A new campaign challenging people to Rethink Dementia has been launched by the Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA.
To help address the stigma around the illness, people are being encouraged to continue doing everyday activities with friends or relatives diagnosed with dementia.
Research shows that making this effort to include people in social activities can help them stay well for longer as well as alleviate symptoms such as depression, anxiety and apathy.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray said: “When a friend or relative is diagnosed with dementia it’s natural not to know what to do. It can be an upsetting and daunting time, but it’s important for all of us to play a supportive role in helping our friends and family.
“One of the key elements in the Rethink Dementia campaign is asking us to think differently about a dementia diagnosis. There are many practical steps we can take to help the people closest to us to lead fulfilling lives and stay well for longer.”
COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson Counsellor Paul Kelly said: “This new campaign is a clear call to us all to think differently about dementia and those with a diagnosis.
“It highlights very clearly the simple ways that we can support people with dementia to stay connected to their local communities.”
Dr Tom Russ, an NHS Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist and Researcher at The University of Edinburgh said: “Over the past 20 years I’ve engaged with hundreds of people who have been diagnosed with dementia, and often they will withdraw from social activities, which can have a negative impact on their overall wellbeing.
“For anyone with friends or relatives who have been diagnosed with dementia, it’s vital to stay in touch to help them maintain their usual social activities, or even try something new together.”
It’s time to #RethinkDementia. If a friend or relative has been diagnosed with dementia, staying in contact, including them in social activities, and doing many of the things you’ve always done, can help them stay well for longer.
Scotmid, one of Scotland’s leading community retailers, has announced a new, year-long charity partnership with Maggie’s, an organisation dedicated to providing comprehensive support to individuals and families living with cancer.
This partnership highlights the shared commitment of both Scotmid and Maggie’s to making a meaningful difference in their communities. Over the next 12 months, Scotmid and Maggie’s staff in Edinburgh will work hand-in-hand to raise awareness, fundraise, signpost and offer tangible support to those living with cancer.
As part of this collaboration, Maggie’s volunteers will be visiting Scotmid stores across the country, engaging directly with customers to raise awareness and funds. These in-store ‘pop-up’ events will offer customers the opportunity to learn more about the resources available to them and how they can contribute to the cause.
Scotmid stores have also introduced exclusive Maggie’s-branded merchandise, including limited edition pin badges and air fresheners, making it easier than ever for customers to show their support.
Additionally, Scotmid employees are being encouraged to get involved in local fundraising activities, bringing their own creative ideas to the table to enhance community engagement.
Beyond fundraising, a key focus of this partnership will be to educate communities about the diverse support services that Maggie’s offers to those living with cancer. From emotional support to practical advice, the Maggie’s centre in Edinburgh provides a lifeline to individuals and families during some of their most challenging times.
Anna Clarkson, Centre Co-Head, Maggie’s Edinburgh, expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership: “We are delighted to be partnering with Scotmid, an organisation renowned for its dedication to Edinburgh community causes.
“Together, we aim to shine a light on the profound impact cancer has on lives and to remind those living with a diagnosis that they are not alone.
“It is wonderful to think that Scotmid stores will now help ensure people with cancer, as well as family and friends in Edinburgh, get the support they need at possibly the most difficult time of their lives.”
Karen Scott, Chief Executive at Scotmid, said: “Supporting our communities is at the heart of everything we do at Scotmid. We are excited to partner with Maggie’s to raise both awareness and vital funds for a cause that touches so many lives.
“The money we raise will help ensure that more people can access the care and support they need during such a critical time. We look forward to making a difference together.”
Scotmid has raised an impressive £3.25 million across its last ten charity partnerships, establishing itself as a leading retail fundraiser.
This significant contribution is made possible through the hard work and dedication of staff, members, and customers, who participate in numerous fundraising activities and campaigns.
Curbing sky rocketing A&E waiting times must be the number one priority for the Scottish government with winter just around the corner.
That is the call from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) Scotland as A&E performance data for July represented the worst July since records began in 2011 for extended wait times in Emergency Departments.
This is double the number of people who waited this long in July last year.
The data also shows long waits have increased significantly since the 2010s.
Since July 2017, for example, the numbers of people waiting four hours or more has increased by nearly seven times (5553 to 38,379), eight hours or more by 53 times (248 to 13,146), and 12 hours or more by 279 times (20 to 5,593). This was despite attendances only increasing by 0.9% in the same period.
Delays in discharging patients is a key reason that doctors cannot admit patients into hospitals from their Emergency Departments, therefore causing long waits. In July, there were 61,165 days spent in hospital by people who were well enough to be discharged but unable to be due to a lack of social care provisions. This is equivalent to 167 years.
Dr John-Paul Loughrey, RCEM Vice President for Scotland said: “The Scottish government must take heed and put measures in place to end long wait times in our Emergency Departments.
“These staggering statistics are deeply worrying for the people of Scotland who are facing incredibly long and tiring waits despite it being summer. We have been dealing with ‘winter levels’ of pressure, which does not bode well as we start to head into the colder months. The first day of winter is just three months away, which will inevitably heap pressure on the health care system.
“Continuing to focus on diverting patients away from A&E rather than addressing the capacity problems will not avert the coming crisis. These statistics aren’t just numbers. They are people who have come to our Emergency Departments needing emergency care. They deserve better. Our health care colleagues deserve better.”
A graphical representation of the data can be found here.
The Scottish Government has accepted the findings of a multi-disciplinary team’s report on gender identity healthcare for young people.
Following the Chief Medical Officer establishing a multidisciplinary clinical team to consider, in the context of Scottish services, the recommendations of the NHS England commissioned Cass Review on gender identity services for young people; Public Health Minister Jenni Minto confirmed that the Scottish Government has accepted all the findings of the Cass Review: Implications for Scotland report, published in July, and that work is underway to implement its recommendations.
These recommendations include:
gender identity healthcare services for children and young people being provided in paediatric clinical settings
the provision of these services via a distributed network, or regional model, rather than on one site
an end to self-referral, with young people being referred to specialist services by a clinician, in common with other specialities.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Ms Minto outlined work that is underway to implement the recommendations, including the publication of new National Standards for Gender identity healthcare: Adults and young people by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
The Minister also highlighted the publication of a progress report on work to improve these services. The new standards are part of a suite of documents published today that also includes NHS Education for Scotland’s Transgender Care Knowledge and Skills Framework and an updated Gender Identity Healthcare Protocol for adult services.
Ms Minto said: “The Chief Medical Officer’s report underlines the need for development of these services with children, young people, and their families. I am determined the young people using these services, and their families, are our priority and will be at the heart of all our discussions about how this care is provided.
“There is now a breadth of work underway to take forward the recommendations of the CMO’s report which illustrates our commitment to deliver improved gender identity healthcare for young people.
“In addition, the suite of documents relating to gender identity healthcare provision published today, which were developed following extensive public consultation and targeted consultation with people with lived experience, will support clinicians and a wide range of professional bodies and help drive improvement in services.”
Ellen Doherty, 47, from Glasgow, who has macular degeneration due to Stargardt’s disease, became one of Scotland’s first Sight Loss Council volunteers earlier this year and is determined to inspire others to make accessibility a priority.
Ellen, who spoke at a fringeeEvent on street accessibility at the weekend as part of the SNP Conference, is a highly independent person but she still faces daily challenges including poor street accessibility. Navigating streets can be difficult and stressful due to the lack of visual cues, unexpected obstacles, and inconsistent designs.
A trained mental health professional and mindfulness tutor at Strathclyde University, Ellen explains that sight loss is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can face, with constant reminders every time they open their eyes.
Simply leaving the house or visiting places requires extensive planning, and confidence can be easily shaken. This is why it’s crucial to involve people with vision impairments in planning for street accessibility and to use their lived experiences to guide informed decisions.
Ellen comments on her sight loss: “When I was seventeen, I was struggling to see the blackboard at school, so I went to the opticians with my parents to see if I needed glasses.
“I was told I had Stargardt’s disease and that I would lose my eyesight prematurely. This was obviously a huge shock, but I just got on with my life and tried not to think about it. I wasn’t given any real information about what was happening, or offered any help or support, so I just pushed it down and tried to pretend everything was normal. I was 17 years old, it really meant nothing to me.
“So I finished school and went to university, and then in my final year, when I was twenty-one, I lost my central vision almost overnight. It was very overwhelming and traumatic. I drove myself to the eye hospital where I was given my CVI certificate, and then I had to get the bus home.
Again I tried to supress my feelings and tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. I finished my pharmacology degree at university and got a 2.1; but I now couldn’t use it as you can’t do benchtop science with vision impairment.
So, I went back to university to do a master’s in psychology, but I hadn’t really thought about the impact my sight loss would have on this. Eventually, I had to put this on hold for a year as I wasn’t prepared to cope with my new reality, I didn’t even have a magnifier to help me read.
“For years I struggled to come to terms with my sight loss, so I didn’t want to talk about it, I didn’t want to ask for help, I just tried to ignore it. My approach has always been to keep my head down and just get through it.
My vision impairment isn’t obvious and for a long time I didn’t want to over enclose, I didn’t want to talk about it and felt like it wasn’t anyone else’s business. At 30 I also developed MS which impacted my sight loss further. MS can be brought on by a traumatic event so it could have been my sight loss which caused this.
“I have always been hesitant to engage with sight loss groups. Since losing my sight was not something I wanted in the first place and it already occupies so much of my life, I didn’t want it to take up any more space.
However, I now realise the importance of talking and sharing, both for myself and others, and that I have a lot to offer through my lived experiences and work experiences. There needs to be more general education about vision impairment and improved awareness-raising, as vision impairment can mean so many different things.”
Ellen’s experience with sight loss, much like many others, has been deeply traumatic. She now aims to help others through her work as a mindfulness and wellbeing tutor and volunteer for the Sight Loss Councils.
“This is one of the main reasons why I am so happy to join the Sight Loss Councils. My skillset centres around helping people, and there’s a significant need to enhance the help and support provided to blind and partially sighted individuals.
” From my own perspective, it was so difficult to lose my eyesight rapidly, I desperately needed help and guidance so I could come to terms with what was happening. I felt like my eyesight had been snatched away and I just didn’t know what to do, or to whom to turn. I now know this shouldn’t have happened and that I should have been given far more help and support.
Ellen adds: “When someone experiences sight loss, they need help to stay on the right path, including psychological therapy, mobility and accessibility assistance, and help with employment. No one should be left to navigate sight loss alone.
“It is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure, with constant reminders every time they open their eyes. Escaping from it is impossible. For those who haven’t experienced it, it is very difficult to understand. This is why it is so important that we use lived experience to raise awareness and ultimately make changes.”
Sight Loss Councils are delivered in Scotland by Sight Scotland, Sight Scotland Veterans and Visibility Scotland and funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust.
Children’s charity Aberlour helping mothers through recovery
A second residential rehabilitation service to support women and their children through recovery from addiction / substance use has been opened in Falkirk.
The Scottish Government has invested £5.5 million to support the development of this Aberlour Childcare Trust facility, as well as a house in Dundee which opened in January 2023.
The houses offer 24/7 support and keep families together by letting children of women with problematic substance use stay with their mothers during their recovery.
Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “This house will allow women to access residential rehabilitation services and keep their family together.
“We know there is a strong link between women having children removed from their care and risk of drug-related death. Treatment is more effective when families are kept together and it also reduces the harmful impact on children.
“Widening access to residential rehabilitation is a key part of our National Mission on Drugs. We have made £100 million available for residential rehabilitation from 2021 to 2026 to ensure 1,000 people receive public funding for their placement each year by then. That includes £38 million as part of our commitment to increase the number of beds to 650.”
Aberlour Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly OBE said: “We are delighted to open our new Mother and Child Recovery House in Falkirk. It follows the opening of our first house in January 2023 in Dundee, which has transformed the lives of mothers and their children.
“Both houses offer a unique service enabling women with problem drug and alcohol issues to keep their young children with them as they recover.
“They provide specialist support that helps women develop skills and encourages them to build new futures for themselves and their children. We understand the need to work alongside women to address their fears.
“We are grateful to the Scottish Government for funding this much-needed new service.”
A NEW film which will “shine a light” on the battles people living with eating disorders face is being supported by one of the country’s leading charities. SANE say they are proud to support A Day With An Eating Disorder which is being produced and co-written by author and counsellor Lynn Crilly.
The film, which will be released next year, comes as new figures show rising numbers of young people are being diagnosed with eating disorders.
In the past school year there were 10,606 children beginning treatment for an eating disorder, compared with 5,240 patients in 2016-17.
Waiting times for treatment are also rising, and 12 per cent have to wait more than three months for an appointment, compared with one percent three years ago, according to information disclosed by the House of Commons Library.
Film-maker Lynn, who is an ambassador for SANE, said the figures were deeply shocking and underlined the extra support young people need. She said: “We hope the new film will shine a light on the battle which sufferers and their carers face on a daily basis.”
Praising the project, Joanna Christophi, Chief Operating Officer of SANE said: “SANE are proud to support ‘A Day with an Eating Disorder’.
Lynn is passionate about helping young people with mental illness from eating disorders to depression, including their families, as her work stems from personal experience with her own twin daughters.
This coupled with extensive life experience both personally and professionally within the mental health space, gives her a multi-skilled approach to the support she gives which is also reflected in her books and films.
For several years, Lynn has been raising awareness of SANE’s activities and we are both committed to campaigning to improve services for those affected by mental ill-health, as well as their families and carers. SANE is proud to have Lynn as an ambassador.”
A Day In The Life With An Eating Disorder, will feature Lynn’s daughter Samantha, who has battled an eating disorder and still suffers with OCD.
A number of actors and actresses have also agreed to appear for free to raise awareness. Among them is Susannah Page, the daughter of legendary singing, screen and comedy icon Joan Turner.
Susannah, who will play a woman battling an addiction to alcohol in the film, said: “I’m delighted and honoured to be a part of this very important film. I’ve been impressed and deeply inspired by the work Lynnand Samantha are doing in this area.
“I’ve learned a lot myself about how this condition impacts the sufferers and their families, and I am sure this will film will help many others who might be struggling and need support.”
The project is also being backed and supported by Debbie Arnold, the former Eastenders actress.
She said: “I’m delighted to be supporting this film as it is focusing on such an important set of issues. As the mum of two daughters I’m acutely aware of the struggles many people can have with mental ill health, anxiety and other related disorders.”
“It’s very important that this film is shining a light on them and I’m sure it will help lots and lots of people.”
FREE MONDAY MORNING SESSIONS FOR NORTH EDINBURGH FAMILIES
Join our new family-friendly cycling group in North Edinburgh!
Explore the local area on short rides led by two qualified cycle leaders on Monday mornings. We’ve still got places for our next session on Monday 2 September at 10am.
We have a limited number of bikes available to borrow – just let us know your needs when booking! All children must be 8+ and accompanied by an adult.
These sessions are FREE for residents of Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton, and Drylaw. Priority will be given to local community members and NEA Members.
Join our new family-friendly cycling group in North Edinburgh! 
