Hello reader

In July's issue:

• Welcome message from Sally

• THIS WEEK: TDS 10th Birthday Bash!

• Make a dedication to your Forever Hero

• Lasting Power of Attorney: the facts you need to know

• Heady heights for our fabulous team of brave fundr …

• Podcast with Andy Burnham: from Mayor to carer

• Free Adult First Aid workshop at Oaklands Dementia Café

• What’s on for carers - July 2024

Welcome message from Sally

Fortunately, I had other, wise people around me to help with the legal and financial asepcts, and I was able to work with a group of church volunteers at the Amani Centre (Trinity Church) to piggy-back their singing sessions for older people. We created our first weekly group for people with dementia there.

I cannot believe how many generous, smart, committed and lovely people have helped along the ten long years. So, so, so much goodwill and love have been generated and given to members with dementia and their families. So much joy and love have been created and given back by our members. We have had a lot of fun together, despite everything.

As a charity we have grown gradually stronger, and yet we’re not out of the woods funding-wise. The funding landscape has become more difficult and we can’t earn all the money we need through our own efforts. We need grants from funding bodies, like The National Lottery, the Albert Gubay Foundation and all the other grantmakers who have supported us over the years, as well as support from businesses in our local community.

We’re always keen for our members with dementia and carers to have a bigger say, and certainly our carers are having great discussions via WhatsApp. I’ll be voting for them in the next General Election! We will introduce our new Carer Champions soon, who are all carers and former carers who are taking on extra responsibility to help meet the need in various ways.

A significant development for TDS is that we hope to soon be a trusted service provider with Manchester City Council. This will mean that you will be able to ask Adult Social Care for an assessment. People living with dementia who are eligible for a care package, or carers who are eligible for respite, can ask for the cost of our services to be part-funded by Manchester City Council.

We know that you want groups and Together at Home sessions to be longer, and we will be reshaping our services with the help of a core group of members living with dementia, Carer Champions, Lead Volunteers and staff members.

Longer sessions will mean that there will be an increase in price to cover the extra hours - but we hope it will be worth it for many of you.

In the meantime, sit out in the sun whenever you can, give us a call if you’d like to chat, and take care of yourselves.

Sally, CEO
Together Dementia Support

THIS WEEK: TDS 10th Birthday Bash!

Reader, this is your last chance to secure your place at our 10th Birthday Bash on Thursday 11 July!

Our Afternoon Tea is fully booked, but there are a few places left for our pizza, Caribbean Currry and disco in the evening. There will delicious food, and DJ Mystic will get you up on your feet dancing!

The evening slot is 5pm - 7pm at the Amani Centre.

The Amani Centre
Moss Lane East
Manchester
M16 7DG

Parking is very limited, and there likely won’t be any spaces on the Amani car park itself. We can help you drop off anyone whose mobility is impaired, and would recommend that you park either in the Asda car park, Kath Locke Centre car park, or on side streets around Quinney Crescent (behind the Amani Centre).

We have hired some marquees so that even if the weather isn’t perfect sunshine, you will have a dry and pleasant space to eat, drink, dance and chat outside and well as in.

RSVP as soon as you can. The remaining places will be a first come, first served basis.

Make a dedication to your Forever Hero

It is always hard to lose a loved one, and over the 10 years TDS has been in operation we have lost many members, carers, volunteers and supporters who we miss dearly.

We have developed a new area of our website, called Forever Heroes, to honour those who are no longer here but their contribution to our charity and to our lives cannot be matched.

This is an interactive experience on our website, where our supporters and service users can write a dedication to their own Forever Heroes. Each Forever Hero will have their own page on our website where you can upload a photo, write about your loved one in your own words, and share with others.

We started the pages off with a dedication to our patron, Tony Husband, who sadly passed away in October 2023. He was a cartoonist and satirist, whose work was featured in The Times, Private Eye and other national publications. His support meant a great deal to us.

Click below to view our Forever Heroes page, or to go ahead and write a dedication for your own loved one.

Lasting Power of Attorney: the facts you need to know

Many people have heard about 'Lasting Powers of Attorney', but most people don't start thinking about getting one until after it is very much needed. It is more difficult, or sometimes impossible,  to get an LPA in place when a person's cognitive ability is compromised, so the earlier it is done the better.

Lasting Power of Attorney is a document that is completed by the person who wants to appoint someone to look after his/her affairs.  It enables a trusted person(s) to make decisions on behalf of another person. There are two types of LPA: financial & legal, and health & wellbeing so you need to complete two forms if you want to give both powers to someone else in due course.

It is vital to have the financial & legal LPA in place so that someone can access your bank account and pay your bills when you can no longer do so.  Without the LPA in place, the bank could freeze your bank account.

If an LPA for health & wellbeing is not in place, a doctor can make the decision about what is best for you without the consent on your family or Next of Kin. They will consult with a Next of Kin, but ultimately the decision would be made by a doctor or healthcare professional. This can often lead to court intervention as families try to keep control of your care.

Getting an LPA in place early, when you can demonstrate that you fully understand what an LPA is and the decision-making power they are delegating, can avoid this situation.

You might be able to complete the LPA forms yourself, downloading them from the Office of the Public Guardian.  However, if a diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment has already been made, it is advisable to get a fully consulted LPA, with a face-to-face appointment with a solicitor, as LPAs completed by yourself, with the help of friends or family are much more easily contested.

If you need advice about setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney, you can book an appointment at one of our TDS Legal Clinics. You will be able to discuss your individual needs with a solicitor from our partner, Private Client Solicitors.  As a TDS Legal Clinic attendee you will be entitled to a deep discount of up to 50% off their usual LPA fees.

TDS Legal Clinics happen on the third Thursday of each month. Click the button to view our next clinic date and book your appointment today.

Next clinic

The next TDS Legal Clinic will take place on Thursday 18 July, and we still have some availability on this date for both LPA and Free Wills appointments.

TDS Legal Clinic
Kath Locke Centre
123 Moss Lane East
Manchester
M15 5DD

Heady heights for our fabulous team of brave fundraisers!

There are many ways to be brave in the face of dementia.

Our very first sponsored abseil took place at the Trafford Centre Palazzo on Saturday 29^th June. The intrepid abseilers nervously climbed up the 170ft to be kitted up and trained. Then, one by one, they stepped off the edge and became TDS fundraising heroes.

So far over £5,000 has been raised in support of the TDS activities programme.

We send a massive WELL DONE and thanks to Alex, Amna, Danielle, Jaz, Kay, Louis and Simon. And if you think you might like to give abseiling a try next year, please let us know!

In the meantime, there’s another TDS team taking on the Palazzo Tower at 10.45am on Saturday 13^th July – supporters and donors most welcome!

Send your encouragement by donating here:

Podcast with Andy Burnham: from Mayor to carer

Recently, the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham sat down with carer and podcaster Louise Lynch for an episode of ‘Do I Sound Like I Care?’

The podcast has been excellent so far, and Louise is a wonderful friend of TDS and a carer.

You can watch Mr Burnham’s episode on Youtube below, or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts by clicking the button below.

Free Adult First Aid workshop at Oaklands Dementia Café

This month’s Oaklands Dementia Café, on Wednesday 17 July, will also have an Adult First Aid workshop for carers from 2pm - 3.30pm.

There’s no need to book - just come along to the café as usual!

Oaklands Dementia Café, 1.30 - 3.30pm
Oaklands House
8 Wilibraham Road
Fallowfield
M14 6JW

What’s on for carers - July 2024