering Service is non-chargeable and relies solely on donations for the work they provide, and volunteers can apply to become pet fosterers.
Pet fostering gives volunteers the companionship of a pet without the long-term responsibility and can bring a sense of reward from helping those in need, both human and animal.
The charity currently has over 300 volunteers.
If you are interested in fostering a pet or want to hear more about the charity, please visit https://www.pfss.org.uk/
AN Edinburgh home specialising in dementia care has launched a pet therapy programme to combat loneliness and improve general wellbeing.
A group of three different therapets and their handlers have been visiting Cramond Residence each on a monthly basis to provide companionship and encourage residents to be more active throughout the day.
Elaine Vallance, Lead Lifestyle Coordinator at Cramond Residence, said: “Our residents thoroughly enjoy therapets’ visits and we always know when they are in the building as residents all have a big smile on their faces.
“They all offer a calming presence when in the building, their visits always leave everyone in high spirits, excited for the next visit – the simple act of stroking a four-legged friend can slow down the heartbeat and reduce blood pressure.
“Pet therapy can provide a calming effect and help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation.
“Our visiting therapets are among the 500 registered therapets around Scotland, currently providing emotional support to elderly residents who cannot maintain the upkeep of a pet full-time.”
According to Alzheimer’s Society, caring for an animal can provide a sense of purpose and be a helpful stress relief source to individuals with dementia who may be struggling with depression.
The home understands the importance of interacting with animals and the benefits this has on emotional, physical and social wellbeing.
The furry friends visiting the home have proved major hits alongside the varied activities programme at Cramond Residence which includes day trips, gardening and arts and crafts, all designed to keep residents stimulated and engaged.
Launched in 2018, Cramond Residence offers uncompromising nurse-led care, as well as specialist services such as respite and dementia care. The care home currently has 74 residents spread across nine luxuriously-appointed homes.
Residential life is full of activities, freshly prepared meals and top-class facilities, ensuring that all residents enjoy a rich and satisfying life at the care home. The facilities provided include a cinema, functional exercise room, a games room and also a fine dining experience offering residents the opportunity to invite their family members in for a meal.
Each resident also receives a personal care plan from health care professionals which is continually assessed and revised, ensuring that residents have access to the best possible level of care.
Cramond Residence offers tours of their quality accommodation and facilities in the north of Edinburgh. The tour allows potential residents and their loved ones to see the residence for themselves, meet the team and discuss any additional requirements.
To find out more, call 0131 341 4037 or visit https://cramondresidence.co.uk/
We are delighted to be part of @SPFLTrust Winter Response Fund 2023
Starting 25th January we have a free lunch offering for our community to attend
In our community hub space we have hot meals and access to wi-fi / devices, book swap & clothing bank.
With COVID restrictions easing, a care home in Giffnock has opened its very own pub, bringing joy to the residents and the staff.
The team at Eastwood Court Care Home, on the outskirts of Glasgow, worked with an occupational therapist to look at ways of improving residents’ quality of life and provide a sense of purpose for those living in the facility.
The ‘Staying Inn’ pub opened in April and the bar has proven to be a huge success, with residents enjoying the odd sweet sherry, a quick half or even just some sparking water, improving both the mental and physical health of the bar’s patrons along the way.
Fiona Gibson, Care Home Liaison Occupational Therapist at East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said that since working with the home to increase resident engagement, they have been able to reduce patients’ medication, stress and distress in residents with dementia and increase their food and fluid intake.
She said: “The opening day was brilliant and one of the staff said it was the best day they had experienced since COVID and lockdown. Residents can put their nice clothes on, have a drink, enjoy a pub quiz and during things like the Euros or the Platinum Jubilee, we had the bunting up.
“More than that, when loved ones come to visit, they can visit a place that has some meaning for residents and not just be in a room with a bed.
“They can choose if they want a beer, or a wee sherry or some chips and pub grub. Living life to the fullest doesn’t end because you’re in a care home and what we know is that when we can provide an occupation focused service for people, the overall mental health and wellbeing outcomes for residents improve. Everything that occupies your time is so important to your continued wellbeing and prevention of mental and physical health decline.”
Fiona worked with the Elizabeth Casson Trust to secure a grant to establish the bar, with donations from local businesses helping to kit it out, creating a purposeful space that residents value and enjoy.
Eastwood Court’s Activity Co-ordinator, Catherine McAllister, said: “We have regular pub quizzes, domino and musical afternoons, as well as the odd darts tournament. We’ve made mocktails and held a “forget-me-not” fundraiser in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.
Catherine and activity co-ordinator colleagues, Lesley Brown and Jennifer Duffy, worked hard to bring the bar to life.
She added: “We have a TV in our bar which allows residents to an alternative programme to our lounge, offering choice. The Staying Inn provides a relaxing and calm environment for our residents.
It’s a perfect environment for everyone, with a wide choice of drinks to choose from our dementia friendly menu, which are served with snacks. Our residents are really enjoying our new pub and we hope they will continue to do so.”
Fiona also paid tribute to the care home staff. She added: “The team have brought the Staying Inn to life, working really hard to turn it into a reality and with our guidance and support, it really is a place that brings joy to everyone who uses it.”
The bar brings additional health benefits, combatting loneliness and isolation and, in some cases, bringing a renewed sense of purpose.
Emma Walker, Lead Occupational Therapist for Mental Health and Recovery Services in East Renfrewhire added: “It’s about improving quality of life and making sure people are functioning and engaging at their best.
“When you are in a care home, people’s functions can deteriorate quite quickly because other people are doing things for them, which can mean people lose all sense of purpose. That can lead to an increase in stress and distress and it can become a vicious cycle where physical and mental health decline.
“We’re trying to reverse some of that through tailored, holistic interventions to help people to reach their potential, even if that’s just basic things like getting their own shoes on to go to our wee pub.
“One resident was telling me about what she liked when going to the pub and her favourite tipple was a wee Babycham mixed with all sorts. There’s a lot of life to be had in a care home, no-one is calling last orders yet!”
Pictured: Residents and staff enjoy some time together at the Staying Inn pub.
SPFL clubs and associated community trusts (ATCs) across Scotland are bringing Christmas cheer to those that need it most this year by taking part in the biggest ever Festive Friends programme during the holiday season.
Festive Friends is a brilliant opportunity for clubs to give back to their local communities.
The programme is now in its sixth year, with 41 SPFL clubs taking part in the campaign this year.
The campaign has the largest fund ever this year, a total of £100,000, which means the SPFL Trust will be able to more than DOUBLE the number of people clubs are able to support.
As such, the programme is expected to support over 3,000 people this year.
It’s been a tough few years for everyone due to Covid-19, but of course it has been especially difficult for the elderly who are at higher risk of social isolation.
Festive Friends brings Christmas cheer and companionship to elderly people who are socially isolated and at risk of being alone during the festive season.
Almost 4,000 people have enjoyed an event in the last five years and last year’s new-look initiative, when it was not possible to hold events due to physical distancing rules, was also a huge success with over 2,800 people receiving Christmas hampers in doorstep visits.
Hampers contained food, snacks, essential toiletries, gifts, games and more. Some clubs even brought video messages from managers and players; others had players make personal deliveries.
This year club staff and volunteers will continue to visit participants with hampers, or welcome them to their ground to enjoy a hot Christmas lunch, fun and games, a club gift, and transport there and home.
Tommy (84), who lives in rural Perthshire, received a Christmas hamper from St Johnstone Community Trust ‘Saints in the Community’ last year.
Tommy self isolated during the first national lockdown in Spring 2020. The lack of social interaction and the loss of his beloved football had taken its toll on him physically and mentally.
He was thrilled to receive a hamper which was packed with festive goodies, a memory lane activity book, and a bonus video message from first-team player Stevie May.
Tommy said: “The gift box was full of lovely stuff. I like when Saints come to visit and we can have a chat about the games. I don’t always remember all the scores, but Danny [former St Johnstone FC player Danny Griffin] keeps me right.
“The wee activity book took me back, it’s no substitute for talking to others about the game, but it brought back nice times.”
SPFL Trust CEO, Nicky Reid, said: “Festive Friends is a real highlight of the year for me and my colleagues at SPFL clubs. It’s all about good old fashioned Christmas spirit – bringing club staff and volunteers together to reach elderly people who are at risk of social isolation.
“Scottish football is trusted to support, and our recent research shows that almost 83% of people live within ten miles of a SPFL ground – because of this clubs and their associated community trusts are well positioned to effect this type of change in their communities.
“This year 41 SPFL clubs are involved making it our biggest programme yet, supported by a record breaking fund of £100,000. We look forward to supporting more elderly people than ever before, after all kindness never mattered more.”
For more information on Festive Friends visit:
www.spfltrust.org.uk/festivefriends
MONDAYS at 11am
#ChatCafe is back
#FaceToFace in @RoystonWardieCC Mondays at 11am
Booking is essential so please contact carlasayer@pchp.org.uk 07595589343
The UK government intimated yesterday that Britain’s over-70s will ‘soon’ be told to self-isolate for four months to stop the spread of coronavirus. Things are moving at breakneck speed, though, and that ‘soon’ is NOW – and hundreds of older people across the city will find themselves without much-appreciated daycare centres TOMORROW.
Older people’s organisations were advised this morning that their daycare services should be ‘stepped down’ from TOMORROW. Local services affected include Pilton Equalities Project and Drylaw Rainbow Club Daycare Centre in Drylaw Church, who have been asked to devise alternative ‘social distancing’ provision.
Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership contacted organisations in receipt of grants at 11.30 this morning. It said:
‘I am writing to you as recipients of grants and as organisations that currently run activity based services for older people in Edinburgh. I wanted to share with you that today we wrote out to all providers of day care opportunities for older people to confirm a difficult decision that we have taken as a Partnership, which I’m sure will not come as a surprise, in light of the recent Scottish Government guidance published last week (attached for your reference).
It has been recommended that long term care facilities be subject to ‘social distancing’ to reduce the risk of infecting residents and their carers. This includes social isolation in rooms and removing communal mealtimes wherever this is possible. This will be a difficult time for many people and these are not decisions taken lightly but ones to reduce the risk of mortality in this particularly vulnerable group.
We have therefore decided to suspend all our own day centres and step down commissioned day opportunities until further notice.
We have advised providers that Monday arrangements should continue as planned with service users, carers and families informed that this will be the last day of service for the foreseeable, as in the current evolving circumstances, we are struggling to justify bringing vulnerable people together.
We of course acknowledge that there is significant therapeutic and social value but we cannot in good faith increase the potential risk of harm to people that we support. For this reason, I am certain that you will understand and agree that this is the right decision to be taking just now, based on what we currently know.
We would strongly recommend that you do the same, and stand down your current grant funded activities. Where possible, we would also ask that you activate your business continuity plans and ensure that you can provide alternative provision, targeted at those that need it most to remain independent and safe at home.
Those for whom attendance at your services provides an alternative to a contact which would otherwise be homecare, we would ask you to look at in relation to essential visits and telephone contact arrangements, where possible. If this creates additional demands that cannot be met you should contact Social Care Direct in the first instance so that any additional needs can be considered accordingly.
We will be reviewing the risk profile of all our services and endeavour to return to ‘business as usual’ as soon as, on balance, it is the right and reasonable thing to do. I cannot hand on heart tell you when this might be, the next period is somewhat unprecedented. We’re therefore going to need to be resilient and support each other.’
An attached letter from Judith Proctor, Edinburgh Health & Social Care’s Chief Officer, said:
‘I am writing to confirm a difficult decision that we have taken as the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership which affects either you personally, a family member, or someone you care for.
I want to reassure you that we are taking all available measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of our service users and our carers. At this current time, based on what is known of COVID-19 and other similar respiratory viruses, it is likely that older people and those with chronic medical conditions may be more vulnerable.
Recent Scottish Government guidance recommended that long term care facilities be subject to ‘social distancing’ to reduce the risk of infecting residents and their carers. This includes social isolation in rooms and removing communal mealtimes wherever this is possible.
We have therefore decided to suspend all our own day centres and step down commissioned day opportunities until further notice.
This means that as of 17th March 2020, if you, or someone you care for, regularly attends a day centre, this will no longer continue. We will of course review this decision regularly, as we learn more.
This will be a difficult time for many people and these are not decisions taken lightly however in the current evolving circumstances, we are struggling to justify bringing vulnerable people together. We cannot in good faith increase the potential risk of harm to you or your loved ones.
For this reason, I am certain that you will understand and agree that this is the right decision to be taking just now, based on what we currently know.
Alternative arrangements are being made to ensure that you personally, or someone you care for, continues to receive the support needed to remain at home and they will be contacted to confirm what these arrangements are.
This may include home visits, telephone contact arrangements or alternative arrangements to meet individual needs.
Staff at PEP have spent the day reorganising the service they can provide to their clients, many of whom are frail and elderly.
PEP Manager Helen Tait said: “We are planning to identify the most vulnerable and provide meals, and things like shopping – if there is anything left on the shelves, of course! All staff will be supporting our service users where needed.”
A spokesperson for Drylaw’s Rainblow Club Daycare Centre said: “The Centre will still be staffed and are open for anyone that requires care at home, shopping or meals. If you know of anyone requiring our services please call us on 0131 343 6643.
“These are difficult times – lets all pull together and keep safe.”
The Campaign for Real Ale has launched a campaign to promote the important role that pubs play in tackling loneliness and social isolation, such as offering free dinners for the elderly or hosting chatty table schemes. Continue reading CAMRA celebrates pubs that tackle loneliness and social isolation
