AGM
May 2024
Chairman’s Report
It is now five years since we started this charity to support people with dementia and their families and our understanding of the support that is needed has evolved and our services have developed.
Our vision
We have always believed in a positive approach to dementia where every person living with dementia can be helped to live with a sense of wellbeing and contentment. We believe this is more likely if the family are given the right information, help and advice. That is why much of what we do is helping and coaching families in understanding their loved one, and helping them find the best way to communicate, stimulate and support.
We have learnt a lot about the challenges facing our families which are currently exacerbated by the recognised deficiencies in Adult Social Care, the NHS and the minimal presence of national dementia charities locally. There also complex relationship difficulties for family carers and we understand that it is not unusual for family carers to experience even more distress than the person with dementia.
When they come to us, many of our family carers are feeling so isolated and dispirited that they find it difficult to be open to advice and coaching. It is therefore essential that our first step is to develop relationships of trust in a warm, safe, enjoyable place – our Monday Club café. We understand that every person and family is unique and the support we offer can be adjusted once we know and understand them through home visits, 1:1 sessions at the cafe and the involvement of the sons and daughters in a Family Support Group.
Our current service
Our charity had only been going for a year when it was badly affected by the pandemic. Although we continued to support our families through that time it was only after July 2021 that we started to receive referrals at an expected rate. Since we started, we have supported 130 people with dementia and their families. Some have been admitted to care homes, moved away or sadly died but we are currently actively supporting 52 families and continue to accept new referrals most weeks. Currently 50 people with dementia and their family carers attend our weekly Monday Club Café but we also provide support for families at home if attendance at the Monday Club café is not appropriate. We continue to provide short term support for families where the person with dementia has sadly died or been admitted permanently into a care home.
Home visits. All of our referrals come from patients registered with the Westongrove group of GP practices and in that first phone call we arrange to do a home visit. Two of our volunteers from the home visiting team go on the visit, one to spend time with the person
with dementia and the other to speak separately to the family carer. The purpose of the visit is to introduce ourselves, offer any information, help and advice and to get to know them well enough to plan the best introduction to activities in the café. Further home visits are offered as required – usually when the family has a dilemma, or they need help to plan ahead.
Our Monday Club café is split into two sessions in order to accommodate everyone. We continue to provide a warm welcoming place where individuals and couples can get advice and support each other. Visitors have coffee and cake and are also able to take part in a whole range of enjoyable activities – from painting and crafts, to knitting and flower arranging while others enjoy a variety of games such as dominoes.
Monday mornings have evolved from being a café to being more of a club. It is very important to our families that they develop friendships with others going through a similar experience and some of our visitors arrange further meetings outside the Café. Many of our families appreciate being part of a community group that cares, where birthdays, holidays and achievements are shared and there is sympathy and understanding for their many challenges. Our programme now includes group visits to museums, and other local charities such as Road Farm and Lindengate. Our volunteers also organise memory trails at our local church St. Marys together with the regular tea dances which are hugely popular.
Some volunteers have had training in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy and the activities are designed to stimulate, boost confidence and enhance competence. We have been lent an interactive Magic Table and every session includes live music, singing and often spontaneous dancing. Many families are astonished to see their loved ones joining in, smiling and laughing and they take away many ideas about how to provide stimulation at home.
Our volunteers attend weekly briefing and de-briefing sessions before and after the Café. They are extremely skilled in talking to people with dementia and encouraging and prompting them when doing activities. The layout of the room, the activities and the topics of conversation are carefully planned for each individual and their family carer, so they have the best experience possible.
Many of our visitors do not have transport of their own and this contributes to their social isolation. We have a team of voluntary drivers who bring visitors to the Café and for our visitors, the Monday morning experience starts when a familiar voluntary driver knocks on their door. Several of our visitors live alone and the confidence provided by that familiar face is essential.
The Monday Club café provides a weekly opportunity for people with dementia to receive advice and everyone has an opportunity for a private 1:1 session with a senior volunteer. Many people with dementia who live alone appreciate an opportunity to talk about things that concern them such as their medication and possible side effects or additional help they need at home. The senior volunteer can provide written information and advice and can offer to liaise with their family or paid carers if they wish. It is also an opportunity for senior volunteers to alert family and carers to new symptoms or a need for a medical assessment.
Family Support
This is an increasingly important aspect of our work and our understanding of the challenges facing families has grown and developed since we started. We are learning so much from every family we are involved with, and this is the aspect of our charity that is rapidly evolving. There are a number of dementia cafes and local initiatives such as Singing for the Brain in the country – but very few of them are focused on the needs of the family carers. This is what makes our charity different.
Our support for families is provided by a service which includes a range of different options so that each family can choose the most appropriate type of help and support at different times.
These are the established support options available:
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Website. www.wendoverds.org.uk This provides a wide range of information about WDS for families before they contact us. It is also a source of reference for everything to do with dementia, including an FAQ section giving advice, links and suggestions for the common everyday dilemmas and situations most families face at some time or another. Our supporters and funders will find all the information they need about our governance and the bulletin board on the front page will be updated regularly with news of local resources and dementia friendly events.
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Factsheets. These are A4 sheets on a variety of dementia topics. We have found that many family carers are overwhelmed by books and websites and prefer to take home simple written advice about the issue that is currently concerning them. They will be displayed and available to take home from the Café and will also be on the website
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Home visits
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a. Initial assessments
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b. Activity coaching
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c. Family meetings and ongoing support and planning ( home visit or Zoom)
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Café discussions
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a. Small group
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b. 1:1
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Email and phone advisory service
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Family Support Group
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a. workshops for sons and daughters
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b. WhatsApp
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Paid carer introduction and coaching
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Liaison with NHS, care agencies and local charities
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a. Complex Care Team ( Westongrove)
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b. Halton MS centre ( for parkinsons patients)
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c. Lindengate
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d. Local care agencies
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e. Aylesbury Memory Clinic
Our volunteers have formed a remarkable team who together provide meaningful support to an increasingly large number of families. We have 40 volunteers and 6 voluntary drivers. They have all received basic dementia and safeguarding training, while ten senior volunteers are trained to give more responsible family support advice. These senior volunteers have significant professional experience of helping people with dementia including 2 retired GPs, a university lecturer in dementia, a social worker, a palliative care nurse and a clinical psychologist Three senior volunteers have qualifications as a coach and practitioner with the Contented Dementia Trust and two senior volunteers are currently receiving training to give basic financial advice to families. Our committee is made up of 8 volunteers - 5 are Trustees and 3 others are senior volunteers. They work with our families and also behind the scenes to ensure funding and finances are in place and that we have all the correct guidelines and protocols. We pride ourselves that we keep to the highest standards of confidentiality, safeguarding practice and overall professionalism which is essential when supporting vulnerable adults.
Our future plans
Our plans include a WDS Carer 3 month trial project where families in distress and facing dilemmas about possible care options are offered some short term hours of care from the WDS Carer. These hours will be free to families and will provide some respite to enable the family carer to explore ongoing care options. The project will be evaluated.
PM 10.5.2024
Wendover Dementia Support Financial Activities
23 February 2023 to 31 December 2023
| Income Donations - Unrestricted Funds Cafe Events, Social & Christmas Individuals Just Giving Memorials Organisations PayPal Giving Fund Total Donations - Unrestricted Funds Gift Aid HMRC Gift Aid claim Just Giving Gift Aid Total Gift Aid Grants and Donations - Restricted Funds Grant from Bucks Council Grant from Parish Council Other Donations Total Grants and Donations - Restricted Funds Interest Received Total Income Expenditure Banking & Fees Cafe Events and Social Overheads Total Expenditure |
£ 1,224.70 2,380.00 1,876.98 4,630.01 1,280.00 9,620.93 328.53 |
|---|---|
| £ 21,341.15 489.00 936.25 |
|
| £ 1,425.25 3,000.00 5,000.00 13,783.00 |
|
| £ 21,783.00 432.46 |
|
| £ 44,981.86 328.39 5,502.42 2,901.73 14,042.61 |
|
| £ 22,775.15 |
Net Income / (Expenditure)
£ 22,206.71
Page 1
Wendover Dementia Support Balance Sheet
As at 31 December 2023
| Fixed Assets Tangible assets Fixtures and Fittings Cost Fixtures and Fittings Depreciation Office Equipment Cost Office Equipment Depreciation Total Fixed Asset Cash at bank and in hand CAF Bank CAF Gold Account Cafe Petty Cash Total Cash at bank and in hand Debtors Debtors Total Debtors Net Current Assets Total Net Assets (Liabilities) Charity Funds Opening Balance Equity Retained Earnings Surplus / (Deficit) Total Charity Funds |
£ 4,503.80 -1,501.26 1,407.00 -468.99 |
|---|---|
| £ 3,940.55 | |
| 2,238.51 36,219.76 63.48 |
|
| £ 38,521.75 125.00 |
|
| £ 125.00 | |
| £ 38,646.75 | |
| £ 42,587.30 | |
| 20,380.59 0.00 22,206.71 |
|
| £ 42,587.30 |
Page 2
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees DtsvEi J£K4£NTI A SLsPFolT On accounts for the year ended 31 J£c£4s£IL 33 Charlty no lif any) II&Zl8+ Set out on pages ON & fvfvJiJ Tifvjo I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity {"the Trusf,) for the year ended 3 1 [12(10 As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wilh the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Ac¥). Responsibilitie3 and basis of report I report in respect of my examination of the Trusfs accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Dlrectlons given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5}(b) of the Act. Independent examinerfs statement appl. Delete I l rfnot applicabl8. I have completed my exarnination. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination leth@* discl") which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not ard wf(h the accounting record5.' or the accounts did not comply with Ihe applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports} Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Irue and fairf view vthich is not a matter considered as part of an lndend8nt 8xamination. I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please de18t8 th8 words in the bTrckets rfthey do not apply. Slgned: Date: Name: Relevant professlonal quallflcationls) or body IER Oct 2018