The Second Year
The work of the first year has been evaluated and, with assistance from the steering group, the project staff have sought ways to build on it.
Project staff are seeking creative ways to enable service users to remain independent, to do activities with them instead of for them, to keep hobbies and interests going, to continue to inform about diet and nutrition to challenge dementia, to celebrate memories and keep people in touch with their past lives.
The project is assisting with a Best Value Review survey which seeks to identify the needs of people with early dementia. It will inform Social Services of required future services.
The project is negotiating with the local branch of Age Concern with a view to setting up regular surgeries on their premises offering advice and support to local people with age related memory loss and dementia and, where appropriate, their carers.
The project is also planning to investigate good practice in dementia care in London and the surrounding areas. This will inform Hackney Social Services and assist them to develop their service to this group.
The Link Project workers are also seeking to undertake some group work with service users living in the same area. They hope to find drop in centres for them to meet for social activities and take this into local parks when the weather is fine.
Younger Dementia Sufferers. The Link Project would like to make contact with dementia sufferers who are under the age of 65. We are interested in forming a group to break isolation.
TLC Care Services provides support and personal care in an Extra Care Housing project for dementia sufferers in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The Link Project takes an interest in activities there and hopes to link in with them during the coming year.
