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- TDS Newsletter May 2024
TDS Newsletter May 2024
The Father at The Garrick, looking forward to Dementia Action Week, and celebrating with the Dementia Changemakers
Fiona Brown & Sally
May 04, 2024
Hello reader
In May's issue
Welcome Message from Sally
Welcome to May’s newsletter! This month, we are looking forward to Dementia Action Week 2024, which this year falls from 13 - 19 May. “So, what’s the big deal?” you might ask. “What’s Dementia Action Week all about?” We’re pleased that, every year in May, the Alzheimer’s Society tries to focus everyone’s attention on |  Sally Ferris, CEO |
dementia - the good news, as well as the challenges. Perhaps everyone might hear a story that moves them to learn more, take action, volunteer, or donate.
There are a few things you can get involved in during Dementia Action Week 2024. We have an e-bike and walking session on Wednesday 15 May in Alexandra Park, the Changemakers Celebration, and an information session about delerium, on Thursday 16 May, and a session about dementia and legal advice in Chorlton on the evening of Thursday 16 May. Hope you can join something and that it’s helpful.
We are also encouraging our members, carers, volunteers and supporters to take action and contact either your local councillor about local provision for people affected by dementia or your MP. You could tell them about your lived experiences, help them understand what life is live for those affected by dementia in our region, and ask them for better funding for social care, mental health services and for dementia research.
It’s possible that there will be concerted political lobbying during Dementia Action Week, and your e-mail or letter will add to those voices and strengthen the call for there to finally be commissioned provision for dementia services in Manchester. As they say, ‘It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness’.
We hope you have a good weekend and that the Spring-like weather becomes more constant over the next few weeks.
Sally
Coming up for carers May & June 2024
May
 | Monday 6 - Sat 11 May 2024 The Father Our friends at the Altrincham Garrick will be collecting donations for TDS during the run of their play, The Father, in May 2024. They are also offering discounted tickets for our carers and supporters. Use code TDS for standard tickets reduced to only £12 at checkout. |
 | Tuesday 7 May Beswick Dementia Café |
 | Tuesday 7 May Carers Zoom, 7-8pm Get in touch for the joining info by email or calling 0161 226 7186. |
| Wednesdsay 8 May - 29 May FREE Training Course for Carers Our free, 4-week comprehensive course is for carers at any point in their caring journey. It’s also an opportunity for you to hear from other people in the same situation, sharing experiences, making connections, and supporting each other. This course will take place on Wednesday evenings on Zoom, from 7.00 -8.30pm. |
Dementia Action Week 2024
 Subscribe to receive our Dementia Action Week 2024 special edition | During Dementia Action Week, we’ll be encouraging you to write to your local leaders about your lived experiences. We’ll be publishing a special Dementia Action Week edition of our TDS Newsletter with information about how to contact your councillors and MPs about making dementia support a priority in our area, as well as sharing stories that show that when they have invested in good, holistic support they have changed lives. |
 Volunteer Christine testing the TomCat No need to book - just come along! | Wednesday 15 May, 11am - 3pm TomCat e-Trike Tryouts Our new TomCat Tricycle will have been delivered to try out, the Bicycle Rickshaw is booked and our electric bike is ready in first gear. We’ll be bringing a picnic of tea, coffee, sandwiches and cakes to enjoy during the day. There will be a range of adapted bikes you can try out, too. |
 | Wednesday 15 May Oaklands Dementia Café |
 | Thursday 16 May TDS Legal Clinic Slots fill up quickly so book now to secure your free will or discounted LPAs appointment. |
 Call 0161 477 6999 for more info | Thursday 16 May, 1 - 4pm Dementia Alliance Changemakers Celebration Eevent We’d be delighted to have your company for this special celebration during Dementia Action Week. |
 | Thursday 16 May, 4.30-6.30pm Free NHS online training - Dementia and Delirum |
 This session was arranged by Chorlton & Whalley Range Dementia Action Group. Booking is not required. | Thursday 16 May, 7.15pm Dementia & Legal Issues
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Rest of May
 Valerie Suite, Kath Locke Centre, M15 5DD | Thursday 23 May Free carers information workshop Dementia awareness & brain health, 1-3pm Our free Carer Information Workshops have been developed with family carers in mind, helping you to learn, share your experiences, meet other carers and increase you confidence in the care you provide. |
 | Sunday 26 May 10k for Together Dementia Support Our team of ten intrepid atheletes will be ready to run, jog, walk or roll 10k for TDS at the Great Manchester Run! If you’d like to support them on the day, get in touch and we can share the information about our cheerspot location Can’t make it on the day? show your support with any spare change you have and spur them on to the finish line! |
 | Wednesday 29 May Wythenshawe Dementia Café |
The Father: discounted tickets for TDS carers and supporters
Rehearsals have been underway for the upcoming run of The Father at the Garrick Theatre Altrincham in May. The theatre got in touch with us earlier this year to let us know they were hoping to support a local dementia charity and would be collecting donations for us during the run of the play.
| The Father (Le Père) is a play about a man called Andre. Now 80 years old, Andre was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter Anne and her husband Antoine. Or was he an engineer whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pyjamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control… A sobering and realistic family story, and an unsentimental, emotionally intense look at the world through the eyes of a man experiencing dementia. |
Our carers and supporters are able to secure tickets discounted to only £12.00 using our exclusive discount code: TDS
Use this code during checkout for any performance Tuesday - Friday to receive a discount on full price tickets (normally £16.00).
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Our 10th Birthday Showcase at Manchester Central Library
We will be hosting a prestigious showcase and retrospective at Manchester Central Library on Thursday 4 July 2024.
Delegates will be invited to hear from illuminating speakers from the medical world, as well as people with lived experience of dementia or caring for a person living with dementia. There will also be uplifting performances from our dementia choirs.
We’ll look back on 10 years enabling people to live positively, maintain skills, and make new friends in Manchester, and we’ll look to the future of TDS, dementia support in our region, and advances in the medicine and research.
A light lunch and refreshments will be provided.
If you can’t make it on the day, we will be livestreaming the event.
The event is free to attend.
Venue | Date Time |
You’re invited to our 10th birthday party!
Get your glad rags on and celebrate with us at the TDS 10th Birthday party!
You are invited to join us for an early evening meal, dance and celebration. Get up and boogie, relax with friends and enjoy a delcious hot Caribbean curry. Carers, members living with dementia, volunteers, supporters, donors and partners are all invited to join us for this evening of celebration.
Venue | Date Time |
Tickets are free, but if you can make a small donation to our charity that would be very much appreciated. Your donation will be spent on our vital services and will not be used to cover the cost of the party, which we are paying for ourselves.
This is a drop-in event so don’t worry if you can’t stay for the whole duration - you can come and go as you please!
Reserve your tickets using the button below, email [email protected] or call 0161 226 7186.
Book your place for Ghyll Head 2024!
A brave group of carers ready to take on the zip wire!
TDS is taking a small group of carers to the outdoor activity centre at Ghyll Head. Two nights of relaxtion in beautiful surroundings, with all meals cooked for you! A fun weekend away where you can choose when to relax, or when to have an outdoor adventure with friends.
We have a total of 10 places available for this year’s trip to Ghyll Head. At the moment, less than half of these have been booked.
If you are thinking about coming along to Ghyll Head, please get in touch with us ASAP to secure your place.
If we are unable to fill 75% of spots we may have to cancel the trip, so make sure you get your name down before it’s too late!
You might have read the fantastic poem that Kay wrote in a previous issue of the TDS Newsletter. If you haven’t you can hear her read it on the video we made to show the impact this weekend has for our carers to the trust that funded the 2023 trip
It’s not just me that finds things hard
Even if it scares you, you should jump
Not only from a zipline
But jump into the next phase of our journey with our loved one
A place on our Ghyll Head Trip costs £180pp, and includes transport to and from Ghyll Head, all your meals, and all activities while we are on site.
A non-refundable deposit of £60pp secures your place. Spread the cost with monthly instalments of £60 (April, May, June) to be paid before 28th June.
Dennis & Hilary are taking on the Manchester 10k for Together Dementia Support!
Dennis & Hilary ready to go!
Meet Dennis and Hilary, our daring duo ready to take on the Great Manchester Run for Together Dementia Support!
Despite living with dementia, they are lacing up their shoes and hitting the pavement to make a difference! Dennis is a former ultra-marathon runner and Hilary loves to walk. They are both supported by our Together at Home service.
Show your support for Hilary and Dennis and help us support more people affected by dementia. Every step counts!
Finding friendship thanks to Together Dementia Support
Last week, our Carer Support Co-ordinator, Anna, arranged to meet two of our members living with dementia at Longford Park to introduce them to each other and hopefully foster a new friendship.
Both ladies are newly diagnosed, and both of them had moved to Manchester very recently. Early in their dementia journeys and not yet ready to join a Friendship & Activity Group, Anna recognised that what they both needed was a friend they could meet up with and mutually support without pressure or stigma.
The two new friends hit it off right away, bonding over a cup of tea, relaxing in each other's company and learning about each other's lives. The morning was filled with laughter and a solid bond has now been made. Hugs were exchanged and new plans made.
"Thank you Anna. I haven't stopped smiling all day, it was the best day."
If you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with dementia, or cares for someone who has, Together Dementia Support may be able to help.
Learn more about how to access our services and eligibility critera on our Referrals Information page.
Spring fair was a success!
On Saturday 27 April we helped Crumpsall Methodist Church deliver their annual Spring Fair. It was a wonderful event, with lots of laughter, fun, games and food!
We raised a fantastic £270 from donation and sales. We want to say an extra special THANK YOU to the fantastic TDS carers who grew and donated plants for our plant stall, Kathy, Mike, Margaret and Anne.
We were helped on the day by our loyal and generous volunteers, Janet, Susan and Jess.
Of course, we would also like to say a big thank you to all our fantastic carers who came out to support the event, helping to fill the church hall and supporting the venue and our charity.
We’re recruiting new Carer Champions
We are looking to recruit a team of volunteers to become Carer Champions. This team will work closely with the TDS Carer Support Co-ordinators to help support our growing caseload of carers. It is an important and exciting role for you to share your expertise, valued knowledge, skills and wisdom with others.
If you have ever taken part in our Carer Training Course or used the Carers WhatsApp Group, you will likely have seen our wonderful Carer Champion, Margaret, supporting carers through their caring journey. We need more kind, patient, helpful carers like her to support more people on their journeys.
If you have lived experience as an unpaid carer then please consider becoming a Carer Champion and make a real difference to the lives of others whilst sharing your knowledge and expertise.
You will draw on your own experience as a carer to support carers by making regular contact with your match or matches. TDS ask that you commit to 4 hours a month, and this could be split to fit into your own life, an hour a week or two hours fortnightly, as phone calls or zoom catch ups or even an afternoon of four hours to enable you to visit the carer or help with appointments.
People are at the centre of everything we do at TDS, and we are committed to supporting our carers through this challenging time in a supportive, approachable and non-judgmental way.
What does a Carer Champion do?
Support carers with practical and / or emotional support
Serve as a voice for our carers and enhance their overall support system
Form empathetic peer relationships
Offer peer support by sharing appropriate lived experience
Share practical advice
Maintain a professional manner and follow TDS values and policies
Commit to a minimum of four hours per month
If you are interested, please email [email protected] with Carer Champion as Subject.
Free NHS delirium online training for family members and carers
Delivered alongside carers with lived experience
Thursday 16 May 2024, 4.30 - 6.40pm
Microsoft Teams (online)
Illustration by Glen Cutwerk www.glencutwerk.com
Delirium causes a short-term confused state and can develop over hours or days. It is a sign of an underlying illness. Older people and people living with dementia are at greater risk of developing delirium.
The training will cover:
What is delirium?
How to prevent delirium
Identifying the causes and signs
Getting help when you need it
For more information
Any questions e-mail [email protected]
Open to all family members and carers
To book, please e-mail [email protected]
Carers Active April - discounted memberships for unpaid carers at Better leisure centres
GLL is collaborating with Carers UK to support their Active April campaign.
The membership offer will run from 1 April - 14 May and provide anytime access to a Better leisure facility at a discounted rate of £30 per month. This includes access to gym, swimming, fitness classes and the health suite. This promotion is available to anyone in receipt of Carer’s Allowance or members of Carers UK.
Throughout April Carers UK will also provide a range of online physical activity sessions and information on staying active. Signing up for Carers UK is free and you can signup online minutes
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