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As members of the Alive Lawrence Weston Community Gardening Group can’t meet up together in person at the moment, we have launched a teleconference group to connect them for a garden-themed group call.

For the past few years, the group had run in Blaise Weston Court, meeting weekly for accessible gardening and socialising. Since we can’t see each other at the moment, members were offered a group chat in addition to their weekly befriending calls from the facilitator and everyone jumped at the chance. “It would be revitalising,” said one member of the group, while another commented that “It would make me feel less cut off.”

We began on Monday 8th Feb for an RSPB Birdwatch themed chat. After catching up as a group for the first time in nearly a year, we discussed the birds we had seen whilst doing the birdwatch from our windows over the previous weekend. One group member then offered to read some poems about birds he had written, and a group decision to talk about spring next time was agreed upon.

This Monday (15th Feb), we talked about spring flowers and what we could start growing on our windowsills ready for when we can meet as a group again, as “It’s nice to look ahead”. We did a spring flowers quiz and planned next week to share recipes with fruit and veg we can grow ourselves to inspire each other to eat more healthily and adventurously! One member said, “It’s lovely to hear all your voices here talking with me”, and another “It is good to keep in touch.”

We will read poems, share sightings of plants seen on walks and tips for growing our own, and most importantly, share these ideas as a group weekly until we can meet in person again.

With what we learn from this group call, Alive will be developing a garden-themed teleconference chat room that will be open to the public to help connect people through nature.

We hope to reintroduce our face-to-face sessions as soon as COVID-19 government guidelines allow and are working hard on making these safe.

If you would like to register interest for when this does open up you can contact Alive on 0117 377 4756 or info@activities.org.

Following the challenges of COVID-19, Alive were thrilled to restart our intergenerational activities again, in October this year.

There has been a lot of creative thinking, a different approach and some learning along the way.

Alive have been running intergenerational activity sessions, linking schools and care homes in Bristol, since 2012. Our current Access All Ages project, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, began expanding our intergenerational work into Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Hampshire in 2019. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, these partnerships had to sadly suspend their activity sessions in March. However, with a bit of help from technology, we have successfully been able to start delivery of activity sessions connecting care home residents with schools again this term. 

Through consultations with our participants, we have found a flexible approach of using live online activity sessions over Zoom, or practical hands-on activities, has allowed care home staff to reconnect with this project, and with their partnered school. Residents and pupils are now able to see each other on-screen, share their experiences, show paintings, play games and just have a lot of fun again!

Online sessions have not been suitable for all care homes, so instead the residents and pupils are doing hands-on practical activities such as arts and crafts, to share with each other. Activities this term have included making joint murals for Remembrance Day, writing letters and making Christmas cards. 

The use of online sharing platforms, such as Seesaw, has also been a new addition to this project. Seesaw allows schools and care homes to communicate in-between sessions, by securely sending messages, photos or videos. During lockdown some schools started using these platforms to share classwork, so being able to use them in this project has been a really positive addition, and something to continue going forward.

We have learnt so much from adapting this project to meet the restrictions of the pandemic and we continue to react to ever changing circumstances. But seeing the positive reactions of the pupils and residents has been amazing. With increased social isolation due to lockdown, ensuring these relationships continue is more important than ever and we look forward to growing those connections further in 2021. 

“The session was wonderful. All the children were so happy to reconnect with the home and had lots of fun, they haven’t stopped talking about it. You’ve been in our hearts and our prayers throughout lockdown and we’ve really missed seeing everyone.” St Peter’s Primary, partnered with Avalon Residential Home

For more information about the Access All Ages project, please contact the Project Manager at becky@aliveactivities.org or call our office on 0117 377 4756. 

Alive’s amazing CEO, Isobel Jones, was invited to chat all things tech with the wonderful Hilary Woodhead, NAPA’s Executive Director.

We have always seen the benefits of using technology in care homes and now, more than ever, these are invaluable tools to keep older people connected to their families.

It’s important to mention how hard care staff have been working to adapt during these times. Here at Alive, we have also been constantly trialling and updating new practices to be able to continue to offer sessions and training, for both residents and staff of care homes alike. For us, this has meant trying out sessions on online platforms.

But it hasn’t come without challenges… we have had to overcome lots of problems for these meetings to continue. A lot of homes have struggled to get online. There have been difficulties with accessing wifi in older buildings with thick walls, staff not having the knowledge or experience with technology, sessions being harder to access for anyone cognitively impaired, the cost of devices and adaptors and cables and connections, the list goes on…but we have found that we can overcome most of these problems with a little bit of training. We have been offering tech training which you can contact us directly about or check out the detailed notes available from our resource library.

Alive believe that technology can be an invaluable tool for improving the quality of life for older people in care.  Of course it depends how it is used, but it helps us to get to know those we care for and personalise their engagement and activity. The care industry must move with the amazing resources at our finger tips. 

It doesn’t need to be complicated tech; It can be as simple as headphones and an mp3 player. The incredible video, that recently went viral, of the former prima ballerina, Marta C Gonzalez who was living with Alzeimer’s before she died last year, hightlights how music can stir memory and emotion. This example of the dancer, while unable to access movement in the bottom part of her body, remembering strong and delicate movement with her arms and showing emotion on her face, is a truly moving and remarkable site to withold.

Tech will never replace person centred interaction and during these times we have noticed how much we miss this physical engagement and seeing people face to face. However, iPads are a library of information, that we can tailor to individuals. We can access videos, talks, podcasts, pictures and communication platforms relevant to each personal taste and needs. We can really use this tool to respond to people’s stories, saving specific files in order to customise the experience. The main benefit to using this media is having it all at your finger tips and the speed to search on the spot.

There are loads of new technonlogies that can make life easier for people living with cognitive impairment, for example voice recognition components such as Alexa and Siri can be paired with other devices to play music, video or radio and can also be used to set reminders for people living with memory loss and confusion.

You don’t have to have the most expensive tech to benefit from these advances. Even access to a radio tuned into a favourite channel can offer nostalgia and engagement for an individual.

You can watch Isobel’s interesting chat here. If you wish to contact us about anything discussed please email info@aliveactivities.org or call 0117 377 4756.

In August Alive Activities received funding from The National Lottery Communities Fund, the Department of Sport, Media and Culture and the Dunhill Medical trust to run an intergenerational social action project across East and South Bristol as part of Care Home Friends and Neighbours: Intergenerational Linking.

The project works to link up older people living in care homes with younger people between the ages of 5 and 14. A key focus of this work will be to promote social action across the generations, empowering both younger and older people to have a positive impact on their environment and the community.

How to get involved

Each group or volunteer wanting to be involved will be linked up with a local care home. Alive will help care home residents and young people exchange stories and share experiences of lockdown. The project will help forge new connections by inviting participants to perform ‘good turns’ for each other and boost each other’s wellbeing.

With Christmas fast approaching and a second lockdown in full swing our focus will be on maintaining community connections and solidarity despite the challenges of covid-19.

Below are of activities that care homes, youth groups, schools, families and volunteers have been invited to participate in as part of One Good Turn.

If you are interested in participating in any aspect of the project as a group, home or individual please contact Harriet on harriet@aliveactivities.org.

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How can you help?

Wellbeing boxes  Volunteers and participants can make up wellbeing boxes, wrapped up and decorated. Boxes might include paintings, treasure found out on a walk, hand cream, letters from younger people, lavender bags, messages of support, seed to plant, poetry books, sea shells, friendship bracelets etc. Wellbeing boxes will then be given to residents who do not have many visitors or family to deliver Christmas presents.

Jar of Joy Participants can fill a jam jar of joy for others in their community. This involves writing message of hope and support for others to show them they are being thought about during this difficult time. It can include pictures, messages, seeds to plant, puzzles, pictures of the participant (drawn or photographed), sea shells, objects from nature etc. These will then be passed on from one generation to another in a joy jar exchange.

Carol concerts Families and individuals are invited to walk along to a carehome carpark and sing a song or two for care home residents. Alternatively please record yourselves, friends and family singing a carol and send it to project staff at Alive Activities (harriet@aliveactivities.org) these will be shared with older people who may not be able to get out at present or receive visitors due to restrictions.

Record a special song or a poem Young people are invited to record themselves and their friends singing a song requested by a resident. It may be a first dance wedding song or a significant song from their youth. Song requests can be passed on to project staff who will hold a list of songs. If you wish to make a request or record a song please contact Harriet.

Read a book or a poem to a younger child or older participant: If you are at a care home whereby the residents are interested in performing a ‘good turn’ we can pair older people up with a younger person to listen to an audiobook together, read a story or watch a short film. iPads can be provided for this activity and Alive will help to organise along with families and/or staff. Alternatively you may wish to read a short storm, poem or chapter of a book to an older person who may be having trouble with their sight.

Create a hamper for a foodbank This is for residents who want to volunteer themselves or younger volunteers or groups who may want to help with delivery. Shoeboxes, hampers, materials and food can always be provided by Alive if additional budget is needed. Care home residents can then decorate and compile the boxes/ hampers them themselves. They may want to write a personal message for those receiving the food. A Christmas message perhaps or a message of hope and support. Young volunteers will then arrive to collect the packages from staff and deliver them to foodbanks by foot or by bike. Volunteers will take photos along their delivery journey to share with the older people to let them know their package has arrived.

Become a pen pal or offer a regular befriending phone call Throughout lockdown many older people living in care have not had the opportunities to go out into their community or receive visitors. Having to shield has resulted in some older people feeling ‘set apart’ or separate from their wider community. This can be a lonely experience, despite the huge efforts of staff many participants would love to receive letters and phone calls from volunteers. Making a new connection and hearing about the experience of others, especially of different ages and backgrounds makes for an interesting activity. If you know of an older person who would like to take part in a befriending call or penpal scheme or would like to volunteer yourself please contact us and we will arrange the first steps.

Knit for another This is an opportunity for both residents who are interested in volunteering or volunteers who have a knack for knitting. Residents in care homes may want to ‘knit for another’ as a way of contributing to their community. There are opportunities to knit blankets and hats for the homeless or to donate to foodbacks and local charities. Alternatively if you are a young volunteer between the ages of 5-14 and would like to knit a brightly coloured scarf, hat, purse or jumper for an older person we can match you up with someone who might not otherwise receive many gifts or visitors.

Up Our Street Residents may not be able to go out much at present but younger people can. Volunteers can take pictures and short films of a particular journey or place that are significant to care home residents who cannot get out. For example: a resident may of frequented a particular park, lived on a particular street or spent time working in a set part of Bristol. Residents can request that young volunteers visit the area, do a set journey, and take photos and films of a particular street. Young people can then report back to the older person about what they saw and discuss why the area is significant to the resident themselves. A shared journey. Technology and support arranging this can be provided by Alive Activities. Please contact Harriet if you are interested.

Record a message of hope: Older people have lived a long and full life and have wisdom and life experience that may prove valuable or interesting for younger generations. Some older people may of lived through the war or other challenging periods of history. 2020 has been a turbulent and challenging year in many ways. Perhaps the older people you know would want to share a Christmas message or message or support and joy for their communities. This can be done in a letter or filmed or recorded. We will then play this message to younger people and their families who will have the option to reply. We want those living in care to be empowered and acknowledged. Hearing their opinions and messages is important and empowering for both the residents involved and those receiving their words.

Draw the view from here How about an art exchange? To start up a connection with someone of a different age and background to you why not paint a picture or tell a story to someone about your day?  You may want to paint ‘the view from here.’ This could be the view from your window, the view of a shared lounge or garden, the view of a favourite friend, family member or member of staff. Alongside the drawing young volunteers and residents could include a short message or list 10 things about themselves, their lives and their interests. Alive will then help ‘exchange’ the art or stories and pair up older and younger participants. You could write a story together exchanging a few pages at a time. Whatever your idea we’d love to hear about it and help. Zoom meetings and sharing meetings to discuss the art, stories or letters can also be arranged if requested. Contact us to find out more.

One Good Turn 2021 and beyond

Once Christmas has passed and we’ve brushed off mince pie crumbs and rebooted dusty laptops, we will aim to begin 2021 with some intergenerational resolutions. New participants and those already involved will be invited to pair together across the generations to pledge their ‘one good turns’ for 2021. Lockdown has shown us the importance of connection and solidarity throughout our communities so our new year activities will involve giving something back to our communities and neighbours and collaborative campaigning for a better world.

Participants can drop in and out of this project either performing one off good turns or random acts of kindness. Alternatively, they can choose to be involved for longer, in which case they will become a part of the core intergeneration team. Working together across the generations to perform acts of positivity locally and further afield.

These are just some examples of the activities, ideas and ‘good turns’ that will be taking place over the next 18 months. We would love you – volunteers, staff, residents and families – to come up with your own ideas and ‘good turns’ based on your interests and ideas. We will then facilitate and foster intergenerational connections between older and younger people across the city. At Alive we believe that a thriving and healthy community includes all members of society regardless of background or age. We want to focus on the power of participants to bring joy to one another and collaborate across the generations to have a positive impact on wellbeing of both the individual and the community as a whole.

Alive are delighted to be able to support people, in the community of Lawrence Weston, to get growing again!

We will soon restart Therapeutic Horticulture sessions at Blaise Weston Court with members of the Lawrence Weston Community Gardening Group.

For the past few years we have met weekly at Blaise Weston Court, and since having to suspend the sessions, the group members have been desperate to get stuck in again! From October members will be supported in 121 sessions tailored to their interests and capacities; with bitesize activities such as sowing seeds, pruning shrubs, making bird feeders and tending to our vegetable gardens.

Over lockdown many elderly people have become further isolated from family and friends, as well as the outside world. We will help reconnect people, both socially and with nature, chatting and reminiscing, growing plants and watching birds and wildlife in the grounds.

Socially distanced Covid safe sessions will run every Wednesday come rain or shine, taking shelter in the centre’s memory room in poor weather, offering a choice of mobile or seated sensory activities.

We hope to be able to open this up to the public eventually and are working hard on making it safe and sticking to COVID-19 Government Guidelines.

If you would like to register interest for when this does open up you can contact Alive on 0117 377 4756 or info@activities.org.

Alive has been gifted an allotment by the kind people at Charlton Road allotments in North Bristol. Over lockdown, a team of volunteers has worked tirelessly to turn a barren plot into a flourishing allotment, though to be able to use the space to support those living with dementia a small amount of funding is needed to provide suitable toilets.

The plot will aim to support those living with early-stage dementia to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of gardening without the pressure of maintaining a whole allotment.

The allotment will also have a social shed for tea and cake and a space for carers and loved ones to relax and chat to other people in their situation. Weekly workshops for those living with more advanced dementia will also take place.

The compost toilet will be suitable for wheelchair users and will allow us to run horticultural therapy sessions on the site.

Donate to our crowdfunder here.

Anything over our goal will be used to build sheds to socialise in and store our equipment. Anything more will be used to pave parts of the allotment to make it more accessible.

The team are also looking for donations of equipment, tools and building materials. If you are able to help with any of the following items we would be incredibly grateful.

For more information about getting involved with our dementia friendly allotment, either as a volunteer, person living with dementia or as a gardener then please contact our Community Engagement Manager on Emma@aliveactivities.org or call our office on 0117 377 4756.

Care Homes have worked so hard through the recent pandemic in caring for their residents. Alive and The Bristol Dementia Wellbeing Service have come together to provide online support, ideas and inspiration to Care Homes to help them continue to support their residents in meaningful activity. With two different forums, they aim to ensure the whole home approach to activity is maintained through these challenging times.

Activity Cupboard

Aimed at care and activity staff, this 2 hour long forum will provide activity ideas and inspiration for those who are delivering activity on a day to day basis. Find more information here

Book Today: Thursday 20th August, 2020 09:30-11:30
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114256664760
Wednesday 16th September, 2020 09:30-11:30
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114272522190

Managers Forum

This shorter, 45 min forum looks at the importance of maintaining good activity and how to deliver in the current restrictions and limitations. Find more information here.

Book Today: Wednesday 26th August, 2020 at 15:30
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114273314560
Wednesday 16th September, 2020 at 15:30
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114273785970

For further information contact Alive on 0117 377 4756 or info@activities.org

As part of the Support Hub, at Alive we are able to offer small groups of older people time to chat together on the phone.

Using a teleconference facility, we can link up people in their homes to have a group chat. All people need to do is to call a number we will give you, and we can link you all up.

We are leading reminiscence groups – talking about sport, home, jobs, holidays – all sorts of things and just loving hearing all the stories and laughter. We are approaching existing memory cafes and local groups that are already set up to see if they would like us to lead them for free. It’s a great and simple way of keeping people connected. We can also do zoom sessions and incorporate exercise and gentle movement too.

Please email info@aliveactivities.org or call 0117 377 4756 if you know of a group that would like to take part. We recommend 6 people maximum for a teleconference group, so if your group is bigger, we can run a couple for you to ensure everyone is still connected.

We want people to stay connected and keep chatting, and this is a great way of doing that. Hope to chat to you all soon!

As part of The Virtual Activity Hub, we are offering individuals the chance to dial-in for a chat on a Wednesday morning at 11am. These chats are completely FREE: funded by St Monica Trust and form part of the Support Hub for Older people, which is convened by Age UK Bristol.

Please email info@aliveactivities.org or call 0117 377 4756 if you or a loved one would like to be involved.

We are so pleased to be involved in a collaboration of local charities to form a new Support Hub to help older people and their families cope with the impact of the Coronavirus in Bristol.

The Support Hub will provide a range of different services for older people including practical, social and emotional support, such as shopping and weekly social phone calls, as well as virtual activities that older people can do from the safety of their own home.

Working with other Bristol charities is something our new CEO Isobel Jones is really passionate about.

It’s been brilliant to be part of a collaborative group of charities in Bristol all pulling together at a time when older people need us most; this will help us all to support the most vulnerable older people.

Isobel Jones CEO Alive

Due to social distancing measures, there is a risk that some older people will feel lonely and socially isolated during this period.  We feel it is important to think about social opportunities to keep older people connected while they are at home, as well as dealing with practical issues.  As a group of charities, we are offering virtual activities such as shared reading, reminiscence and Tai-Chi sessions – people can get involved either online or over the phone.”

The helpline for the Support Hub operates from 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.  Sometimes the helpline will be busy so if messages are left on the phone or by email out of working hours, we will always respond as soon as possible.

You can find out more about the Support Hub on the Age UK Bristol website. To get in touch with the Support Hub please ring the helpline on 0117 929 7537 or email admin@ageukbristol.org.uk

The Support Hub is made up of:  Age UK Bristol, Active Ageing Bristol, Alive, Bristol Ageing Better, Bristol After Stroke, Bristol Older People’s Forum, Independent Age, LinkAge, Oasis-Talk, St Monica Trust, The Marmalade Trust and WE Care Home Improvements.

Free online activity sessions via zoom…

These strange times have bought many challenges to us as a charity. Financial, logistics of working from home, furlough to name but a few. But our main challenge has been the fact we can’t be with you in care homes and support you.

We are missing all the amazing older people we work with, and the carers we help and support and we want to be there with you.  Many of our staff are now furloughed, but one of our funders, the Rayne Foundation has provided us with funding to keep Nikki our Services Deliver Manager working. This means we can deliver training and activity sessions for free over the next few months via Zoom (all from Niki’s front room – so you may get to meet Berkeley the dog!).

We understand for many homes this is just not an option. We understand you are isolating residents, dealing with staff shortages and in some cases, dealing with the tragedy of the virus and are our hearts go out to you.

But for those who want to and can, we are here for you. Our Alive and Direct sessions will hope to bring a little bit of joy to your residents and support for your amazing staff. Through Zoom we can deliver a session to a group of residents, and we’ve found our guided reminiscence sessions work really well as it enables space for conversation and chat. We can also bring different homes together at the same time – or if residents are in isolation we can connect them up to the same session so they can join in?   We can help you set them up too, we can go through what you need, just a TV, a laptop/ipad and a connecting lead.

Our recent trial sessions in one home have been a great success. Irene, who doesn’t usually come out of her room and struggles with her vision and her hearing, said “it had made her day and that it was beautiful!” Jean has advanced Parkinson’s but was clapping and singing along – which she doesn’t normally do.

If you would like to trial one, we are offering them all for free thanks to the Rayne Foundation.  They are easy to set up, and we can help you through the process.  Please just email info@aliveactivities.org or call us on 0117 377 4756  and we can set up a link and see how it goes!