Safety and Security - doorstep and telephone traders

We have had a number of queries recently relating to the issues that traders - in all guises - cause to people with dementia and their carers.

We have arranged an open event with Trafford Trading Standards. At Kempton Court, off Ascot Avenue, Sale, M33 4GU

Tuesday 24th January 2012 from 2:00 - 4:30pm

They will be able to supply information about their services in Trafford and answer any questions about security for people with dementia.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to call Age UK Trafford's dementia service on 0161 746 3944.

Not only are people with memory loss more vulnerable to scams and confidence tricksters, but impaired judgement can mean that legitimate traders - including utility companies, charities and door step sellers - cause a bigger problem, because they are more visible, more numerous and more likely to appeal to people who may have heard of them or used them previously.  

We are bombarded more than ever with persuasive images and messages - and most people are able to use judgement in dealing with these, which means we can ignore them, tell someone we are not interested or know when something is not genuine. When someone has impaired social judgement - a particular presentation of some dementias affecting the frontal and temporal lobes, but can also result from a less tangible combination of memory loss and altered insight or mood in other dementias - they may be more vulnerable to persuasion.

There are no easy solutions, because the risks are so wide ranging and many companies and charities are advertising legitimately. Even a doorstop seller with a social conscience may not detect that the person they are talking to has dementia as they may present perfectly well in the short, amiable conversation. You also cannot assume that someone with dementia is not able to decide to donate to charity or buy something - as always it is recognising when something has gone beyond informed decisiveness - when a quirk for something becomes problematic. When desire to support charity becomes an unaffordable response to automated requests.

Stickers requesting no cold callers at the door, and services such as the telephone and mailing preference lists should reduce contact from considerate and law abiding sellers, but in effect means that contact is then more likely to be from unscrupulous traders or scamsters, and the risk of loss higher. There is then the question of reporting those who flout the preference-service laws, and resolving issues where money is lost and contracts signed - stress that most carers would rather live without.

Trading Standards in Trafford have a communication system whereby anyone signed up receives information about known scams and rogue traders operating in the area, and it may be that greater use of communication within communities is the best way to reduce the risks. 



We'll be closed between Friday 23rd December and Monday 2nd January but back on Tuesday the 3rd bright and early.

Carers Christmas Meal and Trip to Christmas Markets

We have one place left on our carers' Christmas Lunch at the Swinging Bridge in Urmston.

We need to fill this as soon as possible to get our orders in.

Friday 16th December

12:00 midday - should be time to leave to pick up loved ones from day support (if not I can put your pudding in a box and deliver it to your doorstep)

Swinging Bridge, Traffford Boulevard, round by the Trafford Centre, off junction 10 of M60 (more precise directions available)

Three Courses for £14.99   choose from:

Starters - Carrot, Honey and Coriander soup;    Chicken Liver Pate;       Mushroom, Blue Cheese and Garlic Bruschetta,         Prawn Cocktail   or      Melon

Mains -    Turkey;       10 oz Rump Steak with Mushroom & Brandy sauce;        Salmon Fillet with Tomato, Basil and Caper sauce;            Stilton, Shallot and Walnut Tart;             Duck and Pork Sausages with Juniper & Red Wine Sauce

Desserts - Christmas Pudding;          Belgian Waffles;         Profiteroles;              Mince Pie Ice Cream;            Ice Cream    

If you would like to come please call Lise on 0161 746 3944 as soon as possible.


We also have places left on our coach to Manchester Christmas Markets on 13th December. We will be leaving Urmston Manor Avenue car park at 11:30 and returning by 3:30. Drop and pick up Manchester at the Slug and Lettuce on Albert Square. No travel cost involved, again please contact Lise on 746 3944 if you're interested.  

Have your say on health services in Trafford

For our next peer support meetings, we welcome a visitor from Trafford Voluntary Community Action.

Lynsey Cottle works with people to find out what their experiences of health care services in Trafford have been, and encourage suggestions of how any problems, barriers or negative experiences can be improved upon. Lynsey feeds back to both the local Primary Care Trust and Local Authority and takes a proactive approach to eliciting change for the better.

If you have memory loss or a diagnosis of dementia, or care for someone with dementia, and would like to have a say in your local services, we would love to hear from you.

Please contact Lise on 0161 746 3944 or come along to one of our groups below.

Newhaven Extra Care Tuesday 29th November 10:00 - 1:00 Tulip Drive, Timperley

Butler Court Wednesday 7th December 1:00 - 3:30 Lacy Street, Stretford

As always please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions.

Information, Information, Information

A recent conference for carers in Altrincham sought carers' views on the relationships between health and social care providers and the carers themselves. The key issue was one of information; how it is communicated, how much, how comprehensive, how timely. 

The problem is that caring is not something that necessarily happens by choice, nor does it have a definite 'start' point, at which people know what is happening, what they need to know and where they can go to find it. Information is therefore often passed on by chance, and possibly after a period of difficulty which may have been helped or prevented by having information in advance. Families often find themselves in situations that are life changing - a diagnosis of a condition that may not be cured, or which may be degenerative, an acquired injury - and reliant on someone, a medic, social worker, etc - to anticipate what they need to know.

It would seem logical that in this age of information and communication - never before have we been able to impart knowledge so quickly to so many people - provision of information would improve as means of communication also develop. However the downside of ease of communication is that quality cannot always be assured, neither can appropriateness of information, and it is this need for good quality information, given in the right way at the right time that means skill of judgement must be employed by those in the professions of care.

When looking at dementia, the difficulty of appropriate information provision is magnified due to the variety of presentations across three or more generations. This is not unique to dementia - every illness is subject to individual circumstance - but the interaction of social and medical factors, the differences in severity at which people ask for help, the variable diagnoses which implicate different treatment pathways, the different responses from people with dementia and carers in coping with a diagnosis, mean that dementia poses a particular challenge for agencies involved.

Carers at the conference asked whether information about all available services could be posted in one place - which sounds like a stonking idea, until you think about the number of different services that people want to access, which come and go as funding is provided and stopped, and staff, volunteers and entrepeneurs move on, venues and costs alter, regulations change. To keep this information comprehensive and up to date would require significant attention, and to enable people to access information that is appropriate for them and not misleading, and accessible to all at the time they want it, means an element of human interaction is necessary. This is what makes information provision so difficult, as practitioners we can't guarantee to seek out everyone who wants help - the population affected by dementia is fluid and sufficiently numerous that those who accept contact and support straight away are going to be more visible to services than those who are initially reticent.
The nature of caring is such that a reluctance to receive support doesn't indicate that everything is ticking over nicely - and it may be that a misapprehension has led to this reluctance, so avenues for accessing information need to be open, visible and gently assertive over time to ensure they can be accessed at any time.

We can only hope that changes to service provision won't damage our abilityto manage this information provision in such a way to enable as many people as possible to access what they need, at the right time.

It would seem wrong to talk about information and not point people to key websites in Trafford.

www.ageuk.org.uk/trafford Age UK Trafford's local website

www.trafford.gov.uk/myway  Adult Social Care in Trafford

http://www.traffordcarerscentre.org.uk/ Supporting all carers of adults in Trafford

http://www.traffordwellbeing.org.uk/ Details organisations helping people in Trafford

Up Coming groups and events

It has been a while since our events and groups have been updated, so I thought it is a good time to let people know what is on and where you can meet us!


Our November peer support dates are as follows:


Wednesday 2nd November - Butler Court, Lacy Street, Stretford 1pm - 3.30
Jenny Graham, Occupational Therapist with Trafford Memory Service is joining us to talk about what can be done to help people with memory loss live independently.


Wednesday 9th November - High Lee House, Broad Road, Sale 10am - 12.30
Friday 19th November - Wellington House, Sandy Lane, Stretford 10am - 12.30
Tuesday 29th November - Newhaven Extra Care, Tulip Drive, Timperley 10am-12.30

New people always welcome, either show up on the day or contact Lise and Joanna on 746 3944 if you have questions.


Other Events


Dementia Adviser and our day support co-ordinator will be joining Trafford Carers Centre at their carers conference on Thursday 3rd November, The Hub, Pownall Road, Altrincham.
Two sessions of information stands, question and answer forum and access to carers assessments, between 2.00 - 4.30 and 6.00 - 8.30.
All carers are welcome, even if you have not been in touch with the Carers Centre before, please don't hesitate to contact on 0161 848 2400 and book a place.


Trafford Memory Assessment Service is piloting a post-diagnostic support and education course for those recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's and their respective family carer.
This exciting new project intends to help people adjust to their diagnosis and improve the experience of sourcing and accessing the support that is available within Trafford - too often carers and people with dementia find out by chance or upon crisis what is out there. The focus will be on future planning, and provide information on dementia, life books, legal and financial issues, and coping strategies. We hope that this will set the scene for a continued improvement in experience of receiving a diagnosis and beyond, and have a lasting legacy as people will learn how to manage their symptoms and access support that helps them live a good quality of life, rather than at a point of crisis.


We also have the first peer support holiday coming up - five days in Llandudno with a turkey and tinsel theme thrown in for good measure in the middle of November, I feel excited enough for them all.


We also have a peer support lunch at the Swinging Bridge in Urmston on 16th December to mark the last meeting of the year, and hopefully close 2011 on a high.


As always, we are here to talk, listen or nod and smile - call Lise on 0161 746 3944, come see us in the Age UK Trafford office, 20a Station Road, Urmston, or drop in to Kempton Court, Ascot Avenue, Sale on a Tuesday afternoon.

Council Tax Exemption, Mental Capacity and the Right to Vote

I had a query yesterday regarding the implications of claiming the Severe Mental Impairment exemption for the purposes of calculating council tax. Specifically, what is the relation between being certified Severely Mentally Impaired, and being able to vote?

The title 'severe mental impairment' itself is a difficult one to come to terms with - it is a blunt label that has a tinge of language used in a previous age - the word 'mental' has connotations that once had a great stigma attached, and which people may still associate with the large hospitals that we housed our mentally impaired people in past decades. But it is a catch all phrase that enables anyone, not just with dementia, but who may have another condition permanently affecting cognitive functioning, in legal terms to be exempt from liability for council tax.

Incidentally, the term Severe Mental Impairment for the purposes of council tax is not related to the severe mental impairment used in the Mental Health Act 1983 - its use stems from the Local Government Finance Act 1992 detailing the changes brought in with the abolishment of poll tax. The two are not to be confused.

The thinking behind the exemption is that those with permanent conditions affecting cognition and social functioning are not able to understand local issues that council tax is spent on, and therefore cannot be considered to have a stake or accountability in said issues.

After establishment of permanent condition such as Alzheimer's, eligibility for attendance allowance or other qualifying benefit, the doctor must then certify the person as having a Severe Mental Impairment.

Because dementias are progressive, and often gradual in their course, I often receive questions about whether someone can claim the severe mental impairment exemption - and the answer often is, I can't be sure. The judgement made by the doctor is just that, a judgement based on their knowledge of the person, to decide whether they have the ability to comprehend local issues and therefore whether their impairment is 'severe' enough to warrant exemption. There is no clear boundary or point at which this occurs - as is the case in many dementia related issues. If the doctor is unsure, after consulting with fellow medical practitioners, they are advised to exercise caution and not certify. This is possibly where some carers and people with dementia end up having long waits to hear about their application - whichever disease is causing the dementia, will get worse over time, so it is possible that someone ineligible at the time of application may consequently be eligible several months later.

So to the question of voting - it is important to note that the electoral register is created separately to the council tax, and the two are subject to different legislation. Although it is not the only Act of parliament that impacts on deciding whether someone has the right to vote, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 is most relevant in this circumstance. Just because someone is exempt from paying council tax on grounds of severe mental impairment, does not mean they are unable to understand the process of voting, make a decision (wisely or not!) as to who they wish to vote for, and express that decision.

These considerations - whether someone can understand the information related to the decision, retain long enough to decide, make a decision and communicate that decision - are used by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to establish whether someone lacks the mental capacity to decide, and only when there is reason to question that we don't have capacity. In many circustances - for example, deciding whether to employ a carer, or have medical treatment, or wear a warm coat on a hot day, the person's best interests must be the basis for making each decision on their behalf. However, when voting is concerned, the law states that a voting decision is one that cannot be made on behalf of a person - therefore if someone does not have mental capacity to cast a vote, they are excluded from being able to vote. 

It is important to be clear that presence of a condition such as Alzheimer's or any other dementia, does not in itself remove the right or mental capacity to vote. All steps should be taken to enable someone to make and communicate an informed decision. If someone with dementia lives alone, has nobody to support them in registering to vote, to get to the polling station at the right time on the right day, or arrange a postal or proxy vote, they are likely to lose out on their right to vote, despite still possibly being able to do all these things and cast a vote with appropriate support.    

Links to useful websites:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/YourlocalcouncilandCouncilTax/CouncilTax/DG_10037422

http://www.trafford.gov.uk/adviceandbenefits/counciltax/

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/9/contents

http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/

redditch.whub.org.uk/cms/docs/smi%20notes.doc

Speakers Announced for Alzheimer's Research UK Talks

Talks by Tim Parry (Alzheimer's Research UK),

Brenda Reah (Neurology Social Worker for Salford Royal Foundation NHS Trust),

Prof David Mann (University of Manchester),

Prof Julie Snowden (University of Manchester),

Steve Chew-Graham (Brains for Dementia Research)

Free parking plus tea and coffee

2.00 - 4.30

Saturday 22nd October

Chancellors Hotel, Fallowfield

Butler Court 2nd November

Coming up at Peer Support, we have Jenny Graham from Trafford's Memory Assessment Team joining us at Butler Court on Wednesday 2nd November.

Jenny is an Occupational Therapist and supports people with dementia to access equipment that will help a wide range of issues that can affect daily tasks and routine that most of us take for granted, including:

Chair raisers, grab rails etc to get in and out of bed / chair

Frames to aid walking

Long handled sponges, perching stools etc and walk in shower adaptations to help with personal care routines

Equipment that can assist with food preparation which can cause a variety of difficulties

Memory aids that can support with taking medication, switching the cooker off, taking your keys when you go out.

Jenny will be able to answer any questions about the role of the occupational therapist and how to access an assessment, as well as talk about the equipment that can be provided.

As always everyone is welcome to come along from 1:00 - 3:30 people with memory loss and their carers.

If you wish to speak to one of the dementia advisers, we are on 0161 746 3944 are happy to answer any questions. We will always get back to you if you leave a message.
 

Safety in the Home day

To celebrate Older People's Day 1st October, albeit slightly late, Age UK Trafford are having a Safety in the Home event on Monday 3rd October.

Pop in to our shop at 20a Station Road, Urmston between 10.00 am - 1.00 pm for information on:

Trafford Telecare - advice on equipment and adaptations that can help you live safely in your own home

Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service for advice on fire safety in the home

Greater Manchester Police Community Support Officers for advice on staying safe

Plus information from Trafford's Trading Standards service

Everyone welcome.

Home safety can be a particular worry for people with memory loss / diagnosed dementia who live alone, and their families, so why not come down and find out how to have more peace of mind with independent living?

For further information please contact 0161 746 3940 (information and advice) or dementia advisers on 0161 746 3944.

Newhaven Peer Support

It is that time again - I don't know where the month has gone, but tomorrow is our next peer support group at Newhaven.

People with dementia are welcome along with their carers to meet others, have a chat, share information and experience, and of course enjoy themselves.

We're at Newhaven Extra Care, Tulip Drive, Timperley, WA15 6LW from 10:00 - 1:00. 

Just drop in or if you want to speak to us, don't hesitate to call on 0161 746 3944. 

On another note, it seems like a good time to remind that the seasonal flu vaccinations are available on the NHS to:

Anyone over 65
The main carer of an older or disabled person (including dementia)
All pregnant women
Anyone in the clinical risk groups as listed on this page: http://mediacentre.dh.gov.uk/2011/09/22/time-to-get-your-flu-vaccine/

Not everyone likes needles, but surely a sharp scratch and a bit of a sore arm are better than a stay in hospital, the stress of finding alternative care and risk of further complications. 

Contact your surgery for information on appointments.  

Early diagnosis and support: Why should we access before we 'need' to?

Dementia is challenging. For a start, the word encompasses a range of diseases, each of which is complex and can be variable between one person and the next. Dementia also occupies a unique position between health and social care systems – which respectively use ‘medical’ and ‘social’ models when looking at assessing and treating “Need”, and which are powerful institutions that pre-date person-centred or flexible concepts of care. Physical disease processes that are not fully understood and presently beyond medical cure, the outward symptoms present socially, rather than medically, and so primary health care professionals don’t always see the need for medical interest or intervention.  In addition, while disability movements have striven to change social and cultural attitudes towards ‘disability’ in recent decades, dementia again sits on the edge of this revolution. Dementias are not easily detected as a ‘physical’ complaint, and uncertainty as to what is ‘wrong’ can lead to suspicion, discomfort, stigma and association with mental ill health which has its own battle to fight against stigmatising attitudes.

Dementia is also closely associated with the dreaded inevitability of old age. Perceptions of old age, whilst changing, tend to be of a homogeneous, vulnerable group, despite the fact that diversity increases as we get older. It is easier to map the general social and physical development of children than it is of older people, yet the arbitrary era of ‘old age’ is assumed to be one of decline and burden, and therefore less attracting of interest and concern. If people use their personal experience as a basis for campaigning for change, it will be too late to change or influence, for example, provision of residential care, by the time we need it. As is the general issue with preventing, it is easier not to broach a problem if we don’t have to. There is also an expectation that younger people shouldn’t be interested in older people – this dementia adviser is 30 years old, and often receives comments about being too young to be bothered about old age. But the challenges of dementia don’t stop there – if only it was exclusively ‘older people’ who develop dementia. As with many diseases, while the risks increase the longer we live, it occurs in people who are not yet ‘old’, and these people again sit on the edge of convention – not only do they have to come to terms with an incurable disease at a time when they may remain in employment, but they do not fit in to the expectation of old age or the traditional home and day care packages that do not really fully serve the older generations. There is innovation and initiative that is starting to amend this, but in a time of austerity it is not yet happening on the widespread scale that is needed.  

Then, of course, we come to the diversity of the individuals affected by a diverse selection of diseases, with a diverse set of symptoms. Each person, within each family, will respond differently and take a different approach to dealing with the conditions.

The consensus seems to be that concerns about dementia are best addressed as early as possible, to give the best chance of using any available medication to its fullest potential, to address underlying health conditions that can be treated, and of course to access the information and support that can help people adjust and steer round problems rather than relying on crisis resolution. Of course, being of social and diverse nature, personality is important, and getting to know those who are able to help is integral to their ability to support appropriately.

One natural response to a diagnosis of early stage dementia is to continue living ‘as normal’ for as long as possible, before the inevitable intervention by those big institutions who will look after us when we need. While this seems logical and sensible in the face of a disease that is degenerative, progressive and incurable, it actually reinforces the attitudes of old, that nothing can be done so why bother, and puts people at a greater risk of crisis, placing a heavier, more costly demand on services in the long run. Essentially nothing will change as long as people continue to seek help when they 'need' it, i.e. when they can no longer cope, have broken relatipnships and have recurrent hospital admissions.

But how to persuade people to accept support that encourages people to adjust routines, relationships, expectation and knowledge that have been ingrained over a number of decades? Especially when this goes against the still conventional wisdom that dementia equates to a set of inevitable consequences that require removal from visible society, when medical attitudes remain inconsistent and separate to social care provision, which itself can be fragmented between departments within one local authority.  Whilst we are still searching for the elusive understanding that can stop, reverse or better still prevent, the dementias, the individual, social and cultural attitudes towards living with dementia are the crucial determinant of quality of life that people with dementia, and their families, can lead. By becoming actively involved in local dementia projects, encouraging others to take the leap and be active, people with dementia can not only help their own lives and potentially change their future, but they will be helping the wider scale shift in attitudes that is absolutely necessary if dementia is to have the recognition and understanding that is needed to manage the continued upward trend of prevalence. Each individual needs to be counted and visible for the diversity to be fully appreciated and provided for in care provision and wider society.

Age UK Trafford dementia support can be contacted on 0161 746 3944. See previous posts for peer support details.

 These ideas presented are very general and not intended to be taken as conclusions of any research or absolute values.  Comments welcome.

The World Alzheimer Association acknowledges that early diagnosis can lead to improved outcomes, better access to support, including “1 Optimising current medical management, 2 Relief gained from better understanding of symptoms, 3 Maximising decision-making autonomy, 4 Access to services, 5 Risk reduction, 6 Planning for the future, 7 Improving clinical outcomes, 8 Avoiding or reducing future costs, 9 Diagnosis as a human right” (p.27 http://www.alz.co.uk/research/WorldAlzheimerReport2011.pdf).    

Department of Health information, including link to the national dementia strategy: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/category/policy-areas/social-care/dementia/

iTea and Biscuits

This week Age UK is celebrating the benefits of being able to use technology as an 'older person'. As well as being able to use social networking which can reduce isolation for carers who are unable to easily go out, you can do online shopping, find out information about services such as NHS and social services, as well as local charities such as Age UK Trafford, find out what is going on in your local community, send photos of your grandchildren to that cousin in Australia....and all from the comfort of your own home, at a time that suits you. You can even change the size of the text to one that is easier to read. 

Computer technology, including the internet, shouldn't be a substitute for social interaction and the communication and information tools we use every day, but it can be a useful addition.

If you know of someone of age 55 or over who doesn't already use a computer, but who would like to learn, or who you feel would benefit from learning, please contact the Age UK Trafford office on 0161 746 9752, or pop in to our Urmston office to find out more about our silver surfer courses.

The Urmston office is having an iTea and biscuits open day on Saturday 24th September 11:00 - 3:00 for people to call in and speak to our silver surfer tutors about the computer courses we run.

Carers of people with dementia are at a particularly high risk of becoming socially isolated. It may be difficult to leave their loved-one alone at home, in addition friends may stop calling, and the general stress of being a carer, not least having many appointments and loss of sleep or amended 'awakening hours' means social events may be put 'on the back burner'.

If you are a carer of a person with dementia and have used a computer to help you in any way as a carer, we would love to hear how, so that others can also find out. Please feel free to comment on this blog, e-mail at dementia.adviser@ageuktrafford.org.uk or use the good old telephone on 0161 746 3944. You may also have concerns about using technology, and we welcome comments and questions that address these.

Information on Age UK Trafford iTea and bicuits 0161  746 9752

Age UK national campaign http://www.ageuk.org.uk/work-and-learning/technology-and-internet/volunteer/become-a-digital-champion/?ito=1890&itc=0 

Alzheimer's Research UK Talks

Details of speakers will be announced. Steve Chew-Graham is coming to our peer support tomorrow 16th September - all carers welcome to join us. Wellington House, Sandy Lane, Stretford, M32 9BT from 10:00 - 12:30. Contact Lise on 746 3944 for further information.

Peer Support Groups

An up to date list of our peer support groups and drop- ins.


Butler Court, Lacy Street, Stretford, M32 8LR 1:00 - 3:30 pm

1st Wednesday of the month: 5th October, 2nd November, 7th December, 4th January etc


High Lee House, Broad Road, Sale, M33 2HL 10:00 - 12:30 have a brew and a chat and see our day support service in action

2nd Wednesday of the month: 14th September, 12th October, 9th November14th December


Newhaven Court, Tulip Drive, Timperley, WA15 6LW 10:00 - 13:00

Last Tuesday of the month: 27th September, 25th October, 29th November


Carers group

Wellington House, Sandy Lane, Stretford, M32 9BT 10:00 - 12:30

3rd Friday of the month: 16th September, 21st October, 18th November, 16th December


Drop In Services




Newhaven - every Tuesday morning from 10:00 - 1:00 talk in confidence to a dementia adviser


Kempton Court, Ascot Avenue, Sale, M33 4GU - every Tuesday afternoon from 2:00 - 4:30, dementia advice and carers centre support available.


As always contact us on 0161 746 3944

Carers Peer Support 16th September

The September meeting of our carers peer support group is this Friday, 16th September, at Wellington House, Sandy Lane, Stretford, from 10:00 - 12:30.


Anyone who cares for someone with memory loss / diagnosed dementia, or is worried about someone with memory loss is welcome to come along, say hello and find out what we're all about. There is no charge and we are as friendly a group as you'll ever see.


We also have a special guest joining us - Mr Stephen Chew-Graham from Brains for Dementia Research is coming to talk with those who wish to find out about the exciting and necessary work that is going on to improve understanding of the diseases that cause dementia and potential prevention or treatment.


Please do not hesitate to contact Lise at Age UK Trafford 0161 746 3944 if you wish to speak before coming to peer support. We understand it is not always easy, but as a carer recently commented, if you're unsure, take a deep breath and come.  What is the worst that can happen?


A slightly dodgy cup of tea and biscuits of dubious origin, that's what. Well we're not gourmet caterers, you know.


Hope to see you there.

Trafford Dementia Blog Launched

Hello and welcome to the Age UK Trafford Dementia Advice and Peer Support Network blog, otherwise known as Forget Me Not. The blog will be a place for people to keep up to date with our service, add comments and ideas, and contribute towards. Age UK Trafford aims to give people with memory loss in Trafford a voice, and enable them to live life to the full.

This blog will include updates of new events planned, including trips out and talks, as well as links to useful information, and will bring the peer support network interactions to a digital dimension .

So, let me introduce Age UK Trafford. We are an independent charity which aims to improve quality of life for people over the age of 50 in Trafford, including a general information and advice service, handy person, and silver surfer courses. In addition, we provide insurance services to the general popultation and have two shops that offer quality donated goods as well as a fancy dress outlet in Sale Moor.

Our extensive care services include specialised dementia day support, as well a general day support, dementia advice and peer support, home from hospital through Trafford General Hospital, and a telecare / residential care support broker. We also host Trafford Caring for Carers Partnership (TCCP) who support carers of people with mental health issues throughout the borough.

For further information and contact details, please visit our website:

http://www.ageuktrafford.org.uk/ and browse at your leisure.

I hope you enjoy the blog and look forward to working with our peer groups to create an interesting, informative and essential interactive space for people living with dementia in Trafford.

Bye For Now...