We were very pleased to hear that several member have vaccination appointments lined-up for the near future.
Stay home, Protect the NHS, Save lives.
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Christmas is getting closer and presents are on our mind.
We dressed-up for the festivities..
The group told us they preferred personal presents, who doesn’t. But beware, tokens may be a good option, but they are not that popular.
I missed Judith introducing her friend, but Janet took a photo.
Here are a few of the presents group members received when they were young (you might spot Judith’s)…
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At last, the moment we had all been waiting for (oh no we hadn’t – oh yes we had!).
The Reflections Christmas Panto
Cinderella part 1
Waltz interlude
Cinderella part 2
Everyone joined-in with the panto, either as characters or the appreciative audience. There were too many stars to mention – thank you to everyone who participated, without any rehearsal. The costumes and make-up were excellent.
That’s it for the 2020 group. We are back on 5th January 2021.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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Our last Carers Group of 2020. It has been a very difficult year for many reasons. We were pleased that this evening’s group had many positive comments and stories.
Janet’s report from the Greenwich Dementia Action Group (DAG)
The group had a very interesting insight into what the council have been doing to support and protect those in care homes. This information was correct at the time of the meeting, but subject to change afterwards.
Homes had allocated “staff wellbeing rooms” to allow staff (who are on 12 hour shifts) to have a space to take a beak from the stress of their work.
The council had made a commitment that no-one with a positive covid test would be discharged from hospital into a care home. Those waiting discharge would have a test 24 hours before leaving the hospital. If they were positive, then they would be placed in the Eltham Community Hospital, or remain in hospital, until they were clear.
Decisions on having visitors in care homes must be agreed by the local Director of Public Health, after appropriate safeguards have been put in place.
Visitors to care homes will need to be tested 24 hours before their visit. On arrival, they will need to change their clothes and wear a mask. They will be allowed to hug their relative, but not kiss them.
“Lateral-flow” 30 minus tests will be rolled-out, following a pilot. This test is very staff-time-intensive.
Visits will take place in bedrooms or visitor areas.
The vaccine is being rolled-out to residents and staff from 3 local hospitals: Kings, Guys and the Princess Royal. At the time of the meeting the vaccine was being distributed in packs of 975, which could not be split and needed to be used within 3 days.
Once vaccinated the usual hands/face/space rules still apply.
Testing for the virus will be once each week. If there is an outbreak, then an action meeting will be held within 24 hours.
Care home inspections have ben suspended for the time being.
Staff should not now work across multiple sites or multiple locations within one home.
Visiting care homes (carers’ experiences)
The arrangements are changing regularly, as the government policy twists, u-turns, and is re-interpreted.
One carer told us she had been told the Christmas arrangements at her mum’s care home would involve: A quick virus test (the 20 minute Lateral Flow Test), clean cloths, masks etc, chaperoning by staff = a 15 minute visit.
Another carer said her relative’s home would be ready for visits soon, using a perspex screen to divide the room. She couldn’t get an appointment until 28th December.
Reducing medication
A long standing member of our Friendship Group had benefitted from having her medication reduced, following a cautious plan. Her paranoia had resurfaced, but was forgotten after 30 seconds – an interesting trade-off.
A degree of stress
An unexpected discussion had come about for a carer when his sister became distressed about not getting a first class degree – 30 years ago. Other concerns were around mobile phones, flu jabs, virus jabs, and taking carbon as a supplement, to name a few.
Eating and drinking
A husband forgets to drink, which causes medical issues. A mum has decided she will only eat chops, which has not caused any problems. Carers need to go with the flow.
Covid vaccinations
We have one mum lined up for a vaccination on 11 January at Guy’s hospital and another at the Pru. It looks like the NHS is rapidly contacting people in the top category of those in need. Both of the mums’ carers were in a rather positive mood.
We hope the New Year brings more good news. We are back on 11th January 2021.
Christmas is getting closer and it seemed like the right time to talk about Christmas traditions.
This week Emma returned for a Christmas sing-a-long in the second hour. But first…
The group likes their Christmases shared with family and friends. They are not keen on partying and eating and drinking too much. We managed to squeeze-in lots to talk about – and we all said we are looking forward to joining the Reflections Christmas pantomime next week!
Gyda showed us how to make a Father Christmas in her craft session.
Emma made a welcome return. She got us to limber-up, then it was straight into the singing. Emma, always one to engage the group, asked Janet to sing a few lines of the chorus. Unfortunately, then I was asked for a contribution – Emma described my voice a “as work in progress”. Luckily, Emma took it from there and raced through a wide selection of our Christmas favourites.
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This week – our first cars – and there was a lot to choose from. Two had been missing part of their floors (!) and one had the handbrake welded into the wrong place (and therefore unusable!).
Judith shared us some interesting vehicles. Then we moved on to discus his and hers experiences with their first cars…
Gyda’s craft session was all about making a reindeer – and very springy it was too.
Lynne had more difficult quiz questions. I went for a cuppa as, this week, they were beyond me.
David was pleased to show his completed homework from Gyda’s craft sessions.
We kept chatting until it was time for tea and a break.
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The session just overran a bit, not much, this week.
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Gyda put us through our paces with another Chi-ball exercise session. Those who could’t put their hands on a ball were invited to use a toilet roll as a substitute – it worked.
Another of David’s paintings of the group – a work in progress. David has promised to bring in a selection of his paintings, when we all get back together again.
We overran, as we always do. There is just so much to try and fit in.
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Food glorious food turned out to be a very popular subject this week.
Our polls showed that the most popular Christmas snack was “Anything with chocolate” and for Christmas lunch, sprouts were more popular than turkey. We all joined in the discussion, which perked-up as soon a someone mentioned Christmas pudding made with fruit soaked in alcohol. The magic word was alcohol, which raised even more smiles than chocolate.
Gyda has started Christmas early with a simple paper decoration. As usual, group members were keen to refine their creations after the meeting.
Livia La Camera
Livia gave us a presentation on healthy eating and engaged us in a short discussion on our eating and drinking habits (we all appear to know what we should be doing). You may find out more about the GCDA and their training events here. Livia is the Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency Healthy (GCDA) Programmes Development Lead.
Lynne, the quiz hostess, baffled some of us (me) with her tricky questions. Others did well – one even managed to get 23 correct answers to 22 questions!
I managed to pop in to today’s meeting and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Plenty to talk about, as usual. We had some thought provoking updates from our group members. There were contrasting experiences in the last month while our carers tried to do the best for those they cared for.
Dementia Carers Count training
We had some more positive feedback on a free training event with Dementia Carers Count. The charity runs a variety of events and it is worth checking out their website, or contacting them, to see if there is something suitable for you. You can find out more information about their training events here.
The same group member told us she had come through a tough period caring for her mum, but now she said she was receiving “excellent support”. She had all ends covered, with help from a speech therapist and an incontinence nurse. Her mum was now more settled.
She recommended sharing experiences and asking questions on the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Talking Point. They say “Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with dementia? Join Dementia Talking Point to share experiences with other people affected by dementia“.
The Admiral Nurses had also provided advice and support. They say “When things get challenging or difficult, Admiral Nurses work alongside people with dementia, and their families: giving them one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions. The unique dementia expertise and experience an Admiral Nurse brings is a lifeline – it helps families to live more positively with dementia in the present, and to face the challenges of tomorrow with more confidence and less fear.”
Visiting a care home (revisited)
Last time a carer had said her mum’s care home intended to use a ‘visiting suite’ – this is a room with a floor to ceiling perspex screen and an intercom system for speaking. The home had done just this. As a result, visitors could still come, even in lockdown. Meetings were limited to 30 minutes, whit 15 minutes of room cleaning either side of the visit. While not perfect, it did mean the daughter and husband could visit (separately). Our group member said the staff at the home also seemed to have developed a strong rapport with her mum. All encouraging work.
How long does it take to plug-in a mobile phone?
Another carer had a less positive experience with a care home. Their person has dementia and special educational needs. This person likes to call people they know on their mobile phone. Now this is they only real contact with the outside world. Unfortunately, the care home staff we ‘too busy’ to plug-in and charge the phone when it went flat. When the manager was questioned, she agreed that the staff were too busy. Anyone wishing to speak to someone in the home were advised to ring the home on the landline and they would be connected. When this was tried, the staff were ‘too busy’ to put them through. Tatiana’s advice was to talk to the funding authority to ensure they had a review of the service they were paying the home to provide.
Fresh air and exercise
One carer said she would prefer just to listen at the session (which is ok with us) but then she opened up about her husband, who has a whole variety of ailments. She said things changed from week to week. Last week was “brilliant”, this week wasn’t. They had managed to arrange a community physiotherapist. He had even managed to go to some exercise classes (he got bored and does not go now). Through the recent period, they still managed to get out and sample the fresh air and take a look at the Thames.
Should I stay or should I go?
Our only male carer this evening told us his wife “doesn’t understand how the world works anymore”. He said she was not clear about using the toilet and might think about popping-in for an hour or so, before venturing in – or not. He was hopeful when they had a visit from the incontinence nurse. She said something along the lines of “yes, people with dementia get like that”. And, that was it. He is coping.
Putting the clocks back
Most of us get a little confused when we put the clocks back. All of a sudden it seems it is dark in the middle of the afternoon. For someone with dementia, this can be even more unsettling. A group member said the change in the clocks and the darker evenings had made her dad more confused. His slightly obsessive behaviour had become worse. She said the family were coping and his change from a rather silent man to a chatty one, was an interesting development.
Staying healthy in lockdown: a BUPA GP’s top 10 tips
Peter summarised the advice from the BUPA site, which you can read here. Many of the point identified in the ‘Top tips’ had come up in this evenings discussions. The short presentation was aimed at reminding members that we all needed to not just understand the tips, but put then into practice.
We were asked to come us with our Happy Surprises and nearly all of us did.
Group members took us through their surprises, both this year and in the recent past. These ranged from the surprise arrival of a sister from Canada, to arrival of new grandchildren. We were very pleased to hear people’s plans for the immediate future. This also prompted some of the group to think what they might do.
We also discussed November 5th – bonfire night. Group members recalled having fireworks at home or going to the display on Blackheath. Nobody will be going to Blackheath for fireworks this year – as we will be in another lockdown from Thursday.
David showed us some of the very many paintings on his walls. This was a new one – he said his efforts were becoming more abstract as time went on. He plans to do a Reflections Friendship Group Zoomers painting – it should be fabulous.
Gyda’s paper craft this time was all about making our own fireworks.
One happy surprise today was the return of Danny. He needed to leave before Pearl introduced her latest batch of songs. There followed both singing and dancing – including Janet’s favourite: ‘Ring of Fire’ as sung by Tony:
Lynne was our quiz hostess. I’m sure her quizzes are getting harder. Here is one question: ‘How long did it take to conceal the gunpowder in the Parliament cellars’. Answer: ‘One Year’!
Gyda introduced us to some Chi Yoga – using a toilet roll!
I shall be taking a break from the Friendship Group sessions for a while. But, I will be popping in occasionally and keeping this blog up to date. See you soon.
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