26/9/2023 0 Comments "Mary's presence in the home has really helped Jan settle in and feel at ease".In March, we appointed Zoe and Sarah as our new area co-ordinators to pioneer Embracing Age in Hampshire. 6 months on and it's staggering to see how much they have already got going! The local community has really embraced the initiative and the project is already supporting 35 individual care home residents across 14 care homes with trained befriending volunteers as well as lots of craft projects. Read on to hear Zoe and Sarah's update on the amazing difference already being made to residents and others involved in the project, and the exciting things in the pipeline. Visiting care home residents We are really grateful to new befrienders who are visiting care home residents weekly and bringing companionship and joy to these residents. They are making such a positive difference. One resident, who doesn't communicate much, is enjoying her weekly visits. Her volunteer brings gardening magazines and this has sparked lovely conversations about gardens and flowers and lots of reminiscing. The Activities Coordinator told us "we can't believe how chatty she's been, it's great to hear the laughter coming from her room". Another resident, who has been reluctant to join group activities, has enjoyed sharing her photo albums and talking about her family with a volunteer befriender. The Activities Coordinator says that "Margaret's visits have made a great difference to Jean's well being and she has been feeling more confident to join in and has been in better spirits". Another volunteer has been spending time with a resident who has just moved into the care home and is finding it hard to adjust to her new surroundings. Mary met her on her first visit and they bonded instantly. The Activities Coordinator says "Mary's presence in the home has really helped Jan settle in and feel at ease". One of our new volunteer befrienders told us, “Volunteer visiting is so rewarding. Getting to know the residents is a privilege whether through sharing laughter or listening to worries. The volunteer training for residents with dementia has been extremely helpful.” We would love to be able to welcome more befrienders as we develop links with more care homes and receive referrals for residents who would really benefit from regular visits. Cards of Kindness It has been really exciting over the summer to work in partnership with some local Hampshire libraries with our Cards of Kindness project. The children have made some wonderful cards for residents in their local care homes, and we are very grateful that the libraries are keen to continue offering this going forward too. We have more libraries launching similar initiatives over the next couple of months, including over half-term.
Bringing generations together Now that the new school term has started, we are developing and expanding our intergenerational links. As well as making cards for residents, we have also launched sessions in care homes where children and young people can share a story, a song, or a skill together, and going forward, we would love to extend this with more care homes, schools, and colleges taking part. The connections with the children bring so much joy to the residents, and we also recognise that the older people have so much to offer the younger generation to aid their learning, impart wisdom, and inspire them as they spend time together and build friendships across the generations. Stimulating reminiscing and conversation Photographers and artists have generously donated images for our Pictures of Joy initiative, and over the next few months we will be compiling these into books and resources that carers, volunteers, and residents' families can access to bring joy, evoke happy memories, and stimulate conversation with residents. We are also exploring with some local interest groups how we can create some reminiscence and memory boxes with residents and for residents. Building links between churches, care homes and the community Through the autumn, we have plans to link with more churches, care homes, and the community so that more people in the local areas know about Embracing Age and what we do and we are able to support more older people in care homes. Events - watch this space! We have a fundraising Christmas quiz planned. Individuals and groups are invited to purchase a quiz sheet, which will be available from November, and answers need to be submitted by the first week of January. There will be questions for all ages, and we hope families will enjoy taking part together. There will be prizes too! We are also planning some Christmas shopping, craft, and pamper events in the lead-up to Christmas. More details of the quiz and events will be posted on our Facebook page, "Embracing Age Hampshire," in the coming months so follow that to keep updated, or contact the Hampshire team for more details. You can find out more about Embracing Age Hampshire here. We have lots of different ways to get involved as an individual or an organisation and for a range of time and skills, and we would love to welcome you into the team to bring joy and companionship to more isolated care home residents across Hampshire.
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It's certainly been a summer of unpredictable weather and perhaps you have had plans cancelled or changed due to sudden stormy conditions? The marvellous community behind Embracing Age Isle of Wight did not let heavy rain dampen their spirits at their recent Vintage Afternoon Tea Garden Party fundraiser, pushing on to enjoy a wonderful afternoon and raising over £3,000! Incredible! The money raised will help bring companionship and joy to more care home residents without family and friends or those that are particularly isolated. Rebecca Savage, Isle of Wight Co-ordinator, fills us in on this very special event: The event was held in the beautiful garden of our Island Champion for Embracing Age, Barbara Sargent, and her husband, Alan. Set overlooking the countryside with sheep in the fields and the most beautiful pond adorned with ducks and moorhens who were certainly enjoying the weather more than we were. But despite not being able to enjoy the garden in its full glory, a good time was had by all. Each person was served an afternoon tea on vintage china including sandwiches, three small cakes, a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and a pot of tea to share. Additionally, Pimms and prosecco were available for a donation from the camper van served by volunteers Steve and Snoopy Dog. All-time favourite songs from the 1940s onwards were sung by our fabulous solo artist, Alan Wood (who unfortunately did not play a full set due to the rain), and mime artist Ivan Rendell also entertained the guests. Luckily a few hats resisted the wind to stay in place long enough for the Best Hat Competition, which was judged by our Ambassador, Lady Sally Grylls. This was followed by our Auction led by our fantastic auctioneer, Andrew, and the raffle with lovely prizes generously donated. One of the guests commented, "What a lovely happy party!" and a volunteer helper said afterwards, "I really enjoyed it, what a wonderful event. I'm usually in the kitchen but I really enjoyed waitressing." It's always risky thanking people by name for fear of accidentally missing anyone! However, here are a few people we would particularly like to mention:
You can find out more about Embracing Age Isle of Wight here. We have lots of different ways to get involved as an individual or an organisation and for a range of time and skills, and we would love to welcome you into the team to bring joy and companionship to more isolated care home residents across the island.
By popular demand, we held another summer quiz last week, which dare we say it was even better than last year's!
Around 84 people joined in and it was lovely to see people who had come on their own being welcomed so warmly into teams. Sean Carey, a writer for The Chase, was again an excellent Quiz Master, setting the balance perfectly between questions that were hard enough to be interesting but not impossible. Huge thanks to Sean for agreeing to come back and deliver such an enjoyable quiz. We are so grateful to our volunteer fundraiser, Sarah Ricketts, for organising this fundraising social for the second year running and making it a truly fun evening. One guest sent this fantastic feedback: "I just wanted to personally thank you and your colleagues for what was a great Quiz night on Friday. I am a member of a Quiz team and we try to go to all of the local charity Quiz nights. We all said that this was one of the best we have been to." Special thanks also goes to:
And of course huge thanks to everyone that came along and made it such a fun evening, and supported us so generously! Overall the evening raised a fantastic £1,115 - which will make a huge difference to our projects befriending care home residents and supporting informal carers. A huge success, a highly enjoyable evening and one we are keen to repeat! If you'd like to hear about upcoming events, you can sign up for our quarterly newsletter here.
Huge thanks and congratulations to everyone who is helping us to bridge the generational gap - this award is for you! In particular, many thanks and congratulations to:
- all our volunteers, whatever their age, who give their time to visit residents or bring joy through cards, knitting, and so many other ways of support - the babies and young children of our volunteers who bring so many smiles when they come for visits too - Embracing Age Isle of Wight, pioneering projects with the local girls' brigade making cards for care home residents - Let's Go Outside and Learn for their partnership with us in bringing together schools and care homes through wonderful intergenerational gardening projects - our incredible Schools Liaison volunteers in London Borough of Richmond upon Thames bringing schools and care homes together through other community connections If you'd like to know how you get involved in our intergenerational work, please check out our opportunities here or get in touch. We have opportunities for all ages across the country! You can read GranndNanny's blog on the Awards here. To mark World Kindness Day, we’re sharing the special story of singer-songwriter Amy Faith Morley’s series of care home visits arranged by Embracing Age Isle of Wight this summer. Amy, who lives in Liverpool, generously gave her time to spend a week visiting and performing in care homes along with her husband, Josh, acting as her roadie. We previously shared Amy’s story of blessing older care home residents by gifting them copies of her album “Abide with Me”, which she recorded during the first lockdown, as a gesture of kindness to bring residents hope and to know someone out there was thinking of them. Sharing her music in-person has always been a joy for Amy and she has special memories of playing in care homes over the years. So when Rebecca, our Embracing Age Isle of Wight co-ordinator, got chatting to Amy about the care homes on the island, Amy excitedly agreed to visit the island to support Embracing Age and entertain care home residents with favourite songs and old, well-known hymns.
There were so many special moments during Amy’s visits - below are some highlights. The daughter of one resident was visiting during Amy’s visit and said of her mother, “she does not usually join in the activities but I saw the poster and she does love music. She has not smiled for some time but today I saw her smiling. She has really enjoyed it." Tears were brought to this lady’s eyes as Amy sang one of her favourite songs "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. One gentleman was overjoyed when Amy led the room in singing Happy Birthday to him and Amy gave him a personal copy of her CD "Abide with Me". In one care home, there was a lady who apparently never goes into the lounge, but moved ever closer down the corridor towards the music and by the end she was at the door and fully engaged singing and dancing in the corridor. Her favourite music is by Abba and Amy played some requests especially for her. When asking if the residents would like to pray at the end, they answered with a resounding ‘Yes!’ Another resident told Rebecca, "This is wonderful. I have never seen [the other residents] enjoy themselves so much."
The care home staff were also so appreciative of the visits and Amy’s uplifting music, which is a real gift of kindness to them after the challenges they have been facing, and the pressure they continue to be under. One manager said, “thank you to Embracing Age Isle of Wight for being able to offer such events to care homes on the Island - we are very grateful!” and another, “the residents and staff absolutely loved the music in the afternoon. We were able to put some videos of it on the facebook page for families to see. It was a great success and we would very much look forward to Amy visiting again if possible." Rebecca summed up "It was a privilege to enter into some of the stories of the residents' lives as we spent time talking to them, enabling them to share the tears and the joys of life after each singing session." While on the island, Amy also enjoyed the Lionheart music festival and attending the Elim Church on the Roundabout, led by Tony and Sally Murphy, where she and Josh both shared their testimony and Amy got to sing. Amy says “some of the young people there particularly liked the original song “Once Upon a Time”, which is a new song to be recorded this year!” Reflecting on the week, Amy said "Thank you so much to Embracing Age and a special thanks to Rebecca who has worked hard to organise these visits! It's been a privilege as we have laughed, cried, sung, danced, played tambourines and waved flags with very precious residents this week. My heart is so full!" Amy works with some local care homes in Liverpool where she and her husband reside. She works together with activities co-ordinators offering sing-alongs of various themes for residents, including easy listening, war time songs, country and western, crooners and modern rock and pop, seaside themes and soon to include christmas carols. Residents enjoy joining in on tambourines and shakers, flags and singing. It is so inspiring to hear how such acts of kindness of sharing time and talents can make such a huge impact on the lives of older care home residents. If you have a skill to share with care home residents or time to visit a care home to bring joy and companionship, please see our website for ways you could get involved or contact Sarah to find out more.
Robert Frost wrote "Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and its thought has found words." Many of the informal carers in our Carers Connected group have found reading, or writing their own, poetry is a great way to channel the emotional challenges of caring for a loved one into thoughts and words to express that jumble of feelings. So, to mark National Poetry Day, we are sharing their poems to help other carers find a sense of togetherness and to offer non-carers an insight into their experiences. For some carers, poetry may be a way to express gratitude for something positive, perhaps on the power of nature to give some respite, like the poem below shared by Judy. For other carers, poetry might be a way to process feelings, recognise their limits and find the strength to ask for help. Holly told us "poetry helped to vent my feelings and frustrations, plus document the act of care-giving, the progress of my Mum's dementia, entity of Covid up to and beyond the death of my Step-Father at home, and 'red light' my own mental crisis - which led to my change of role from Primary Carer (24/7 live-in) to Secondary Carer (supporting my brother, now non-resident Prime Carer, and the family and professional Care Teams)." Other carers might find comfort through reading poetry written by others. Claudia told us, "When my fiancé suffered a catastrophic brain injury back in November 2020 my life as I knew it changed forever, leaving me to make some of the hardest and most brutal decisions on behalf of my partner I would have never envisaged were even conceivable. One of the hardest challenges for me being a carer, an advocate and devoted partner was the loneliness and isolation I would suffer. Even though he has professional care from the home he resides in, I believe, we, the loved ones often, can be the only ones able to be the psychological support that is so fundamentally important. So my journey began to find some support, some connection and self-care, this being something so easy to neglect when caring for someone else. People find this in various ways, it could be friends and family, support groups or therapy, but initially for me, unable to connect or cope with anything from the outside world I found my solace through Poetry. To quote from a book called “The Poetry Pharmacy – Tried and true prescriptions for the mind a soul” William Sieghart says in his intro: “To find the right poem at the crucial moment. One capable of expressing our situation with considerably more elegance then we can. Ourselves, it is to discover a powerful sense of complexity. And that precious realisation, I'm not the only one that feels like this.” And how true I found that to be, the words of someone you have never and will never meet can be of so much comfort; comfort that can be impossible from all those that may know you. Some days when I am feeling lost, alone and desperate for guidance I reach for my friend ‘poetry’ and open the book at a random page and ask for guidance. A particular book I turn to is called “Along the way” by Nikki Banas and, on a particularly dark and lost day, my book gave me some advice that has given me the strength and faith on the toughest days. It's called “Surrender” and below is an extract."
Huge thanks to Judy, Holly and Claudia for sharing their poems and reflections about poetry with us.
You can find more poems and reflections written by members of our Carers Connected group on our Reflections by Carers page. Do keep an eye out for new reflections posted regularly. If you are an informal carer and would like to join our Carers Connected support group, or browse our resources for carers, please visit our For Carers page. 7/9/2022 1 Comment “Letting the snowstorm settle” - Thoughts on coping with stress as an informal carerPam writes: One Thursday afternoon recently I had problems getting into our Carers Connected zoom meeting, and eventually I had to switch off my computer, wait a short while and then switch on and try again. It reminded me of when I was a woman returner at work in the late 1990s and Rosemary, in IT support, was so good with those of us who were new to computers and got frustrated when they wouldn’t cooperate. She’d say, “Switch off. Let the snowstorm settle, in the screen and in you. Then switch on again.” Invariably all would be well. Anyone can get stressed with all sorts of things in life but for carers there can be particular additional stresses, for example the challenging behaviour of your loved one, or the feeling that you’re constantly fighting the health care system. It's then, for our own wellbeing, that we need to have strategies to switch off from the situation, let the storm inside us settle, and then reconnect.
I heard a lovely song recently on the Radio 4 Daily Service, which contrasted an eagle effortlessly soaring high on thermals, with a sparrow flapping wildly but not getting very high. What helps you to rise above the storm? As well as the practical suggestions above, as a Christian I’ve been so grateful to know that there is a loving heavenly Father who cares and, if I let Him, is more than willing to lift me on eagle’s wings. I’m no expert, and my experience is limited, but now my caring role is over, and I have time to reflect, what else have I learnt about coping with stress in caring?
*A comfort box of sensory items is a box of things which evoke positive feelings. For example a favourite photo, a cute drawing by one of your grandchildren, very soft material, a tub of bubbles to blow and watch, hand cream, scented candle, and a piece of bubblewrap, because who doesn’t like popping the bubbles! I kept my box on view, because sometimes, even just remembering its contents, was enough to help me relax a bit. If you are an informal carer, please see the For Carers section of our website for details on how you can become part of our Carers Connected support group, as well as resources and reflections by carers that you might find useful. We also have resources for churches on supporting carers.
You can also find resources on dementia here, including our new series of Making Moments booklets with practical ideas for enjoying quality time with a loved one with dementia. 10/8/2022 0 Comments Isle of Wight Cheese & Wine a hit!Embracing Age Isle of Wight recently held a Cheese & Wine party, with auction and raffle - a fantastic fun day enjoying the island's best sunshine in a beautiful garden setting.
We are delighted to announce that the event raised about £2,000 - an amazing figure, which will make a huge difference to supporting projects that bring so much joy and sense of connection to older care home residents. Huge thanks to:
Embracing Age Isle of Wight launched during the pandemic so it is truly wonderful to see supporters coming together in person for such an enjoyable day. Well done to all involved and thank you to everyone that came! To find out how you could get involved with Embracing Age Isle of Wight's work, please see here or contact Rebecca. 5/7/2022 1 Comment Church Times spotlights Embracing Age to equip churches building post-pandemic care home ministry"OF ALL the people affected by the events of the past two years, care-home residents have, arguably, suffered more than most."
Julie McKee has published an excellent article in the Church Times on care homes being on the "front line" and the deep need for churches to come alongside their local care homes. The article features a range of suggestions to begin / resume that ministry and shines a spotlight on the work of Embracing Age and the ways we can equip churches in this ministry - not just for leading services but also coming alongside staff and residents in companionship and helping them feel linked to their local community. You can read the full article here. If you’d like to explore ideas for your church to come alongside care home staff and residents, please see our resources for churches, which can be adapted to suit any size of church team or contact us to discuss webinars, training or any other queries. 30/6/2022 0 Comments Charity Quiz Night a Huge Success!We're thrilled to announce that our fundraising quiz night raised a whopping £755!
We are so grateful to Sarah Ricketts who volunteered to organise this fundraising social for us and pulled together a fantastic evening of entertainment for our first social event since the pandemic. One of the teams called themselves "Glad to Be Out!" and it certainly was brilliant to be part of the buzz of the evening after the last two years. Sean Carey, a writer for The Chase, was an excellent Quiz Master and set the balance perfectly between questions that were hard enough to be interesting but not impossible. We're so grateful to Sean for giving his time so generously to deliver such an enjoyable quiz. Special thanks also goes to:
And of course huge thanks to everyone that came along and made it such a fun evening, and supported us so generously! A huge success and a highly enjoyable evening and one we are keen to repeat so watch this space! 16/5/2022 0 Comments How to use music in the care of people with dementia - some practical suggestionsTo mark Dementia Action Week, we are very grateful to Dr Fiona Costa for writing this guest blog on practical suggestions for using music in the care of people with dementia. Dr Fiona Costa originally trained at the Royal College of Music. Her lifelong interest in music, together with a calling to a ministry with older people, has led to a range of different initiatives and interests. As a research fellow at the University of Roehampton, her principal research interest is the effect of music on the wellbeing and quality of life of older people. Her PhD and subsequent research projects have studied how music can alleviate pain, stress, anxiety and depression. Her most recent work focuses on the use of music to assist in maintaining memory and the ability to communicate in people with dementia.
One way of engaging with music is simply to listen to it. People often ask me what music they should choose for people with dementia to listen to. What is most effective? This is a key question. And the answer lies with each individual person. What music do they enjoy? What music have they listened to throughout their lives? There is no point playing them some Bach or Mozart if they have never shown any particular liking for that music. They may hate classical music. Instead, try to find out what music they have experienced through their life and what music they love. Here are some questions you can ask – either of the person you are caring for, or if that is not possible, their friends and family.
By asking questions such as these, you can start to put together a playlist of music that means something to the person or people that you are looking after. Try and find music with different moods – some more lively music and some calm music. They can be used in different situations. Here are some websites that can help you: www.playlistforlife.org.uk www.musicandmemory.org https://app.musicformymind.com https://musicmemories.bbcrewind.co.uk https://open.spotify.com/user/playlistdementia https://m4dradio.com/ Once you have a playlist, what is the best way of using it? Here are a few ideas. Every person is different, so try them out and see what is most helpful for your situation. Think about the mood of the music that you select – different situations require different moods. And individuals may have particular preferences.
You may find that listening to music in these ways brings a range of benefits. Some can be observed straight away, some accrue over time. For example, there may be an improvement in mood, a lessening of anxiety, an increased awareness of other people and their surroundings, and even some temporary improvement in understanding. Of course, everyone is different and some people will respond more positively than others. You may also find that, over time, your own wellbeing is improved, both from the music itself and from a lessening of the caregiver burden. A few notes about how to listen to the music.
Caregiver Singing The ideas above just relate to listening to music. Of course, there are other activities that you can try which involve more participation. Here is just one of them. People with severe dementia who have lost the ability to interpret spoken instructions may respond better if instructions are given in song. You could, for example, sing an instruction for them to stand up (or whatever it is that you are asking them to do) – either by putting the words to a well-known song or by making something up on the spot. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece! Called caregiver singing, recent research studies have shown promising results. It is definitely worth a try. Find out more - free information packs These ideas are just a start. I have concentrated on those suitable for someone caring for an individual person with dementia – for those working in care homes, there are so many other ideas and activities that you can try in group situations and in the wider community. If you are interested in discovering more, I have some simple, easy to follow, information packs that my colleague Professor Adam Ockelford and I have put together. If you would like a free set, please email me at fi@chelseasquare.co.uk and I will send you one. ![]() This month we’re celebrating a year with our wonderful social media volunteer, Clara! Clara joined our team last Spring after spotting the role advertised by Richmond CVS while she was studying remotely during lockdown and looking for an opportunity to give back to her community. Now back at university in-person, Clara has continued juggling her busy student schedule with creating content for our social media accounts as well as inspiring us with her enthusiasm and fresh ideas. What better time to shine a spotlight on Clara’s immense contribution to Embracing Age, through her reflections on her time with us so far. "I have volunteered with Embracing Age since March 2021, and assist in creating content for social media. I really love being able to collate and share all the wonderful projects that Embracing Age is working on! As part of my role, I have been very fortunate to interact with Embracing Age’s amazing volunteers, brilliant trustees and the wonderful team of staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes. It has been so valuable to gain insight into how a charity is run, and see first-hand all the work that goes into making change in our community. I became involved with Embracing Age because I think their goal of combatting isolation amongst older people, and their core values of hope, faith and respect are incredibly important. Volunteering this past year has shown me just how much these values are at the core of Embracing Age’s projects, and how much they are shared amongst staff and volunteers alike. One of my favourite volunteering memories was accompanying other volunteers to deliver the sensory aquariums created by Embracing Age for care home residents. It was really special to see the reaction of care home staff, and later receive such wonderful feedback about how much residents enjoyed them. I encourage you to find out more about volunteering opportunities with Embracing Age. I feel so proud to be part of such a wonderful community and am sure that you will too."
Embracing Age simply wouldn’t operate without our incredible volunteers, who give their time and skills in such a variety of ways, including visiting residents, writing personal letters, crafting beautiful handmade items, exercising their green-fingers with flower bouquets and gardening projects, supporting us with admin and other key areas in the running of our projects, raising vital funds and of course our trustees who are a constant source of support.
THANK YOU to Clara, and to all our volunteers, for all the time and passion they give to working towards a world where older people are valued, connected, full of hope. Would you like to find out more about getting involved with Embracing Age? You can see current opportunities here and choose how you'll start making a difference today. This month we interviewed Amy Faith Morley, the singer songwriter who is generously gifting copies of her lockdown album, “Abide with Me”, to care homes across the country.
That’s amazing at such a young age! So where did life and music take you as you headed into adult life? By the age of 17, a series of events and miracles led me to become a born again Christian and from that point my life changed and I found myself on a journey of faith really. I spent my late teens through to my mid twenties at a Bible College where I met Josh. We got married in 2011 and joined YWAM (that’s Youth With a Mission) which led us to various volunteer mission trips overseas, to places like Ukraine, Albania and America. In every country I found that although the cultures were diverse, beautiful and different in their own unique ways, the brokenness of humanity is pretty much the same everywhere. As someone who went through a lot in my younger years, I know what it means to be hurt and broken. I have also discovered what it can look like to set out on a healing journey and to find ongoing freedom. It’s out of my bad and good experiences that I have wanted to serve God and help others also. In my mid twenties after a long break from singing professionally my old music college tutor offered to produce an album for me. He helped me to develop as a songwriter and play my songs alongside a full country/rock band and record them for my debut original album 'Morning Star'. This led to me playing in churches, bars, soup kitchens, care homes and music festivals; only this time I felt I had so much more to give in terms of my story, life experience and able to relate with my audience a lot more compassionately than my younger years. I like to think the more we experience as human beings, the more compassionate we become, and especially as a Christian, the deeper my love for Jesus grows, the more I find that I have the capacity to love others better. Tell us a bit about your album ‘Abide with Me’ - what was your inspiration behind it, and what was it like recording it at home during the start of the pandemic? Before the pandemic I had plans to travel abroad with my husband Josh on several mission trips and teach in some youth classes. I also had gigs lined up and a new original project to record for my second album. But when the pandemic hit, like many others, I found myself stuck at home with many plans cancelled. As a Christian I love to pray and spend time meditating with my Bible and sometimes play music alongside these devotional times. I found myself picking up an old hymn book and just reading through some of the lyrics. I was touched by the comfort, peace and hope found in many of the words to the hymns. It also reminded me of when my grandparents used to play old vinyl records and on some of those records old traditional hymns are recorded in a country and western style! I love the hymn 'Abide with Me' and it seemed so fitting for the season we were all in around the world! You're generously gifting copies of 'Abide with Me' to care homes across the UK. What inspired you to do this and how's it going? My heart particularly went out to the elderly during the pandemic! As a younger person I at least had the luxury of an iPad and whatsapp videos with family, and Zoom for work and ministry. But my elderly grandparents struggled at times to join in and this can feel very isolating. I thought a lot about how the elderly might be getting on. They are such intimate and present people, at least I have found throughout my life. Some of the oldest have lived through World War II and are such resilient people. And yet, I often feel like as our generation moves forward with such 'speed' especially online, and in the world of technology, the elderly often get sort of left behind in the process. I felt that if I couldn't go into the care homes and sing, maybe a CD to encourage people might be supportive and fun for them. I had set aside an amount of money for the original album but, after prayer, decided this was a season to set aside my own desires, and gift hymns instead. So I bought a batch of CDs and so far have sent them to just over 100 care homes and chaplaincy ministries around the country. Each CD comes with a wax-sealed, handwritten postcard personalised to either an individual or the name of the care home/hospice and a yellow rose postcard for people to put on their fridge or notice board. I handwrite and wax seal the postcards because, in a day and age where technology seems to be taking over most things, I still love and appreciate the feel of pen and paper, as I know many older people do as well. It gives a personal touch and says “I took the time to sit down, light a candle, think of you and write a note just for you!” I had pen pals growing up and always looked forward to their stories, questions and sometimes the little stickers we would send back and forth to encourage each other. I appreciate what we have nowadays with instant access to video calls, emails and Facebook. But sometimes it’s really nice to receive that letter, that personalised touch. I have received messages from friends saying that the hymns really encouraged their loved ones in care homes. I also received positive feedback and an invite to sing 'Abide with Me' at a funeral. I went and sang, although it was a tough one seeing people sitting so far apart and masked, as I was the only one allowed to sing. This made me feel very sad, but at the same time I knew it was encouraging the family and friends of the person who had passed away. Do you have any personal experience of care homes? Yes! I have visited friends in nursing homes and had the privilege of singing in a few too! The first time I sang in a care home was in the town I was born and bred, a place called Moxley Court. My junior school friend Max and I sang some Abba songs and a few war time songs. My little sister did a dance and we put on quite the variety show for the residents, who were really overjoyed! We were only kids, so it really broke up the mundane routine and filled the place with some vibrant music and laughter too! More recently at a nursing home in the USA I had the privilege of visiting our dear friend's late mother, a sweet lady who sadly went through Alzheimer's. I got to sing and play guitar for the residents there and we shared some sweet moments, playing games, singing along and simply sitting with people and holding their hands as they shared their own life stories. What's your favourite song on this album and why?
Ah, that's a hard one as I like many of them for different reasons... Amazing Grace for its beautiful words that many can relate to, and this is probably one of the most upbeat songs on the album. I had a lot of fun recording this with my singing teacher Elaine Buckland and the Counterpoint Choir on a split screen video, as we all had to record separately from home during lockdown! This song seems to cheer people up the most. I have also sung this in care homes and the country beat usually gets people toe tapping, sometimes even dancing! I also love the story of Saint Francis of Assisi and the words to 'Make me a channel of your peace'. I think this song is especially relevant for today, with us all going through a global pandemic and now the devastation we are seeing in Ukraine. This is such a simple song, often sung in school assemblies when I was growing up, but it really is like a prayer, asking to be a vessel of God's love and peace in this world. I think my personal favourite is 'Jesus paid it all'. When I think of my life before I came to faith, and the broken mess it was in as a teenager compared with life now, it really was and is the grace of God. When I think of Jesus and what He has done in my life, I am very humbled. If someone would like a CD for a care home, how should they request one? You can email me at info@amyfaithmorley.com or find more details on the Embracing Age website. And how can other people connect with you and enjoy your music? My biography and music is all on my website, and my full catalogue of songs, vlogs and music videos are all on my youtube channel. You can also stream or download the album on Apple, ITunes, Amazon and Spotify. It's always encouraging when people go to the website and buy the physical CDs too. I also have 'Abide' candles available through my website shop at: www.amyfaithmorley.com/store. Anyone who wants to journey with me, can find me on Instagram and Facebook, where I share regular updates. 11/2/2022 2 Comments "Love, actually, is all around"
Kate writes:
“I first became involved with Embracing Age’s Care Home Friends project during the Pandemic, having retired the previous year. I had worked with children and their families all through my professional career and I wanted to use my knowledge and skills, but with a different group of vulnerable people. I had listened to personal stories of loneliness experienced by older people in care homes (a direct parallel to how children in care feel) and by chance was introduced to this charity by Rebecca, who had recently become the Isle of Wight Coordinator. It seemed like providence that the opportunity to do something useful, which also focused on local vulnerable people was presented to me at this time. While I was involved with the Cards of Kindness project, I was introduced to some amazing people who were volunteering their time and skills and it was truly humbling to see how many generous, gifted people are in the community wanting to support others. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of a charity that offers such an important service to older people, who are often invisible and without a voice (again I was struck with the similarity to Children in Care with whom I had worked for 40 years). Whilst delivering the cards during the Pandemic, it became clear how committed the staff in the residential homes were to their residents and the huge pressure they were under. Once restrictions were lifted and the homes opened up for visiting, I was connected to one of the residents to whom I had been writing. He sadly passed away earlier this year, but it was such a privilege to get to know him and spend time talking about his life over a nine month period. When I first visited Keith, one of the other residents said, “Don’t bother speaking with him, he doesn’t speak.” How wrong they were! I found that by encouraging, listening, and spending time asking Keith questions, he had a remarkable memory and a great sense of humour. He had suffered a stroke which meant that at times he struggled to articulate the words clearly, but with time it became a lot easier to communicate. He had a twinkle in his eye when he was talking about his life, which was heartwarming. Keith’s life had been hard - he had been separated from his family during the war for several months, without a clear understanding of why and whether he would see them again. When he did become reunited, there was little joy that he could recall - no parties or celebrations for birthdays or religious festivals. He had been in the navy and finally a fireman. He married a woman who had escaped domestic abuse and had 6 step children. There was little contact between him and the step children after his wife’s death, hence finding himself in residential care following his stroke. One of the striking characteristics of Keith was that he never spoke with bitterness or regret, which I found amazing given the hardships he had encountered. He also talked animatedly about some of his travels in Australia and Europe and we were able to share many experiences given I had also been lucky enough to travel a fair bit. When I heard that Keith had passed away, I felt terribly sad, but also fortunate that I had been given the opportunity to get to know him. I was particularly grateful that I had managed to see him before Christmas and watch his face light up when I gave him the bag of presents from Embracing Age, as well as some personal gifts from me. It was a privilege to be able to engage with Keith and the wonderful staff at the home who are so overworked. It would be impossible for staff to spend such intensive time with each resident. I am sure that Keith also looked forward to my visits and it always seemed that his speech was a bit clearer at the end of each visit, which was a bonus. I would certainly recommend others getting involved in Embracing Age - to bring a smile to someone’s face is so rewarding.” *Name has been changed for anonymity.
We all know that keeping active in all phases of life is extremely important. As we age, there are a number of factors that can affect our ability to exercise but it is important to focus on what we can do, rather than what we cannot. Doing exercises that improve our flexibility, aerobic capacity, balance and strength are essential to maintain our overall fitness, improve our sense of well-being, enable us to carry out every day activities and, very importantly, to prevent falls. So what do we need to do? Below are some suggestions for exercises that can be done every day to help us maintain these functions. Try and find a trigger to help remember to do some exercise – for example, while waiting for the kettle to boil. 1. Heel Raises Facing and holding onto your kitchen worktop, rise up on the balls of your feet and lower down gently. Stand tall, knees relaxed, keeping your tummy muscles pulled in and your chin level. Do 10 repetitions. This exercise strengthens the ankles and calf muscles to improve balance and walking. Heel raises can also be done whilst sitting in a chair. 2. Arm Raises Stand side on to your kitchen worktop, holding the worktop with one hand. Stand tall as above and, holding a can of soup or bottle of water in the other hand, raise the arm to shoulder level and down again. Keep a slight bend in the raised arm. Repeat 10 times on each side. This exercise strengthens the arms and shoulders to help with everyday tasks such as housework and gardening. This could also be done whilst seated. 3. Sit to Stand Place a dining chair with its back against your kitchen worktop. Sit towards the front half of the chair, sit tall pulling in your tummy muscles, shoulders down and relaxed, draw feet back slightly so knees are over toes. Push down into the feet, lean forward and use momentum to push up from the chair to stand up fully. Sit back down gently. Repeat 10 times. This exercise strengthens the thigh muscles to help with climbing stairs and walking. A seated alternative would be to sit with your back against the back of a dining chair and raise alternate legs straight out in front of you – try to hold each leg for 10 seconds. 4. ‘Swimming’ forward and back Stand or sit tall with feet hip width apart. Keeping your chin level and your tummy muscles pulled in, use alternate arms to perform a ‘front crawl’ swimming action keeping the elbow bent. Then take alternate hands up and back over the head as if brushing your hair. Aim to do 10 repetitions in each direction. Work within your own range and at your own pace. This improves shoulder mobility to aid in everyday living such as putting on your coat or reaching for a seat belt. Please remember that it is never too late to start to exercise and that, to steal a phrase, ‘every little helps’! If you have any concerns regarding your ability to exercise, please consult with your doctor or health professional before attempting these exercises. 19/11/2020 0 Comments Carers Connected
We are delighted to announce that Allchurches Trust have awarded us a #HopeBeyond grant for our new Carers Connected project. Carers Together will provide a safe, friendly space for informal carers to connect with others over weekly Zoom calls, providing peer support, togetherness and prayer opportunities.
We have spoken to Christian carers about the challenges of caring. It can be isolating and tiring - all the more during lockdown when usual activities like dementia cafes or day centres are closed. Nationally, 80% of carers say they feel lonely or isolated, and 61% have experienced physical ill health as a result of caring. Christian carers can find themselves cut off from their church community if they are unable to attend due to the needs of the person they care for. Others find attending church a welcome lifeline of support, but this has been disrupted by the pandemic. Online services have enabled many to worship from their homes, but not always to experience the fellowship they might get from attending in person. Technological advancements during recent months, like Zoom, create opportunities to connect Christian carers across the country. Carers Connected will provide a safe space for them to connect weekly over Zoom to chat and pray, with regular guest speakers, followed by discussion groups. Those without online access will be able to phone in to participate. Carers told us they don't just want to talk about subjects relating to caring, but to tap into peoples' passions and talents, hearing about the diverse hobbies and interests of others, so this will be incorporated into the programme. We will also be preparing resources for churches on caring for carers. We are busy behind the scenes getting a pilot project ready for launch. If you know a carer who might like to be involved, please encourage them to contact us to find out more. We are hugely grateful to Allchurches Trust for their support in helping to make Carers Connected a reality. 17/9/2020 0 Comments Hi 5 - Challenge YourselfWe are excited to launch our first virtual challenge event and we would love to see people of all ages and abilities get involved.
This year marks Embracing Age's 5th birthday and the event is all about celebrating what everyone, especially our volunteers, has achieved and doing something fun using everyone's individual talents to raise funds for the journey ahead. As it's a virtual challenge, you can take part in your own time, wherever you're based, either as an individual or part of a team. Simply choose any challenge whether sporting, creative or anything else you fancy and link it to the number 5 whether by distance, time or quantity. Click below to find out more and get involved. 3/4/2020 6 Comments Jack and Serhan’s StoryI’d like to tell you about a friendship that's been forming between an elderly gentleman, Jack, and one of our volunteers, Serhan. Thanks to funding we secured from RPLC to provide tablet devices to care homes, that friendship is now continuing virtually using Skype.
Jack (94) and his wife Rosie moved into a care home together last year, but Rosie sadly passed away just three months later. Jack is very interested in people and the world around him, but doesn’t tend to engage in group activities, preferring to spend most of his day in his room reading the newspaper and chatting to the staff one-on-one during their checks. He is visited regularly by one of our volunteers, Serhan, for about an hour each time. I visited Jack before the lockdown and had a rich and interesting chat with him on various topics - the history of the local area, war and peace, current affairs (which he is very up-to-speed on), life values, world travel, his late wife, as well as his regular visits from Serhan. He told me how much he values and appreciates Serhan’s visits and that he’s particularly interested to chat to Serhan about his home country of Turkey. Jack and Rosie travelled extensively together so he really enjoys being able to talk to someone from a different country and learn about their culture and the “real” side of their country that you wouldn’t see as a tourist. Chatting to Jack, it was clear that Serhan’s visits help him feel connected to the outside world and are something he looks forward to all week. It was so heartwarming to hear from Serhan that he sees the friendship as something that also benefits him: “My friend is 94 years old and I have learnt a lot of things about Richmond and the UK from him. It is very good for me to understand UK society’s dynamics and changes during the last 85 years. He is always smiling when he sees me and always thanking me at the end of the visit. It makes me happy talking to him.” The activities coordinator at Jack’s care home told us “the residents find the visits from your volunteers to be a life enhancing activity. Although we have a very busy activities programme here, it’s important for residents to be given opportunities for one to one meaningful engagement outside of this, especially for residents who may not receive many visitors. It's wonderful that the volunteers visit on such a regular basis as it provides the residents with continuity and has a huge positive impact on the resident's quality of life and well being.” It is always heartening to see what a difference the care home visits make to residents, volunteers and care home staff and we are so grateful to each of them for their time, support and engagement in these projects. With the current restrictions on visiting care homes, it's now more important than ever to find ways to connect care home residents with their family, friends and our volunteers for that one to one companionship. Thanks to funding from RPLC we have donated tablet devices to care homes across the borough so that residents can join video calls. We were thrilled to hear that Jack and Serhan had their first Skype call this week and that Jack was really delighted by the experience. We look forward to more of our volunteer-resident friendships blossoming via video calls until visits can be resumed. Most care homes have now restricted visitors in order to protect their residents from the virus. It is a particularly challenging time for staff and residents, as an outbreak of the virus at a care home could be devastating. How can we support them?
It's a difficult question to answer, as the situation seems to be changing daily, but here are some general ideas that should be adapted to your local situation and read in the light of the most up to date government advice, which can be found here. 1. Give your care home a call and ask them what their needs are at this time and if there is any particular support they need. They may be so busy dealing with the urgent that they are unable to think of anything - let them know that they can contact you if they think of anything later on. 2. Show care home staff how much we appreciate all they are doing to look after and protect our vulnerable older people during this time of crisis. Send them a thank you card and some chocolates. 3. In our area we are hoping to get some funding to buy android tablets to give to the care homes that staff can use to help residents have video chats with their loved ones. Residents with capacity can also use them to play online games like Words with Friends and chess, that connect them to the outside world. 4. If you have a background in care, perhaps you could offer to go on a reserve list of bank staff that care home managers can call on should they experience a shortage. 5. If you have children at home, perhaps they could write letters or draw pictures that could be sent to the care homes to cheer the staff and residents. Can you think of other ideas? Please feel free to add them to them in the comments section below. Showcasing our Intergenerational Drama Project We were thrilled to see the fruits of our intergenerational drama project last week when the Year 8 pupils showcased the final production to residents and their families at a local care home. The project involved Wendy (our Volunteer Coordinator, who is also a writer and actor) working with students from a local school, who spent time getting to know some care home residents, collecting stories from their lives, and turning these stories into a musical production. The production, “Over The Rainbow”, was largely set around the 1940s and included favourite music from the era, which had several of the residents humming along and dancing in their chairs, which was a real delight to see. One resident said “I enjoyed it thoroughly. It brought back lots of memories, good and bad. But it was wonderful.” Another resident said “The girls had thought about what they were doing and they’d obviously taken the bits that they had been told by the people they’d visited over time; it was all in there and they put it together well. I enjoyed it and I think that’s the most important thing; and I saw everyone else enjoyed it too.” The students also told us they gained a lot from the project - from growing their confidence and teamwork skills, to changing their views about older people and their perspective of life in general. One pupil said “we’ve got so much to learn from care home residents” and this was a common theme amongst the pupils. One student spoke of a gentleman who had lost both of his legs in WWII and had gone onto become a successful actor, “it was amazing to see someone who had been through so much in their youth to be telling these stories and be so happy today.” The school’s Head of Drama said the pupils had “gained confidence, empathy for the elderly and collaborative skills in rehearsing. The project was a great way for the students to become involved in a local community on our doorstep.” Wendy, who led the project at Embracing Age says “The grant from Culture Seeds allowed us to create a beautiful space, that built a lasting connection between a group of young people and elderly residents in a care home. We witnessed the joy and delight from the elderly residents, their feeling of value sharing their stories. We watched the girls’ excitement and confidence grow listening to these stories, and making them into a play. It was a truly magical experience.” You can watch highlights of the performance and interviews with some of the residents and pupils below. A huge thank you to the Mayor of London’s Culture Seed Programme for funding this project, and to the school and the care home for working with us. If you would be interested in exploring an intergenerational project with us, please contact us here. It can be hard to visit someone you love when it seems like they are slipping further away into their dementia, or losing their ability to communicate verbally. When it feels like you’re not making a difference and your visits aren’t remembered it’s understandable to begin to wonder if it’s even worth visiting at all. It is! Though people living with dementia may soon forget the details of your visit, they will be left with the emotional memory for far longer. The feeling of being loved, cared for, happy.
So how do we try and make our visits those which leave the person we love feeling loved, cared for and happy? How do we bring enjoyment to someone living with advanced dementia? Here are my top tips:
I have a bag now which I take to the care home every week. It has a basic manicure kit, a portable speaker, hand cream, a sketch book, photos, pictures and music on my phone. I can then offer different activities depending on the mood and fancy of the lady I visit. There are some weeks it doesn’t go that well, if she is having a particularly bad day, but more often than not it has enabled me to bring her a little enjoyment. Although I have been visiting for nearly two years I still have to introduce myself every week and I know she has no memory of my previous visit. And yet, I do sense that she knows me. At the very least she associates me with good feelings, and that for me, makes all worth while. 3/9/2018 2 Comments Introducing John NobleWe are delighted to welcome John Noble as a new ambassador for Embracing Age. We asked John to share some of his story:
Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience of supporting a loved one with dementia. Well Tina, that’s a challenge without writing a book! I’ve been in Christian ministry with my lovely wife for almost 60 years! We were married in 1958 and after seeing the folly of some involvement we had in the occult, we soon found the Holy Spirit at work in our lives as we were caught up with the Charismatic Renewal which emerged in the 1960s in a big way. Alongside bringing our five wonderful children into the world, we planted churches, shared in great conferences like Spring Harvest and developed a team to serve the church here in the UK and around the World. Having been trained at the Royal Academy, Christine had a passion to see the arts functioning freely in worship and the church’s mission. With her team she pioneered the use of movement, drama and art which, with a strong prophetic element, enriched our gatherings at every level. She was greatly used in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and has seen many people delivered, healed and released into ministry. She also did much to gender self-esteem with women and encouraged them to pursue their God-given callings in work, home and church in whichever way the Lord was leading them. Together we were a great team and spent many years serving the church from simple tribal village fellowships in Asia and Africa to the city churches of the West and beyond. In 2011 Christine was diagnosed with an aggressive form of dementia and we were faced with the greatest challenge of our long and happy relationship. I was devastated and wanted everyone to know and pray for us, while Christine was inclined to be in a measure of denial. This immediately led to some tension and made it difficult to manage the inevitable adjustments the progression of the disease brought. Nothing I had been through in life had prepared me for the situation we found ourselves in and so began a massive learning curve for me. I must admit that I didn’t always handle things very well as the Christine I knew seemed to fade away and a different Christine emerged. It was a Christine who didn’t behave and react the way she had done in the past and left me coming to terms with a disturbing range of emotions from bewilderment and confusion to hurt, anger and sadness. If it wasn’t for the support of a loving family, praying friends and a few people with experience who listened to my pain and took time to sympathise and gently give some words of counsel, I would not have survived. Two days after my 80th birthday Christine was taken into care for a couple of weeks to sort out her medication which wasn’t working too well. It was the worst day of my life and I wept buckets. During her short stay she was seen to be in an advanced stage of disease and the assessor said that she was amazed that we had managed to cope for so long. So, Christine stayed in the home which was both a relief and a further devastation. Why are you motivated to see more volunteers in care homes? I have visited Christine every day for the last 22 months and watched her deteriorate to the point where she is immobile and has all but lost her speech. By God’s grace this experience has softened my heart and changed my understanding of those who have to cope or live with the disease. I see the incredible commitment of so many carers, the majority of whom are immigrants. They work long shifts and the pay is not great. Every day they face the challenges of residents, most of whom are confused and concerned or totally dependent on their input and a few can be quite aggressive. Their time is taken up with the simple chores of dealing with the basic needs of feeding, washing and watching. Whilst many go the extra mile and try to spend time interacting with residents it is impossible for them to give the attention which would help to make life a little more bearable, especially for those who have no family or friends to visit. I began to think about the difference a few volunteers, who have received a little training, could make to the lives, not only of the residents, but to the staff as well. I have seen how easy it is to get alongside folk to give them some assurance and a little love which brings light into their darkness and peace in their confusion. We have also made some real friendships with the staff who appreciate us being around and they are interested when we take time to share something of our experiences and faith. There is another area where I see we can make a difference if we are sensitive. During one of my first visits to see Christine I was distressed and upset. A lady who was visiting her mother took a moment to come over to me and offer kind words of comfort and encouragement. During my daily visits I have had dozens of opportunities to do the same for other visitors who might be facing an emotional challenge with their loved one. In our daily lives we find it difficult to engage with people who are busily going about their daily routines. However, when a life is turned upside down by the circumstances which bring them to a care home, they are vulnerable and open to receive a little love and tenderness which a caring volunteer might be able to offer. When I discovered Embracing Age and all that you are doing, I was delighted and thrilled to know that my growing concern to see an army of volunteers supporting care homes across the UK was already being addressed a professional way. Thanks Tina for the amazing work you have started and more power to your elbow! If you could give one piece of advice to the younger generation what would it be? Sadly, over recent years in our society, community life is all but gone. The security and support communities provided has been dissipated. Family life has largely disappeared and people are more and more isolated. One tragic result of this is an ever-widening generational gap which breeds suspicion, fear and even anger and aggression between the young and old. My advice to the younger generation which is emerging in this climate is, please take time to consider the long-term effects of perpetuating this situation. One day you will be old and will need love and support. So, with all the energy, hopes and aspirations you have, let us, together, find a way to buck the trend and reverse the divisions. Let us rediscover the incredible reservoir of wisdom and energy which reside in the two generations and see how this can be a force for positive change in this troubled world. |
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