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5/7/2022 1 Comment Church Times spotlights Embracing Age to equip churches building post-pandemic care home ministry Kindness bags for care home staff, funded by churches across the borough of Richmond "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.
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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 [email protected] 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.  Amy's CDs and wax-sealed postcards ready to send to care homes 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 [email protected] 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. |
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