New Age Concern dementia Wristband will give Derry people ‘peace of mind’ and help them if lost or distressed
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00How are you all doing? We are absolutely delighted to be here today. Again, Mandy, we can't thank you enough. We know by working with our six groups, this is a lifeline. This is amazing. This is going to save so many days. And we can't thank you so enough for bringing it to our door.
00:17We have now three members here today, Mick and Gerard and Leonard, who have had the wristbands. They can maybe tell you how he's finding it out. We were actually in a school with Miss Evelyn O'Hagan last week and it was absolutely fantastic. They found the children were so delighted. They wanted to take one home and write the weekend one, you know.
00:40So they've been trying it on and looking at it and putting their QR code, which I was gambling on last week with. So again, they are enthusiastic and as Magella said or whoever it was said, from children, it is amazing to hear because that's what we do. We love doing anti-generational work where children have no judgment or stigma.
01:00You know, they don't judge by dementia. They don't know. They're just seeing as Gerard, Leonard and Mick. So this is amazing. And again, we can't wait to get this rolled out.
01:11I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Western Trust and Social Care Trust, the Public Health Agency, the Dairy GP Federation and Age Concern Causeway. Your shared commitment to improving the lives of people living with dementia is deeply, deeply inspiring and really thankful for you for doing what you are doing.
01:34It's partnerships like this. It's partnerships like this that reminds us the real progress when we come together and work together as a community.
01:43Dementia is not just a medical condition. As we know, it touches hearts, it touches the entire community and homes and it brings challenges, not just those who are living with it, but also to their families, their carers, neighbours and to all of us as society.
02:03And while it can bring fear and uncertainty, today we are choosing to take real positive action. We are choosing to care and we are choosing hope. With this wristband that has been developed with the vision and leadership of Mandy Cor from Age Concern Causeway, we are looking positive, we're looking forward and it looks so simple, but its impact is
02:33going to be profound. It carries vital information that helps fast responders, community members and healthcare workers to offer quickly and compassionate support when someone is lost or disoriented.
02:48And it is more than just technology. I have seen it and I absolutely love it. It looks beautiful. It looks welcoming and it makes you want to read what is in it and it gives you a peace of mind. It restores that dignity that everybody wants to have and it offers the freedom with safety and it says to every person wearing it, you are not alone.
03:13And that's the most important. And that's the most important thing. And at the end of this initiative, it is also a clear message that we care as a community and we care through enough innovation. We care through enough working together.
03:29We care through enough to create a community where everyone, no matter their age, no matter their ability or condition, they feel safe, they feel seen and they feel supported. And that's what I love about this.
03:44And as mayor of Derry City, I am incredibly proud of the leadership, the creativity and the collaboration that has brought us here today. This isn't just a launch for me. As someone who actually had a mother-in-law with dementia, I would have loved this to be there at that time.
04:06But for me, it is like a landmark now, a reminder of what is possible when we lead with empathy and purpose.
04:15So let's keep going forward. Let's never give up. And let's keep building a region where no one is left behind.
04:23Let's keep proving that the best way to lead is with heart and compassion. And to everyone who have made this initiative possible, thank you from the bottom of my heart because this is what is required. Thank you very much.
04:37We're delighted. We can't wait to get this rolling. So thank you very much. And from the old Liker Trust as well. You know, we can't do this. We all need each other. And it's fantastic that we're all there. And it's for the greater need of people like ourselves, like Mick and Jared and Leonard. So thank you very much.
04:56Good morning, everyone. My name is Mandy Cor. I'm the manager of Age Concerning Causeway. We're a local independent charity based in Korea. It truly warmed my heart to see so many agents here today for the launch of the dementia safeguarding scheme. This initiative represents a significant step forward in protecting and supporting individuals in our community living with dementia.
05:22The core of the scheme is to develop and distribution of these simply yet effective wristbands. One of the most frequent anxieties that we, that our clients have expressed to us is, you know, becoming disorientated or lost when they're out on a walk. These wristbands even offer a vital layer of security and peace of mind.
05:44Each wristband features a discreet QR code. Once registered, clearly conveys essential information. Imagine scanning the band and saying, my name is Mandy. I have dementia. My next to kin's name is John and contact number.
06:02This simple message. This simple message can be the difference between a frightening ordeal or a swift return to a safe home. Avoiding unnecessary distress and not involving the police. Minimising time spent away from loved ones.
06:18The response we've received from individuals living with dementia and their families have been overwhelmingly positive. And that means the world to us.
06:26We're deeply committed to creating supportive environments that empower individuals to actively participate in our communities.
06:33We are all aware that we live in an aging population and it is important that we proactively put measures in place to put the barriers and stigmas associated with dementia.
06:46By working in partnership with all our organisations, we can strengthen the ability to tackle these challenges.
06:53Raising awareness amongst children and encouraging open discussions about dementia is crucial. It allows people to ask questions, gain knowledge and break down misconceptions.
07:06This is why we are committed to these wristbands through schools and any other revenues that we can.
07:11We need the general public to recognise what the blue wristbands are and for that person wearing it that they may need help or assistance.
07:19So fundamentally listening to the lived experiences of individuals living with dementia and their cares is absolutely key to understanding their needs and ensuring their voices are heard and valued.
07:32Thank you to each and every one of you for coming today, your presence here today and your continued support in this initiative.
07:39I think together we can make a real difference in the lives of people living with dementia. So thank you.
07:45We in the Western Trust are really committed to working in partnership with our CMV sector partners such as DEEDS and SPAC and also other strategy agencies like councils.
07:57We can't do it alone. We have only limited resources and I really and everybody values the importance of working in partnership.
08:05But also we like to hear the views and the feedback from people living with dementia and their carers.
08:12So it's really, really important that they're part of all our services moving forward and what we are always striving towards making things better for people living with dementia.
08:24Because as you know, there will be more and more people living with this. It's just the Western Trust cannot do it on its own.
08:31You know, we're a specialist service. We're small teams. So we rely on and really, really value the importance of the CMV sector to help people live with dementia out there in the community.
08:43I'm going to invite our GP lead from the Dairy Federation, Ryan Power, to say a few words.
08:51Actually, yeah, what everybody said, I think. It's a great initiative. It does happen elsewhere and it's really good results.
08:58Patients with dementia, families that have people with dementia in them are some of the most vulnerable and precious in our community and they're frequently underfunded.
09:07It's a frequently underfunded service. They don't get enough resources. So this is a start. It's something that helps.
09:13It's something that helps to remain independent, valued members of our community.
09:19It gives them more independence and makes them easily find in those times of crisis which can be some of the most distressing for the patients and the families.
09:28The Western Trust in partnership with Age Concern Causeway, Dairy GP, Veneration Councils and local community partners are really excited to be involved in launching the Age Concern Causeway Dementia Wristband Initiative today.
09:44This vital initiative was first launched in the Northern Trust last autumn and following its success is being rolled out across the Western Trust geography.
09:54We're delighted to be second, the second Trust in Northern Ireland to roll out the project and are very grateful for the support, the advice and the funding from Age Concern Causeway, the Public Health Agency and Dairy GP Federation.
10:09We in the West are very supportive of the benefits of this initiative for people with dementia but not just those people but also their carers, their family members as well as the local community.
10:22Western Trust recognises the importance and value of working in partnership and the Mayor has already mentioned partnership and I think that's right at the bottom line of everything that we should be doing.
10:34We're working in partnership on this with our primary care colleagues, the voluntary and the community sector as well as other statutory bodies such as the councils so that people with dementia can be supported to live full and engaged lives in their own local communities and neighbourhoods.
10:53The Western Trust has established a multi-agency community dementia service improvement group.
11:00It's a very big long word in the sentence which I had to read several times.
11:06But it's a really important group because it provides a valuable opportunity for the Trust to work alongside local agencies.
11:13It allows for effective multidisciplinary interagency and voluntary and community sector working in dementia care.
11:22The purpose of the group is to provide members with a forum to plan, deliver initiatives such as this dementia risk band and initiatives that will continue to address concerns or gaps in service provision in the community.
11:38And which is in keeping of course with all of our key strategic drivers such as the dementia Northern Ireland care pathway.
11:47The group of course haven't finished their work, there's always more work to be done and there are more activities for dementia action week in May planned and that's the next piece of joint working for this particular group.
12:01The Western Trust and partners are committed to increasing awareness of dementia in the wider public and supporting people with the condition to remain as independent for as long as is possible within their own community.
12:14I met Howard earlier on for the first time and Howard said something that I will take away from this that I will remember forever.
12:21When you meet a person with dementia you've only ever met one person with dementia and that is something I don't think I really understood, such an important thing for us all to remember.
12:33We know that the number of people in Northern Ireland with dementia is growing and continuing to grow and we hope that they feel that this is another way that they can have a voice and we want to be their voice and hear their voice.
12:50This particular scheme will be promoted on public transport in hospitals and GP surgeries, community facilities and social media platforms.
13:00So how can you get a free wristband?
13:04The word free is really important here. Free wristbands will be distributed by GP social workers and DEEDS.
13:11Now DEEDS stands for Dementia Engaged and Empowered in Derry and Stravan.
13:17There you are. If you've learnt nothing else you've learnt that too.
13:21And in the Lima Valley Derry and Stravan areas too.
13:24And in the Oma and Fermanagh areas wristbands can be requested from the Western Trust Dementia Navigator
13:32and the Age Friendly Coordinator in Fermanagh and Oma Council.
13:36And in SWAT, I didn't know what that was either, I thought that was something you must have done with your clothes or something, but it's not.
13:42It's Southwest Age Partnership.