Lottery Funding for Dementia Hub and Services

National Lottery Funding for a Worthing Dementia Hub, innovative day services and support for people with dementia and their families

Dementia Friendly Worthing and Abbeyfield Ferring Society are delighted to announce a 3-year project to support people living with dementia and their carers. The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, is supporting the dementia project to the tune of £222,104 for three years.

Jacqui Swindells, Chief Executive at Abbeyfield Ferring, who will oversee the Worthing Dementia Hub and respite services, said, ‘We’re delighted to have been successful with this application. The funding will ensure the continuation, for three years, of Dementia Friendly Worthing’s Co-ordinator and provide partial funding for a Stay Active and Social respite service. The money will help support isolated carers and people living with dementia in the Worthing area, and most importantly, set up a new Dementia Hub. The hub will consist of a shared space for carers and people living with dementia to drop in for advice, support, and services, and where professionals can hot desk. Premises in Goring High Street are currently under offer and we hope to open in early summer.’

Chairman of Dementia Friendly Worthing Steering Group, Bob Smytherman echoed Jacqui’s delight, adding, ‘This funding will allow us to continue to work closely with our partners Abbeyfield Ferring and is vital to maintain the work of our valued Dementia Co-ordinator. Lynsey has been working throughout Covid to support local people, mainly through online events with carers, people living with dementia in the community and extending our work with schools especially, Our Lady of Sion school.’

Helen Bushell, Senior Head of Regional Funding for London, South East & East at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We are delighted to award Worthing Dementia Hub this funding, which will have a massive impact on the lives of people with dementia and their carers. Through the development of a Dementia Hub, local people will have improved access to important information, support and services that will help them in their day to day lives.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, organisations like this have played a vital role through the pandemic in helping people with dementia and their carers build connections and tackle feelings of isolation and loneliness.”

National Lottery players raise £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.

Covid-19 has had a huge impact on dementia services during the past twelve months and charities are yet to re-instate services before the lockdown is fully lifted.

The funding will provide signposting, information hubs in the community and work with other local dementia alliances. Events such as bi-monthly dementia cafes and support for carers to help access small funds such as the carers wellbeing fund. The hub will host the Worthing Town Cryers – a social action group made up of people living with dementia who are very active in the Worthing area. It will also provide opportunities to work with GP surgeries, the dementia assessment and crisis team and the Dementia Matron. The hub will be open daily for anyone with dementia, their carer or family and have hot desk facilities which health and dementia-specific workers can use.

 

Abbeyfield Ferring Covid Vaccinations

We have had a busy few weeks across our services and are delighted to announce that all our staff and residents, at Cornwell House, our Support at Home Service and the Old School House in Ferring, have had their first round of Covid Vaccinations.

This is a huge relief to all of us, and our staff have worked tirelessly to keep the virus from our doors and to protect our residents. A huge thanks to everyone but rest assured, we are not letting our guard down yet and will be taking the same precautions to ensure it doesn’t slip in through the back door.

Our Cornwell House residents were the first on the list have the vaccinations; and the last of our small community cohort, at the Old School House, were driven to the Brighton Centre this week so we could ensure a 100% rollout. Limiting transmission in the community and reducing any effects the virus might have on those we care for is vital to getting back to enjoying the kind of society we are all used to.

Latest news and thanks from Abbeyfield Ferring

A huge thanks to children and staff at Ferring Primary School whose Mufti Day has given us lots of food donations for our oldies. Many thanks also to The Henry Pub and other local people for their generous donations.

We are truly overwhelmed here by people’s generosity and it also saves time queuing in supermarkets for our staff. Our Home Care Service is working flat out locally to make sure everyone is safe and healthy at home, so the donations are extremely welcome.

Our residential services, both Cornwell House and the Old School House are not accepting visitors currently to safeguard the health of our older residents. We have also suspended our day services but will have these back running as soon as the government issues some good news.

At both Cornwell House and the Old School House, we are helping residents keep contact with their friends and families via Skype. Lessons are going well!

If you are an older person, or the family of an older person, who has been self-isolating but is looking at a residential care home place or a small studio flatlet at the Old School House, we can talk you through the facilities and send you some photos. We had a vacancy at each of the locations and the rooms are delightful. Just give us a ring and we can talk through how we can help you arrange this.