Burley in Wharfedale Dementia Action Group
Meeting Minutes 23 February 2017
1.Present Sylvia Bergin (Chair), Susan Collins (Minutes), Niccola Swan (Treasurer), Wendy Carpenter, Lynne Faulkes, Sue Jopling, Val and Ken McKenzie
2.Apologies Quentin and Eileen Fowler, Becca Harrison, Dale Smith, Gerry Barker, Judith Sayer, Bernadette Brearton
3.Minutes of meeting 19 January Accepted
4.Events and Visits since last meeting
a) Memory Tree Workshop, 2 Feb – 15 people attended. It was agreed that this was very successful and invaluable guidance on how to start and run a Memory Club. Appreciation was expressed to Elizabeth Anderson and Bob Hutton, Directors of The Memory Tree CIC. Total cost of £75 has been paid from funds.
b) General Information Session, 4 Feb – led by Sylvia and Quentin. 9 attendees, of whom 6 were there for the 1st time and expressed interest in the activities of BDAG. Names have been added to the mailing list.
c) Information Session Burley Cubs, 6 Feb – led by Sylvia and Quentin. A lively and well received session with approx. 24 Cubs who really engaged with Dementia Awareness.
d) Visits to Memory Clubs – further visits made and more planned by members of the Group interested in volunteering at the Burley Club. Spending time with Elizabeth (Carers’ group) and Bob (Activities) at existing clubs is very worthwhile and excellent experience in preparation for our own venture. (Please check with Elizabeth before going.)
e) Don’t Leave Me Now, 20 Feb – Susan attended a powerful play reading, sponsored by Marie Curie, Bradford. Inspired by two real stories, this explored with insight and humour, the impact of early onset dementia on two very different families. The possibility of arranging a similar event in Burley was discussed but it was agreed that at the present time, the cost is prohibitive: £1500, with potential for discounting to £750. Although Dale Smith has offered to help fund raise, securing funding for TMT@Burley has to take priority. An alternative approach might be to cover costs by selling tickets. Agreed to put this on hold for now; to revisit at a later date. Action: Susan to enquire how costs were covered for Simeon’s Watch, a well received Dementia Awareness drama at the Methodist Church, last November.
5.Forthcoming Events and Dates
a) Information session for Burley Guides – 7 Mar, Becca unavailable, Sylvia happy to lead this on her own. Action: Sylvia to check with Quentin if he wants to be involved.
b) Information sessions for businesses and organisations – no dates arranged. It was confirmed that for the time being, similar sessions would be suspended, although it was suggested that maybe one during Dementia Awareness Week and another during Burley Festival should be offered. Action: Sylvia/Quentin/Becca to consider dates and premises. In addition, to target specific businesses and youth organisations (including Duke of Edinburgh group). It was suggested that the Co-op would be a good place to start. Action: Sylvia to approach the Co-op and DofE. Susan to follow up on previous approach to Burley Oaks School. Niccola to consider these sessions for newly recruited library volunteers.
c) Dementia Awareness Week – Sunday 21 May, 2–4 Parish Centre - Dr Penny Wright has confirmed availability and will speak about DECIDE http://decideproject.co.uk/ This is a research project which aims to measure the quality of life of people caring for someone with dementia. It was agreed that the format should be similar to our last public event in October 2016, with cake! Ideas for a complementary speaker were discussed and it was felt that the offer of a representative from the Alzheimer’s Society should be accepted. Action: Susan to confirm.
d) Burley Summer Festival – 19-26 Aug It was agreed that some form of Memory Walk would be appropriate and help to increase Dementia Awareness in the village, probably in conjunction with Walkers are Welcome. Resources are available from the Alzheimer’s Society. Sylvia is happy to lead on this. It was noted that the deadline for promoting events in the Festival brochure is 9 May. Action: Sylvia to liaise with Anne Greenhough/David Asher and investigate available support from Alzheimer’s Society.
e) Coffee Morning - 30 Sept Liz Commons has offered to run a tombola, similar to the one that raised more than £100 at our first coffee morning, August 2016. Action: All to start collecting prizes!
6. Implementation of Action Plan
a) BDAG Constitution adopted 23 Feb 2017 – v2 was ratified and the 4 officers of BDAG mandated to sign: Quentin Fowler, Chair; Sylvia Bergin, Vice Chair; Susan Collins, Secretary; Niccola Swan, Treasurer. N.B. Quentin Fowler, Chair was not present but had confirmed his approval by email prior to the meeting. Action: Niccola to liaise with Quentin re. signing.
Bank Account – it was agreed at the meeting that the Burley in Wharfedale Dementia Action Group would open an account with Barclays Bank in order for it to receive funds and make payments, and so it can apply for funding. The officials for the bank account will be: Niccola Swan, Sylvia Bergin, Susan Collins and Quentin Fowler, with payments to be authorised by any two of these four officers. Action: Niccola to liaise with Quentin re. completing the required documentation. Niccola was thanked for her work on both these important actions.
b) Link with GP Practice – After attending our January meeting, Marilyn Hunt, Office Manager had emailed Niccola and Susan (6 Feb) with a very positive update. She had passed details of our Group to Drs Jowett, Rayment and Hattam. All the GPs are very happy to support the Memory Tree and would be willing to hand out information to appropriate patients. Dr Hattam is aware of Elizabeth Anderson’s work and in the past had referred patients to the Shipley Club. The Drs are also keen to arrange an Information Session for all practice staff during Protected Learning Time. A Lead GP for dementia is to be decided, along with a designated member of the admin staff to liaise with BDAG. Action: Niccola to follow up with Marilyn before she retires on 2 March.
c) TheMemoryTree@Burley – Elizabeth Anderson and Bob Hatton have confirmed their support, availability from April or May and are excited about helping us to launch our club. Thursday, 18 May 2017 agreed as start date, to coincide with Dementia Awareness Week and to allow time for promotional publicity. Action: Susan to notify Elizabeth and Bob and request publicity templates from Elizabeth.
Venue – Susan has met with members of the management team at the Parish Centre. Terms and Conditions for hiring rooms are being updated and will be issued as soon as available. The Garden Room and Open Door have been booked provisionally for some time – the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 2-4pm. Ideally, access to the Garden Room from 1.30 is needed in order to set up refreshments and activities. Currently a music group for toddlers meets in the Garden Room 1–1.30pm and the room can be occupied until 1.45pm; discussion is in progress to try to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution. Action: Susan to follow up. N.B. Reminder that on Thursday 6 July, the premises will not be available owing to an annual Strawberry Tree but members of TMT@Burley and volunteers will be invited to attend and made very welcome.
Volunteers – At least 6 people have agreed to commit regularly to helping with activities or facilitating the carers’ group; others have expressed interest and are intending to visit existing TMT clubs before offering to make a regular commitment. Some members of BDAG are unable to commit to regular attendance but are very willing to help out on an occasional basis.
Members of TMT@Burley – More thought needs to be given as to how members are recruited and to maximum capacity, bearing in mind that the minimum standard is 1 volunteer to 3 people with dementia and this ratio may not be adequate, depending on the individuals attending. A few people who may be interested in attending have already been identified and it was agreed that priority should be given to those living in Burley and Menston.
Safeguarding – A robust safeguarding policy is essential. The Memory Tree CIC Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy is to be adapted for Burley. It has already been passed by the Safeguarding Officer for the Parish Centre. Only staff or volunteers with enhanced DBS clearance are to work one-to-one with a vulnerable adult – several members of BDAG have current clearance (now transferable); others may have to undertake a check. Membership of The Memory Tree CIC requires that a person with dementia must be accompanied by a carer or supporter. Action: Susan to progress safeguarding issues.
Insurance - The Parish Centre has £10m indemnity but the terms of room hire will require BDAG to have its own public liability insurance in place. Susan has discussed this with Elizabeth Anderson who has agreed to approach Ecclesiastical Insurance with a view to including the Burley club on The Memory Tree CIC policy. At present, the annual premium is £300 for 4 clubs; i.e. Employers’ Liability up to £10m, Public and Products Liability up to £2m. If this policy is extended to include Burley, the cost per club is likely to be c.£70p.a. Action: Susan to progress this with Elizabeth.
Budget – during the first 3 months, a conservative estimate of cost per session = £125. This figure includes room hire and payments to TMT CIC but does not include publicity (printing, laminating etc.), resources such as craft materials, or refreshments. Clearly this is higher than original projections but will enable the Burley club to benefit from hands on training and support from the Directors of TMT CIC. In addition, we shall be able to share the vast collection of non-consumable activity resources accumulated by TMT CIC, therefore saving on initial outlay. Accepting that start-up costs are inevitable, income and expenditure was discussed and it was agreed that we are in a position to proceed. There is much local support for what we are doing, evidenced by the £700 raised at our coffee morning last August, our first fundraising effort. Other potential sources for funding were discussed. Action: Susan to apply to Shipley Community Chest and Burley and Menston Civil Charities; Niccola to apply to Burley Parish Council. Both the Co-op (Local Community Funding) and Waitrose (Waitrose Community Matters) invite groups such as ours to apply for funding but it’s probably better to wait until TMT@Burley is up and running, and therefore more visible in the community. All to think about other funding possibilities, including ideas for payment in kind: Wendy to approach Hobbycraft and to ask if her employer might consider help with printing costs; Val to follow up a contact who may be able to help with paper, printing cartridges etc.; Lynne to ask if Burley Allotment holders would help by donating seeds or plants.
An offer of an anonymous donation of £500 has been received and will be made available as needed.
d) Website and Facebook – Niccola has updated the text and events.
e) Village diary – Susan has arranged for our monthly meetings to be included.
f) Checklists of local businesses/organisations – Val and Ken are making good progress and have visited several premises. The aim is to increase Dementia Awareness and encourage membership of the Dementia Action Alliance, enabling the ‘Working to Become Dementia Friendly’ sticker to be displayed. Action: Val and Ken to share their spreadsheet of findings with Sylvia who will then offer on-site Information Sessions as appropriate. Where businesses/organisations are perhaps less receptive, it was suggested that copies of ‘Dementia Friendly Physical Environments Checklist’ (http://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/assets/0000/4334/dementia_friendly_environments_checklist.pdf) and ??Quick Tips for Businesses and Organisations could be left. Niccola, please check these .. what is the ref. for Quick Tips?
g) Mailing Lists – are being updated.
h) Dementia Friendly Churches – Susan has been approached by Robert Saville of Burley URC (Salem). He is keen to promote DF Church as part of their vision. Susan has attended 2 Dementia Friendly Worship workshops, has shared information and resources with Robert and suggested that this might be something for Churches Together. Action: Deferred for the time being while concentrating on TMT.
i) Bus Timetables – deferred. It was noted that a review of train station ticket machines would be useful.
j) Slow Shopping – deferred.
7. AOB
a) Paula Truman – Ward Officer for Wharfedale, Shipley Area Coordinator’s Office had contacted Susan after reading about BDAG in the Parish Newsletter. She would be interested to learn more about our Group and is a Dementia Champion willing to buddy our Dementia Champions occasionally if that would be helpful. Action: Susan to invite Paula to our next meeting.
b) Free course for carers of people with dementia – http://www.volition.org.uk/free-course-carers-people-dementia/
Action: All to spread the word; Niccola to highlight on the website/Facebook.
8. Date of Next Meeting – Thursday 16 March2017, 2pm, Parish Centre. Apologies, Niccola. Please note that from May onwards, the date of the regular monthly meeting will change to the 4th Thursday of the month, to allow for TMT on the 3rd Thursday. Action: Susan to confirm with the Parish Centre.
Meeting Minutes 23 February 2017
1.Present Sylvia Bergin (Chair), Susan Collins (Minutes), Niccola Swan (Treasurer), Wendy Carpenter, Lynne Faulkes, Sue Jopling, Val and Ken McKenzie
2.Apologies Quentin and Eileen Fowler, Becca Harrison, Dale Smith, Gerry Barker, Judith Sayer, Bernadette Brearton
3.Minutes of meeting 19 January Accepted
4.Events and Visits since last meeting
a) Memory Tree Workshop, 2 Feb – 15 people attended. It was agreed that this was very successful and invaluable guidance on how to start and run a Memory Club. Appreciation was expressed to Elizabeth Anderson and Bob Hutton, Directors of The Memory Tree CIC. Total cost of £75 has been paid from funds.
b) General Information Session, 4 Feb – led by Sylvia and Quentin. 9 attendees, of whom 6 were there for the 1st time and expressed interest in the activities of BDAG. Names have been added to the mailing list.
c) Information Session Burley Cubs, 6 Feb – led by Sylvia and Quentin. A lively and well received session with approx. 24 Cubs who really engaged with Dementia Awareness.
d) Visits to Memory Clubs – further visits made and more planned by members of the Group interested in volunteering at the Burley Club. Spending time with Elizabeth (Carers’ group) and Bob (Activities) at existing clubs is very worthwhile and excellent experience in preparation for our own venture. (Please check with Elizabeth before going.)
e) Don’t Leave Me Now, 20 Feb – Susan attended a powerful play reading, sponsored by Marie Curie, Bradford. Inspired by two real stories, this explored with insight and humour, the impact of early onset dementia on two very different families. The possibility of arranging a similar event in Burley was discussed but it was agreed that at the present time, the cost is prohibitive: £1500, with potential for discounting to £750. Although Dale Smith has offered to help fund raise, securing funding for TMT@Burley has to take priority. An alternative approach might be to cover costs by selling tickets. Agreed to put this on hold for now; to revisit at a later date. Action: Susan to enquire how costs were covered for Simeon’s Watch, a well received Dementia Awareness drama at the Methodist Church, last November.
5.Forthcoming Events and Dates
a) Information session for Burley Guides – 7 Mar, Becca unavailable, Sylvia happy to lead this on her own. Action: Sylvia to check with Quentin if he wants to be involved.
b) Information sessions for businesses and organisations – no dates arranged. It was confirmed that for the time being, similar sessions would be suspended, although it was suggested that maybe one during Dementia Awareness Week and another during Burley Festival should be offered. Action: Sylvia/Quentin/Becca to consider dates and premises. In addition, to target specific businesses and youth organisations (including Duke of Edinburgh group). It was suggested that the Co-op would be a good place to start. Action: Sylvia to approach the Co-op and DofE. Susan to follow up on previous approach to Burley Oaks School. Niccola to consider these sessions for newly recruited library volunteers.
c) Dementia Awareness Week – Sunday 21 May, 2–4 Parish Centre - Dr Penny Wright has confirmed availability and will speak about DECIDE http://decideproject.co.uk/ This is a research project which aims to measure the quality of life of people caring for someone with dementia. It was agreed that the format should be similar to our last public event in October 2016, with cake! Ideas for a complementary speaker were discussed and it was felt that the offer of a representative from the Alzheimer’s Society should be accepted. Action: Susan to confirm.
d) Burley Summer Festival – 19-26 Aug It was agreed that some form of Memory Walk would be appropriate and help to increase Dementia Awareness in the village, probably in conjunction with Walkers are Welcome. Resources are available from the Alzheimer’s Society. Sylvia is happy to lead on this. It was noted that the deadline for promoting events in the Festival brochure is 9 May. Action: Sylvia to liaise with Anne Greenhough/David Asher and investigate available support from Alzheimer’s Society.
e) Coffee Morning - 30 Sept Liz Commons has offered to run a tombola, similar to the one that raised more than £100 at our first coffee morning, August 2016. Action: All to start collecting prizes!
6. Implementation of Action Plan
a) BDAG Constitution adopted 23 Feb 2017 – v2 was ratified and the 4 officers of BDAG mandated to sign: Quentin Fowler, Chair; Sylvia Bergin, Vice Chair; Susan Collins, Secretary; Niccola Swan, Treasurer. N.B. Quentin Fowler, Chair was not present but had confirmed his approval by email prior to the meeting. Action: Niccola to liaise with Quentin re. signing.
Bank Account – it was agreed at the meeting that the Burley in Wharfedale Dementia Action Group would open an account with Barclays Bank in order for it to receive funds and make payments, and so it can apply for funding. The officials for the bank account will be: Niccola Swan, Sylvia Bergin, Susan Collins and Quentin Fowler, with payments to be authorised by any two of these four officers. Action: Niccola to liaise with Quentin re. completing the required documentation. Niccola was thanked for her work on both these important actions.
b) Link with GP Practice – After attending our January meeting, Marilyn Hunt, Office Manager had emailed Niccola and Susan (6 Feb) with a very positive update. She had passed details of our Group to Drs Jowett, Rayment and Hattam. All the GPs are very happy to support the Memory Tree and would be willing to hand out information to appropriate patients. Dr Hattam is aware of Elizabeth Anderson’s work and in the past had referred patients to the Shipley Club. The Drs are also keen to arrange an Information Session for all practice staff during Protected Learning Time. A Lead GP for dementia is to be decided, along with a designated member of the admin staff to liaise with BDAG. Action: Niccola to follow up with Marilyn before she retires on 2 March.
c) TheMemoryTree@Burley – Elizabeth Anderson and Bob Hatton have confirmed their support, availability from April or May and are excited about helping us to launch our club. Thursday, 18 May 2017 agreed as start date, to coincide with Dementia Awareness Week and to allow time for promotional publicity. Action: Susan to notify Elizabeth and Bob and request publicity templates from Elizabeth.
Venue – Susan has met with members of the management team at the Parish Centre. Terms and Conditions for hiring rooms are being updated and will be issued as soon as available. The Garden Room and Open Door have been booked provisionally for some time – the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 2-4pm. Ideally, access to the Garden Room from 1.30 is needed in order to set up refreshments and activities. Currently a music group for toddlers meets in the Garden Room 1–1.30pm and the room can be occupied until 1.45pm; discussion is in progress to try to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution. Action: Susan to follow up. N.B. Reminder that on Thursday 6 July, the premises will not be available owing to an annual Strawberry Tree but members of TMT@Burley and volunteers will be invited to attend and made very welcome.
Volunteers – At least 6 people have agreed to commit regularly to helping with activities or facilitating the carers’ group; others have expressed interest and are intending to visit existing TMT clubs before offering to make a regular commitment. Some members of BDAG are unable to commit to regular attendance but are very willing to help out on an occasional basis.
Members of TMT@Burley – More thought needs to be given as to how members are recruited and to maximum capacity, bearing in mind that the minimum standard is 1 volunteer to 3 people with dementia and this ratio may not be adequate, depending on the individuals attending. A few people who may be interested in attending have already been identified and it was agreed that priority should be given to those living in Burley and Menston.
Safeguarding – A robust safeguarding policy is essential. The Memory Tree CIC Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy is to be adapted for Burley. It has already been passed by the Safeguarding Officer for the Parish Centre. Only staff or volunteers with enhanced DBS clearance are to work one-to-one with a vulnerable adult – several members of BDAG have current clearance (now transferable); others may have to undertake a check. Membership of The Memory Tree CIC requires that a person with dementia must be accompanied by a carer or supporter. Action: Susan to progress safeguarding issues.
Insurance - The Parish Centre has £10m indemnity but the terms of room hire will require BDAG to have its own public liability insurance in place. Susan has discussed this with Elizabeth Anderson who has agreed to approach Ecclesiastical Insurance with a view to including the Burley club on The Memory Tree CIC policy. At present, the annual premium is £300 for 4 clubs; i.e. Employers’ Liability up to £10m, Public and Products Liability up to £2m. If this policy is extended to include Burley, the cost per club is likely to be c.£70p.a. Action: Susan to progress this with Elizabeth.
Budget – during the first 3 months, a conservative estimate of cost per session = £125. This figure includes room hire and payments to TMT CIC but does not include publicity (printing, laminating etc.), resources such as craft materials, or refreshments. Clearly this is higher than original projections but will enable the Burley club to benefit from hands on training and support from the Directors of TMT CIC. In addition, we shall be able to share the vast collection of non-consumable activity resources accumulated by TMT CIC, therefore saving on initial outlay. Accepting that start-up costs are inevitable, income and expenditure was discussed and it was agreed that we are in a position to proceed. There is much local support for what we are doing, evidenced by the £700 raised at our coffee morning last August, our first fundraising effort. Other potential sources for funding were discussed. Action: Susan to apply to Shipley Community Chest and Burley and Menston Civil Charities; Niccola to apply to Burley Parish Council. Both the Co-op (Local Community Funding) and Waitrose (Waitrose Community Matters) invite groups such as ours to apply for funding but it’s probably better to wait until TMT@Burley is up and running, and therefore more visible in the community. All to think about other funding possibilities, including ideas for payment in kind: Wendy to approach Hobbycraft and to ask if her employer might consider help with printing costs; Val to follow up a contact who may be able to help with paper, printing cartridges etc.; Lynne to ask if Burley Allotment holders would help by donating seeds or plants.
An offer of an anonymous donation of £500 has been received and will be made available as needed.
d) Website and Facebook – Niccola has updated the text and events.
e) Village diary – Susan has arranged for our monthly meetings to be included.
f) Checklists of local businesses/organisations – Val and Ken are making good progress and have visited several premises. The aim is to increase Dementia Awareness and encourage membership of the Dementia Action Alliance, enabling the ‘Working to Become Dementia Friendly’ sticker to be displayed. Action: Val and Ken to share their spreadsheet of findings with Sylvia who will then offer on-site Information Sessions as appropriate. Where businesses/organisations are perhaps less receptive, it was suggested that copies of ‘Dementia Friendly Physical Environments Checklist’ (http://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/assets/0000/4334/dementia_friendly_environments_checklist.pdf) and ??Quick Tips for Businesses and Organisations could be left. Niccola, please check these .. what is the ref. for Quick Tips?
g) Mailing Lists – are being updated.
h) Dementia Friendly Churches – Susan has been approached by Robert Saville of Burley URC (Salem). He is keen to promote DF Church as part of their vision. Susan has attended 2 Dementia Friendly Worship workshops, has shared information and resources with Robert and suggested that this might be something for Churches Together. Action: Deferred for the time being while concentrating on TMT.
i) Bus Timetables – deferred. It was noted that a review of train station ticket machines would be useful.
j) Slow Shopping – deferred.
7. AOB
a) Paula Truman – Ward Officer for Wharfedale, Shipley Area Coordinator’s Office had contacted Susan after reading about BDAG in the Parish Newsletter. She would be interested to learn more about our Group and is a Dementia Champion willing to buddy our Dementia Champions occasionally if that would be helpful. Action: Susan to invite Paula to our next meeting.
b) Free course for carers of people with dementia – http://www.volition.org.uk/free-course-carers-people-dementia/
Action: All to spread the word; Niccola to highlight on the website/Facebook.
8. Date of Next Meeting – Thursday 16 March2017, 2pm, Parish Centre. Apologies, Niccola. Please note that from May onwards, the date of the regular monthly meeting will change to the 4th Thursday of the month, to allow for TMT on the 3rd Thursday. Action: Susan to confirm with the Parish Centre.