Dementia Friendly Swansea – Meeting Notes
01/07/2021 10:00-11:00
Chair: Nick Johnson; Secretary: Hannah Davies; Treasurer: Wayne Dyer

1. Apologies : Hannah Davies

2. Website

  • The website is useful for directing people to information and advice points
  • Group members to send relevant news to Jude Dale for adding to website when appropriate
  • Please continue to send any Press Releases to Jude
  • New drug has been in the news, it is very contentious. Nick has fed this on to the Facebook page

3. Dementia Awareness Week 2022

  • Nick to advise if other Occupational Health or Speech & Language Therapists would like to be involved
  • Irene has funding for respite or “sitters” if carers want to attend sessions on their own
  • Set up a working group in October – HD to put on agenda for October (Nick, Tom Sloane, Helen John, other names to be gathered in September)

4. Social Media

  • This was viewed as a very positive way to communicate with a wide audience
  • Any volunteers for admin of the Twitter account – Jude to send admin login details to Nick
  • Please can people share/retweet/comment/ask Qs on Facebook and Twitter to raise the profile
  • Jude has set up a new Public Facebook group so info can be seen widely

5. What are the current issues people are facing?

  • Positive feedback was given about contacting the Common Access Point (CAP) team in Social Services: waiting lists are getting shorter and more Social Worker contacts
  • Hospital visiting is still ward dependant – contact the ward for information and possible helping at meal times. Any issues, please contact the PALS team or Liz Rees (outreach worker)

6. How do we provide support?

  • There is zoom fatigue and need for face to face activities to be ready to open as soon as possible – Forget Me Not groups are resuming (Killay and Mumbles are running again), Musical Memories in the Linden Centre, Sporting Memories groups are also back open
  • If anyone is willing to attend public sector meetings to help inform decision making on behalf of people living with dementia and with personal experience to share, or if anyone is able to share a Patient Story please get in touch with Nick
  • The Health Board Community Dementia Support team has been closed down and can no longer accept referrals. There are no plans that are known to provide the support that has been removed
  • Regional Partnership Board would be good to get a representative on this

7. World Alzheimer’s Day (21st September) any activities we would like to do?

  • Carers Centre/AS – smaller activities to be arranged in localities and possibly Brynmill Park
  • Ospreys in the Community are in the very early stage of planning an inclusive event around this date, more details will be distributed when things are confirmed
  • HD will contact Swansea City Council for a Pop-Up Information Point that day. Suggestions of leaflets was given to Nick. Volunteers for the stand so far (Nick, Ashley Bryant) Anyone else offering to attend?

For any inclusions on the next agenda please contact Hannah, it will be issued 1 week prior to the meeting.

Bank balance: £2,508.15

Next Meeting Thursday 5th August 10-11am. Zoom link will be issued 1 week prior to the meeting