Torbay Dementia Action Alliance

  

Hiya all,

Everything you wanted to know about Dementia friendly communites, but were afraid to ask!

 

http://youtu.be/c8XzmWb16_w

just to share the news that after yesterdays meeting with Tor 2 (Please click on link http://www.tor2.co.uk/ ) they have agreed to put the information we gave them into their (“Toolbox Training) which means every employeee “” ALL 365 of them !!!!!!! will be Dementia aware in the next couple of months or so. This means that the eyes of all all those on the gardening, cleansing, road sweeping and recyclying will be able to spot somebody if they are in distress regarding Dementia. They all have two way radios!! so this could actually save lives !!! I am so pleased !! Right !! back to my holiday LOL LOL Norrms and family xxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Hiya, yesterday i had a meeting with the Chief exec of the Torbay Riviera Tourist board who after listening to what Elaine and i had to say about helping Torbay become Dementia friendly has agreed to send out all the Documentation we have put together to EACH and EVERY ONE of the Business’s`s under their wing, which is, wait for it!! OVER ONE THOUSAND!!!!! and request that they proceed to include the documents in the training of ALL their staff!! Once done they will contact ourselves, the Torbay Dementia Action Alliance, who will call and see the managers of such business’s`s and if all seems in order we will award them a “Dementia Aware Badge!!

Please make no mistake my wonderful friends how BIG this is. This will hopefully include thousands of staff now becoming aware of this awful disease and hopefully driving away the stigma attached to it. I am so very proud of the business’s`s and also the Business people who have agreed to help us in this, and of course the good people of Torbay, thank you so much to all concerned, very best wishes, Norrms and family xxxxxxxxx

Hello, well, where do i start! As i sat there waiting for people to arrive i had the usual nerves and doubts but i am so happy to say those were dispersed very quickly. Before i knew it i was on my feet, doing my stuff and appealing for help to not only create a permanent “Steering Group” to take this forward, but also a promise that if the worst comes to the worst, someone else will take over this wonderful cause.I spelt out my vision of trying to make Torbay a Dementia Friendly Resort in Three years or so, how easy i thought it could be if we used common sense and not let bureaucracy get in the way. How leaflets and information was already available and can be used without fuss, and how the most important message we wanted to get accross was Awareness raising and more understanding of… this awful diasease.Well, it must have worked, as when i asked for hands in the air for a steering group, up went FIVE Torbay Councillors hands, A teachers Hand, A Locality Managers hand, two carers hands, a Fundraisers hand , and of course mine , along with an Author friend of mine.We were also approached by the chairperson of the retailer assosiation who mails to over 300 retail buinesses in Torbay and informed that our own leaflet (Please see attatched) will be included in this weeks mailings. Not only that the sanctuary Group where i live have offered to hold a “Open Day” to raise funds for any admin costs we may incurr in the future.
The School teacher on the group wants to involve all schools in Torbay by way of \Talks ect (So important to educate the younger ones in this dont you think?) I have also been invited to speak in front of “FULL COUNCIL” of Torbay and explain to all what we are doing.So all in all, not a bad day i think?? To be honest i an absolutly BEAMING from ear to ear about this and i am so looking to take this forward over the next few months, and of course, i will keep you informed,
Very best wishes, Norrms and family

 Torbay Dementia Alliance Supported by Palm 105.5 fm Your Local Radio

 

HOW COOL IS THIS ??? We now have our own webpage on the website of our very own local radio station Palm fm 105.5 which broadcast`s all over Torbay and some parts of Devon, thank you so much Palm FM, please take a look xxxxxxxxx
http://www.palm.fm/p/whats-on/dementia-awareness

Hiya , Just heard this minute that the company TOR 2
http://www.tor2.co.uk/
 have agreed to sign up to the Torbay Dementia Action Alliance . Its a huge company with over 400 employees and also many connections within the buisness world.
This comes shortly after being told that englishriviera.co.uk  are interested in involving over 500 hotels and shops in Torbay.

WILL YOU SIGN UP WITH US ???
Please contact
norrms@gmail.com
Thank you so much for all your help and support, and here`s to a wonderful future, Best wishes, Norrms and Family
 
 
 <Pete Addis@torbay, gov> wrote:

Dear Norman,good news I had confirmation today that the Tor2 organization have agreed to sign up,regards Pete Addis.

Spotlight News TV Link

A man in the early stages of Dementia wants his home town of Torbay in Devon to become “dementia friendly”. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-16603642

 

Herald Express 26th Jan 2012

This is in today’s local paper called the Herald express piece about Torbay dementia Action Alliance, we will get there slowly but surely

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uFi_Sg15BJ0lA5t96qK-DtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

The Torbay Dementia Action Alliance was born on 12th Jan 2012 and was formed as a steering group to try and make Torbay the first Dementia Friendly resort in the country. This will be done asking all tourist, Leisuire,Retail and Travel Industries to sign a non contractual Delclaration to try and make their buisnesses Dementia friendly in a time scale yet to be agreed. Also, after a short appearance on local TV this is a short explantion of how i would like to see it rolled out.

A

Question?

Hiya, it’s been a week since I appeared on Local TV to ask for help to turn Torbay into the first ever Dementia friendly resort in the country. The one question that was raised during the programme was “It will be great if it works, but how would you approach someone with dementia and how would you know they had this awful disease?

A good question? Yes! but easier to answer than you may think. My question in return would be “How do you know when someone disabled walks into your store or business? How do you know they are Disabled? Would you dare to walk over and ask “Are you disabled?” Of course you wouldn’t! The same applies to someone who has dementia. In your health and safety training you are taught how to look out for people who are struggling and need help who obviously need assistance. You would walk over and assess the situation and help the best way you can after making a decision, going on what you have been taught, or you have read and understood.

The same applies to Dementia, after been given the right documentation/information leaflets ECT by your Branch Training Officer to read and digest then the staff will have a far better understanding of this disease, they will be more informed about it not being just an Age Related disease and also the different types of dementia and its affects. This helps twofold, it will help the staff involved to do their job more efficiently and will also bring in more custom as word gets round that the staff are knowledgeable in this illness. Secondly it will reduce the stigma that this disease has attached to it as they will come to understand it’s a debilitating disease of the brain and not something shrouded in Mystery and rumours.

I hope this helps you understand a little better if anybody ask you how this is going to be done. Sometimes, just sometimes, the simplest of ideas that are the best.

Best wishes, Norrms