Hello

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Welcome message from CEO Sally

2. Our November Highlights

3. Assisted Living Schemes

4. Join Our 12 Days of Christmas Giving and Help Raise £5000!

5. Dementia Congress

6. What We’ve Been Reading and Listening to

Welcome Message from our CEO, Sally

‘All that glitters is not gold’ is one of a number of proverbs that we ask our members with dementia to complete.  These funny little phrases seem to stick in their minds – although many young people have never heard them!

I think it’s a good proverb for the season of Christmas.  I confess that the traditional Christmas songs are playing too early in the supermarkets for my liking and the TV Christmas adverts make me positively cross!  All that glitters on the TV – the images of well-dressed people in beautiful homes – is not what many of us really value.  I think it’s the kindness, care and generosity that we see around us that we truly value.  So I hope that all of you observe and experience some of that this December.

Sadly, the Chancellor’s budget didn’t have any good news for social care but, in due course, the building of 250 NHS Neighbourhood Care Centres might benefit people dealing with dementia because they’ll provide access to more joined-up healthcare in the community and so avoid hospital admissions.

We’re planning Christmas fun for our members with dementia at their groups and we hope that lots of you will join us for either our Carers Evening Christmas meal  on December 10^th or the Carers Lunch on 17^th. It’ll be a great opportunity to catch up, let our hair down and celebrate all that you’ve got through this year.

Our November Highlights:

• Fundraising Lunch at Bowden rugby club
  Our Carer Support Manager, Beth, and carer, Sharon, attended a fundraising lunch kindly hosted by Bowden rugby club. The event raised incredible £10,000 for TDS!

• Carers Socials
  We took some carers for a well deserved evening at Shrigley Hall Spa and 16 of our East Manchester carers enjoyed a meal out together.

• Carly Occupational Therapist Trainee

  During her 8 week placement with TDS, Carly brought some fresh energy and thoughtful ideas to our Friendship & Activity groups. We wish you all the best with your career Carly and thank so much for all your hard work and contribution!

Assisted Living Schemes:

If you or a relative may benefit from a more supportive home, you might consider an assisted living scheme (formerly called sheltered housing). These usually consist of apartments with an on-site or on-call warden.

Extra Care schemes are for people aged 55+ and have a 24/7 care team on site who can provide personal care and emergency call-outs. Many residents build strong relationships with the staff. Manchester currently has 12 Extra Care schemes, with more in development by Manchester City Council and housing partners.

Important
Before contacting any scheme, you must register with Manchester Move

Extra Care schemes are designed as a home for life, but they cannot replace nursing care or offer continuous supervision.

How to apply for Extra Care Schemes

You can apply yourself, or a social worker, health professional, friend or family member can apply for you. Send your completed application to the schemes you choose (details available via “find out more about the schemes and how to request an application”). You must also be registered with Manchester Move.

Applications are discussed at monthly allocation meetings based on individual needs and available care.

Before applying, consider the scheme’s location and visit or speak to the landlord to ensure it meets your needs.

Dementia Congress:

Together Dementia Support took part in the Dementia Congress in Manchester, contributing to important conversations about dementia support and community practice.

Our CEO, Sally Ferris presented alongside the Chorlton & Whalley Range Dementia Action Group on “It Takes a Village”, exploring how we can create dementia-friendly communities.

Beth, our Carer Support Manager, also delivered a well-received session on the SIDECAR carer well-being assessment, highlighting the importance of structured support for carers’ well-being.

We’re proud to share our learning, strengthen sector collaboration, and continue advocating for improved support for people affected by dementia in Manchester. 

Join Our 12 Days of Giving and Help Us Reach £5000!

We’re inviting our supporters, friends, and community to come together for 12 Days of Giving - a festive campaign to help bring joy, connection, and meaningful moments to people living with dementia and their carers across Manchester.

From Tuesday, 2nd December, we’ll be sharing stories, impact, and ways you can help us reach our target of £5,000. Every gift, big or small, helps us continue providing person-centred support through our Friendship & Activity Groups, one-to-one support, dementia cafés, and specialist carer support.

Please donate and share our campaign page:

By donating or sharing the link with friends, family, and colleagues, you’ll help us reach even more people who want to make a difference. Together, we can jingle all the way to £5K and make this Christmas brighter for those who need it most.

Don’t Miss Our Big Christmas Raffle!

Our annual Christmas Raffle is back! Support Together Dementia Support and be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes, including:

• £150 M&S voucher

• Amazon Echo Show

• Sony headphones

• Hairdressing vouchers

• Festive food hampers

• …and lots more!

You can buy a pack of 5 tickets for just £5 online here:

 Good luck, and thank you for supporting TDS this Christmas! 

Prefer to buy in person? You can also purchase individual tickets at upcoming TDS events, including our Friendship & Activity Groups, Dementia Cafés, and Christmas meals.

If you have any questions, just email us at [email protected], we’ll be happy to help

Our Choirs Are Performing at the Trafford Centre - Volunteers Needed

We’re excited to share that two of our Together Dementia Support choirs will be performing at the Trafford Centre on Friday 12th December! This is a wonderful opportunity for our members to shine, spread joy, and raise awareness, and we need your help to make the day run smoothly.

We’re looking for volunteers to meet us at the Trafford Centre, help members safely off the minibus, and guide them to the performance area on Lower Peel Avenue (outside Boots and Zara). We’ll also need volunteers to help collect donations in our collection buckets throughout the event.

Even if you can spare just an hour, it would make a huge difference.

If you can volunteer, please email [email protected]
We’ll be there from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Choir performance times:

• 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

• 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

Thank you for supporting our members and helping us share the joy of music with the wider community for Christmas!

Dates for Your Diary: Upcoming TDS Events

North Manchester Carers Free Christmas Meal

6pm Woodthorpe Hotel, Bury Old Road, Prestwich M25 0EG

Email [email protected] to book on

What we’ve been Reading, Watching and Listening to:

• Relish – a company that sells dementia-designed activities and games that your relative might enjoy – and more!

  We have bought Aquapaints, colouring books and simple jigsaws from this company. They also have suggestion of things you can do around the home with your relative.

  Click here to visit the Relish website