Case Study about our Memory Cafes
“I work with the SHSC/NHS and have been a community worker for 22 years. I work with people suffering from Dementia with complex needs. My job entails trying to access services for my clients to enable their carers who suffer with extreme carers stress a little respite.
My client Albert* is a 69-year-old gentleman who was referred to us as he had complex needs and his wife was suffering from extreme carers stress. We became involved and began taking him out. This was quite difficult because as soon as we arrived at a destination and got out of the car Albert became quite anxious and agitated and wanted to go back home, and no matter what distraction techniques were used Albert remained unsettled. We needed Albert to be settled away from home before we could introduce him to a daycentre, and visits carried on for quite a while with the same unsettled and anxious behaviour.
Trying to find somewhere to take Albert which was a suitable environment with people that would understand Albert and his illness has become harder and harder, especially since Covid, and near impossible when more daycentres and luncheon clubs have shut with not much hope of them opening again.
I came across the Parson Cross Forum which I found details about on Facebook initially, and it looked the ideal place for me to bring Albert. It did say it was a memory café for people with early onset dementia so I phoned and asked if I could pop in, Louise immediately said yes and looked forward to seeing us both.
The minute we walked in we were made feel very welcome by Louise and Louise and all the other visitors too, information that was printed out about what was on in the building was given me and we were told that there was a singer performing.
Albert seemed to like it there and seemed to settle immediately when the singer started to perform. Albert started singing along and remained settled throughout the 2 hours we were there and didn’t ask to go home once. I have been visiting Parson Cross Forum once a week with Albert and he thoroughly enjoys it and doesn’t show any of the anxiety or agitation he displayed when taking him to other places.
This community forum will now enable me to make Albert feel safe and settled and hopefully make it better to access future day services for him. It gives me job satisfaction knowing he is getting something enjoyable out of the morning, ensuring when I take him back home his wife has had a rest and he has gone home in a calm and settled mood thanks to Parson Cross Forum.
Evidence suggests that health and wellbeing in people fare better with social interaction in a place where people feel welcome and are accommodated for. The service that Louise and Louise provide is greatly needed and wanted, not for only the local people but workers in the community that need to access services like these.
Community-based services are integral to the delivery of providing support in the community, and for the carers who become increasingly stressed and suffer depression it is somewhere that they can chat to like-minded carers and get help from people invited to speak about benefits.
This service is the first one I have found in 22 years, it is a great benefit to the community and community workers. There is no other forum like this in Sheffield which is so supportive to carers and people with Dementia. This service would be a great loss to many people if it was to close.”
To find out more about our Memory Cafes you can give us a call on 0114 3279 727.
Case Study from 2 parents who’s children attended our Theatre Workshop Week.
Case Study 1
Parsons Cross Community Development Forum is an organisation is within my locality. Parsons Cross is an area that his high in deprivation, unemployment, single parents and more recently high level violence.
There is little on offer in this area in terms of entertainment and activities for our children, in order to shape and steer them on the path to becoming productive members of society.
However, Parsons Cross Forum is a ‘haven of hope’.
It relies on funding to provide our youngsters with opportunities. the kind of opportunities that are invaluable for the children that seize them.
I myself, am a single parent with five children, two of whom are autistic. My youngest son has autism and learning difficulties has attended theatre workshops hosted by the forum. Today, I watched a magnificent performance, with such pride, where my child took to the stage in front of many other parents, to display his many new found talents. None of this would be possible if it was not for Parsons Cross Community Forum.
Our children are brought together, learn team building skills, develop their abilities, learn to be proud of who they are, and where they are from. For my son, he has experienced inclusion and acceptance, He has produced and re-enacted a complete performance on a level, that at one time I would not have thought possible.
The work that this organisation does, is not short-term, but it engrains and instills a sense of pride and achievement that many would not experience.
I strongly feel that the courses and workshops that the forum provides makes such a difference to families like ours, and gives every child a unique opportunity to sparkle and shine.
I hope that they are able to continue their fantastic work and would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the facilitators and organisers. You really do make a difference to children like my son.
Case Study 2
Hi Louise
I am writing to thank you very much for the half term activity club for school children you provided at Parson Cross forum last week. My children really enjoyed it, and, as I said on Friday, it was a real life saver for our family.
Our youngest daughter, has recently been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. She struggles to understand social rules and her behaviour at home is very difficult. Family life is hard, stressful and often unpleasant, for all of us, including her brother and sister. The school holidays are usually very difficult for us, as the routine of going to school helps her to organise her day, and as this is not there in the holidays she struggles to find the security she needs and this leads to bad behaviour, tantrums and a lot of stress for all of us.
The half term holiday club provided the structure she needs, and also the opportunity for her to meet and interact with other children, something else she finds difficult. She needs a routine and to feel safe and secure, and the girls who ran the club provided this for her.
We were really pleased, and grateful, for the way in which Lois (one of the theatre leaders) got to know our daughter, spent time with her and gave her the attention she needed in order to feel safe and therefore to succeed. Our other two children, also really enjoyed the club. My son also has Asperger’s, although he copes a lot better than our daughter with it. Both the children got so much out of the weeks activities too, and it was really good for them to be able to enjoy something all together, as usually my daughter behaviour prevents this from happening for us as a family. I cannot stress enough how much we appreciated the effort put in by your staff, and by the girls who ran the club. The show the children put on at the end of the week was really good, I must admit to a few tears, watching my two autistic children performing on stage, and having a great time doing it, meant so much to me as a mum.
I am sure I speak for the other parents too when I say we really really appreciate the effort put in to finding funding for these activities, planning them, resourcing them, staffing them and all the rest of the work that goes on behind the scenes. I cannot find enough words to say how the club really transformed our experience of school holidays, and how grateful we are for that.
Thank you so much