Edinburgh care home residents do Memory Walk for Alzheimer Scotland

Residents and staff at an Edinburgh care home have joined a fundraising challenge that pays tribute to people with dementia by walking more than three miles around their gardens.

More than a dozen residents and staff from HC-One Scotland’s Murrayfield House Care Home have teamed up to take part in Alzheimer Scotland’s Memory Walk fundraising campaign.

With the aid of frames and wheelchairs, the residents – aged from 77 to 97 – have been walking around the care home’s gardens and along nearby Murrayfield Avenue, gathering donations in local shops along the way.

Led by wellbeing coordinator Margaret Finch, the walkers aim to complete the 5km challenge in stages over a number of days.

They have already raised more than £1,000 and counting – smashing their initial target of £300 – but hope to raise even more vital funds to support dementia care, research and improvements in brain health.

Margaret, 63, from the city’s Silverknowes area, has worked at Murrayfield House Care Home for five years.

She said: “The residents and staff were keen to do the Memory Walk because so many of us have either had support from Alzheimer Scotland or have a loved one who has been affected by dementia. My late mum had vascular dementia so I’ve had first-hand experience of the impact this illness can have.

“Alzheimer Scotland do such important work – funding research and fighting the stigma around dementia – and we are all determined to raise as much money as we can for them.

“Our manager Fiona Truesdale gave us the idea to organise the Memory Walk and we’ve had such great support for it from the whole team, including my fellow wellbeing coordinator Norma Mackie.

“The residents have loved putting on their purple t-shirts and taking part.”

One of the oldest walkers is 96-year-old retired engineer Douglas Lamond. Douglas said: “I like to keep fit by doing exercises every morning, so I was delighted to take part in the Memory Walk and cheer the group on.”

Other walkers included Doreen Hall, 88, who lives at the home with husband David, 88, and Elspeth Braidwood, 80, a former Sunday school teacher who used to work at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

Doreen’s daughter Debbie said: “My mum Doreen has dementia and Alzheimer Scotland have been a great support, not just for her but also for my dad David who cared for her when they both lived in their own home.

“It’s wonderful that they have the opportunity to support the charity through the Memory Walk.”

The Memory Walk campaign allows people across Scotland to take part in organised events throughout September, or to complete the challenge at a time and place that suits them by doing Your Walk, Your Way.

Events are taking place in Inverness, Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow. Tickets cost just £10 for adults and children can be registered for free. It’s quick and easy to set up a sponsorship page, which can be shared with family, friends and colleagues.

Every penny raised will help people with dementia and their carers, as well as supporting better brain health for everyone in Scotland.

Lauren Heap, centre manager for Alzheimer Scotland’s Edinburgh and West Lothian Brain Health and Dementia Resource Centre, said: “Alzheimer Scotland is proud to support people living with dementia and their families and carers, from our centre here in Edinburgh.

“Scotland’s Memory Walk has always had a wonderful ability to bring people together. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the lives of people with dementia and walk to remember them. Every pound raised helps Alzheimer Scotland continue to develop and deliver vital dementia support.”

Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland launches #MISSEDatChristmas fundraising campaign

Leading charity Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland (PCAS) has launched a new fundraising campaign #MISSEDatChristmas to help ensure more people aren’t missed at Christmas.

Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland is inviting people across Scotland to join them this festive season in remembering their loved ones lost to pancreatic cancer. 

PCAS is inviting people to donate and share a dedication to their loved one. Participants will receive a special purple heart to display in their loved one’s memory this Christmas. All donations will help PCAS fight for earlier diagnosis. 

Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest of all common cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 8%. Each year over 900 people in Scotland are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Around 26 people die from pancreatic cancer every day in the UK. With early diagnosis, pancreatic cancer can be survived.  

Debbie Rutherford, 30, is missing her Mum Rachel this Christmas. Rachel passed away in 2022, aged 62, from pancreatic cancer. Debbie, her brother Craig and sister Kirsty, were at her bedside as she took her last breaths. 

Rachel began experiencing symptoms in June 2020. It started with bloating, which she put down to the fact she had eaten a curry for dinner. When the feeling persisted, she contacted her GP. With the country in the grip of the Covid -19 pandemic, it proved difficult to get a face-to-face appointment.

Rachel was prescribed indigestion medicine and was told by doctors that no further investigations were needed.  

Rachel’s symptoms continued and Doctors then agreed to refer her for a scan. In October 2020, a scan showed a mass on her pancreas. The tumour was restricted to her pancreas, with no spread. Her oncologist was hopeful it would be operable, and the plan was to go ahead with six rounds of chemotherapy and a (Whipple?) operation.  

The reality of living on The Isle of Mull meant Rachel’s medical appointments involved a lot of travelling, ferry journeys, hotel stays, early starts and late nights arriving back home.

In January 2021, Rachel began her first round of chemotherapy. She suffered multiple side effects and ended up in hospital with life-threatening sepsis. More rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed as well as a serious bowel infection, a stomach ulcer and another bout of sepsis. 

In August 2022, Rachel started to deteriorate. She passed away on 14th September 2022 with her three children and her sister by her side. She died at her home on the Isle of Mull, a place she loved. 

Debbie Rutherford said: “Mum was the centre of our world. She always made Christmas special for me, my brother and my sister. It is hard to believe that another year is ending without her. She is missed every day but is especially missed at Christmas. 

“Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland’s new #MISSEDatChristmas campaign provides me and my family with a way to pay tribute to Mum this Christmas.”  

Joe Kirwin, Chief Executive of Pancreatic Cancer Action, said: “Our #MISSEDatChristmas campaign offers an opportunity for people to remember their loved ones lost to pancreatic cancer.

“We’ve had special purple hearts made for people to display in their memory, and we’re sending these out to everyone who supports the campaign.  

“In the UK, around 26 people die every day from pancreatic cancer. For just £10, you could help us get patients and their families vital information and support. All the money raised will go towards fighting for earlier diagnosis to help ensure that more people aren’t missed at Christmas.”   

Learn more about Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland’s #MISSEDatChristmas campaign: https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/missedatchristmas/