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.
Forget me Not - For anyone with memory loss in Trafford
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
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
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
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
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/
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
Friday, 14 October 2011
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
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
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.
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.
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