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- March Newsletter 2025
Welcome message from Sally
‘What is this world if, full of care, we have no time to stop and stare…..’Are you familiar with that poem? Or is your relative? I discovered that it was a poem that many school children had to learn off by heart years ago. The basic idea is that it’s important that we take a moment here and there to look and notice the changes around us – that Spring is finally springing! I hope that lifts your spirits. Some of us will be celebrating Eid very soon and then others might be celebrating Easter – whether as a religious or cultural event. |  Sally Ferris, CEO |
We’re encouraged by successfully gaining a grant for a new Carer Support Co-ordinator. We’re getting some great outcomes from our Together At Home and new Together Out & About projects. We plan to recruit and train up some new sessional workers to the Together Out & About and can then offer it to any families who can pay for this service.
Beth also has some lovely carer events coming up. See below for details.
We continue to be very grateful to our Carer Champions, two of whom have written below about their volunteering work for us.
And I hope you read Nithiah’s book review at the end of this newsletter which really sums up why we do what we do here at TDS.
Sally, CEO
Together Dementia Support
Extra Care facilities in Manchester - Beth
This month Beth has been to visit a couple, Winston and Gloria, who have recently moved into Oaklands Extra Care facility on Wilbraham road. Extra care facilities offer self-contained apartments for older people. It includes care and support services and staff are onsite 24/7. They also offer communal spaces and some have beauty salons and cafes within them too.
Winston and Gloria were living in their own flat which was up a steep flight of stairs, Winston had been coming regularly to our Moss Side group where he loved to play dominos and play his ukulele for the group. However, his mobility had been declining and he became too unsteady on his feet to attend and couldn’t manage the stairs leading up to their flat. Gloria realised it had reached a point where it was time to move and successfully applied for an apartment in Oaklands. They have settled in wonderfully and she admits it has changed their life for the better. Winston is now very sociable again as he can access the communal room via the lift. When Beth visited they were in the middle of a vibrant drum circle, Gloria explained they often have people come in to do exercise classes and have social coffee mornings twice a week too. Gloria explain that she feels so much safer in their new apartment, the bathroom is an adapted wet room, it’s peace of mind knowing there is always someone there and there are pull chords if help is needed.
There are other extra care facilities in Manchester, including Shore Green which has an accessible secure garden and Butler court in North Manchester.
In order to apply to move to one of these facilities you need to register with ‘Manchester Move’ and then you can refer yourselves through an application form to the schemes. If you would like any more info on extra care schemes, or on how to apply please do contact us.
TDS Eid Celebrations - Shabs
Shabs and Lord Mayor Cllr Yasmine Dar
Our Pyaari Yaadein group has been much smaller in number for the last few weeks because many of the members have been staying at home to fast and pray. For those of us who aren’t Muslim, we’re impressed by the self-discipline of our Muslim friends.
However, Ramadan is expected to come to an end on Sunday or Monday when the new moon is sighted.
Timings for Ramadan fasting might be further disrupted by the one-hour jump in sunrise (as the clocks change) early on Sunday morning!
On the morning of Eid al-Fitr, many Muslims will attend prayers at their local
Islam follows a lunar calendar, Ramadan and Eid are part of this cycle. This year, the first day of Eid al-Fitr is expected to take place on Sunday, March 30, or Monday, March 31. This depends on the sighting of the moon.
Islamic Relief states: "In many Muslim countries, the celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr can last for up to three days. These days are usually public holidays, in which families and friends gather and celebrate the end of a month of fasting."
They add: "It’s a day of joy and celebration in having spent Ramadan in Allah’s pleasure, and for fulfilling our duty to Allah to abstain from food and drink during daylight hours.
Last year, our PY members had a VIP guest at their Eid party, the Lord Mayor Cllr Yasmine Dar.
This year, the owner of Archie’s (a very successful chain of diners), Amer Rafiq, has funded a restaurant meal for our members, their carers and our staff and PY volunteers. What a treat! (We’ll share photos in due course).
Thanks to our staff member and all our PY volunteers for continuing to work and support our members through Ramadan. Eid Mubarak to you all!
Carer Champions - Margaret & Norma
What are some of our Carer Champions Doing? Margaret talks about her telephone care support role:
People with dementia enjoy going out and meeting friends - that’s great. However, they usually need a little help to get out and about which takes time.
TDS runs regular Dementia Cafés around Manchester but if they are not at a place or time that’s convenient it can be hard as a carer to find people that you can talk to. When the Covid pandemic started everybody was stuck at home finding it difficult to get help or advice about the people they were caring for
This was when TDS started organising telephone carer support. This was also when working from home became a thing. Working full time while keeping an eye on a relative who was a bit confused was a welcome development for some but more isolating than going out to work. I got involved early in making weekly telephone calls to carers to see if they were okay or if there was anything they needed. Most people were okay, but grateful for the fact that somebody was keeping in touch with them.
Since the pandemic ended, I’ve carried on talking to some of the people that I met then and some new ones. I found it interesting and worthwhile. If anybody has a serious problem I can ask the staff at TDS to get involved which they always do quickly. Most of the time, however people just want to ask whether what they’re experiencing is normal, and most of the time it is fairly normal or at least not uncommon.
Personal telephone support is about building up confidence in the carer, letting them know that what might seem very odd is not particularly unusual and that they’re doing fine. Sometimes a little gentle guidance is needed or sending links to useful information online. You need to sort out a timescale that suits both of you and keep in touch regularly.
You can meet some interesting people and fit the phone calls easily into your normal routine. You may need to vary your timings if things get tricky for the carer, and health and social care personnel, who have a busy schedule, take precedence. Then when the panic is over, you get back to your usual routine or new one.
Norma, one of our Carer Champions
My name is Norma. I am the Primary Carer for Mum who has been living with Alzheimer’s dementia for 7 years. I joined the team of Carer Champions because I believe it is crucial that we help and support each other on our dementia journeys. I supported a fellow carer who was struggling to balance the demands of care and being committed to working a full time job. There were conflicting priorities and a lot of exhaustion and frustration. By having someone to talk to who they could relate to, helped with finding some strategies and solutions. Eventually, they struck a work/life balance supported by their employer. This allowed them and the person living with dementia to continue forming their different but meaningful and precious relationship.
Easter Closures
To let you all know that the TDS office will not be open on Friday 18th April and Monday 21st April as these are bank holidays.
Also, all groups will be closed from one week from Wednesday 16th April until Tuesday 22nd April – this is so the group staff team and our dedicated volunteers can use this time for holidays and also for some essential team training .
This should give you all enough time if you need to make other arrangements for those days with Carers etc. Groups will be offering extra fun and Easter treats around those dates.
Dementia Disco - Claire
I know some of you know about the wonderful Dementia Discos - these are run by a charity and are free-to-attend, regular discos for people with dementia, their carers, family and friends in the Stockport area on Saturdays when there often isn’t much to do in the dementia community.
We know that Carer Alex goes with her dad as it’s something uplifting. We also want to have some Discos for Carers and Members to look forward to in Manchester – so we are planning one in Wythenshawe and North Manchester for late Spring so people can keep dance and socialised their way into Summer!
Watch this space and this glitter ball!
Fundraising Events
Let’s put the ‘fun’ into fundraising! Our amazing fundraisers are working hard to raise money for TDS!
Local schools wish you a Hoppy Easter in the Great Big Bunny Hop 2025!
Our fabulous fundraising supporters will be hopping, running, walking, swimming and abseiling to raise vital funds for our essential dementia services - they deserve our support!
This year we have three amazing schools who will be taking part in our Great Big Bunny Hop 2025. They are Chorlton C of E, St Mary’s Moss side and Unity in north Manchester. Our bouncy little volunteers will be sponsored to hop, jump or walk in their cute little bunny ears, all to raise funds for TDS. But beware - Big Bunny is on the loose!
Trafford Centre Palazzo Tower Abseil 2025
Are you brave enough to take on the ultimate challenge: abseiling down the Trafford centre’s Palazzo Tower on Saturday 27 or 28 June 2025?
Registration is now open, so why not join our high fliers and scale those heights of daring, knowing it is all for a good cause?
Kay - One of our carers
Carer Kay did so last year. Here is what she said:
The reason I am doing this terrifying thing is because I owe the Charity a lot for all the support and kindness me and my mum have had from them
Join us in cheering on our brave volunteers, sending them positive vibes, and if you can, please consider donating! Together, we can ensure that Together Dementia Support continues to shine bright and provide vital support to those in need.
The Great North Swim
If abseiling is not your thing, why not take the plunge in the waters of Windermere? We still have space for a few more swimmers, distances varying from half a mile to 5 miles!
The swim is taking place on Saturday, 14 June, so if you fancy a bit of wild water swimming, here’s your chance
Great Manchester 10k
We need runners, walkers, strollers and rollers to join our TDS team on the Great Manchester 10K on Sunday 18th May. One year, our TDS sessional worker, Anne, (she’s the cheeky one with the green pom poms and base ball cap) came in last but who cares?
It is the taking part that counts and it all goes into the fund to support the fantastic and worthwhile work that TDS does.
A Positive View on Dementia - Nithiah
If you’re looking for a book that will transform your understanding of dementia, I'm Still Here by John Zeisel is a must-read. The title speaks volumes, reminding us that despite dementia, a person remains present, capable, and deserving of meaningful engagement.
When I first started my placement with TDS, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness for those affected. I assumed I would be working with people defined by decline. However, Zeisel reshaped my perspective. As I reflected, I realised that I had unconsciously adopted a common pattern associating dementia with sorrow. While it undeniably takes so much away, Zeisel reminds us that it is not just an end but a new stage of life, no less challenging or interesting than all the earlier stages.
Zeisel urges us to move beyond seeing dementia as an endpoint and instead embrace it as a different way of being. At TDS, we see first-hand how stimulation through music, art, social interaction, and sensory experiences allows individuals to develop new abilities and express themselves in ways they couldn’t before.
One big takeaway from this book is to stop testing the memory of your loved ones. Many of us do this without thinking, believing it helps. But every time we test someone, we remind them of what they’ve forgotten, which can be upsetting. If they get an answer right, we feel relieved; if they get it wrong, we feel guilty for not doing more. But this is about our feelings, not theirs. Zeisel’s advice is simple: don’t test, instead, focus on enjoying the present. At our groups we do this through games, music, singing, being creative, exploring the environment, and lots of shared laughter
I’m sure carers will enjoy this book, as the author acknowledges their burden while offering reassurance, that their loved one is still there and capable of growth.
Nithiah Palani - Social Work Student, University of Manchester
Seconded from Department of Social Welfare, Malaysia
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