Dementia Action Marlow Registered Charity No. 1197610 2 Dementia Action Marlow Annual Report 2024 We are committed to providing support and friendship to those living with dementia and to their carers. Those living with dementia benefit from socialising with others, seeing friendly faces, participating in or watching activities etc. - all good stimulation. Caring for someone with dementia, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, often with disrupted nights, sundowning, challenging behaviour, incontinence, and little support, can be exhausting and isolating. Our carers tell us that we are a lifeline. It is vital that they have somewhere where they can relax, talk openly, and form their own friendship groups. As our charity name suggests (Dementia Action Marlow), we campaign for improved services. We listen to the stories of the struggle for support, the difficulties in getting appointments and the lengthy wait for them. It can be bewildering if carers are not told or do not understand ‘the process’, lack of help with getting benefits and advice. Too often people are left to cope alone with ever-changing and relentless challenges. We try to help where we can, be it ourselves or through networking that we continue to work on. DAM runs two weekly social sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday comprising a mixture of singing, Tai Chi, or a good old chat. For many, we are their only social outing of the week. Additionally, every Thursday afternoon we run Let’s Get Moving with Horizon rehabilitation - a mainly seated exercise class which works on co-ordination - good for the body and the brain. And it is such fun! We recently launced a monthly Carers Group. This offers a secluded space for carers to chat about their problems and share tips and strategies. We will often bring in professionals. We also run an annual Dementia Information Training afternoon with Dementia Adventure. Our website provides information about our work and activities, including our Information Guides containing comprehensive information about local and national services. We also run outings to Fawley Railway, Lindengate Community Gardens, and Accessible Boating in the summer plus afternoon tea outings, a Fish and Chip lunch and a Christmas special. These are great fun and popular. We thank all organisations that support us. We do our best but NONE of this would happen without the wonderful band of volunteers that we have. They are dedicated, supportive, enthusiastic and caring. They help with our regular sessions, our one-off sessions and they drive us to and from! Dementia Action Marlow Annual Report 2024 3 Our Trustees work very hard behind the scenes and more often than not in front of the scenes and comprise: Jan Sambrook, Jenny Miles, Tina Blumfield, Bill Murphy, Mike Pringle. Very sadly Bernie Hunter died earlier this year. He was with DAM almost from the start. He was a loyal friend and we miss his humour and commitment to DAM. Jeannette Mason recently decided to step down as a Trustee. Jeannette was part of DAM from the very beginning. We thank her sincerely for all that she did in getting DAM started and her continued commitment as a volunteer. We would be grateful to hear from anyone who has skills to offer us either as a Trustee or as a Volunteer. Our charity has grown considerably and dedicated help in various areas is welcome, with leading roles to run the group. Looking to the future, we are very keen to maintain what we currently offer for which we have ever growing numbers; possibly expanding with art sessions and other entertainment. We will continue with our quest to raise awarewness of the challenges faced and support needed from social and health care services. We will highlight gaps and are passionate about our desire to have nurses qualified in dementia in Buckinghamshire such as Admiral Nurses. Bucks is one of the few counties without the support of Admiral Nurses. Our carers would benefit hugely. Our dream would be to have our own home where we can have permanent displays, storage, some control and preferably some outside space. We continue to canvass and listen to our friends and their carers about what they want from us to develop and grow, i.e., is it more sessions, different types of sessions, nursing support, different locations, more counselling, lobbying etc. 4 Dementia Action Marlow Annual Report 2024 ## **Objectives and activities** The charitable objectives as per our governing document are: ‘For the public benefit, to preserve and protect good health and wellbeing among people with Dementia their families and carers in Marlow and the surrounding area particularly, but not exclusively through the provision of a website and regular meetings providing opportunities for social interaction, information, practical and emotional support, help and advice.’ The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit, structure, governance and management. **Janet Sambrook – Chair** (appointed 2nd December 2020) **Jennifer Miles** (appointed 2nd December 2020) **Tina Blumfield** (appointed 1st January 2022) **William Murphy – Treasurer** (appointed 22nd June 2022) **Mike Pringle** (appointed 4th June 2024) The charity is controlled by its governing document, a constitution, and constitutes a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) as defined by the Charities Act 2011. The trustees meet regularly and oversee the governance and management of the charity. The trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. **982,000 people are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK.** **The number of people living with dementia will reach** **1.4 million by 2040.** **1 in 14** **people over the age of 65 have dementia in the UK.** **Charity’s principal address:** Flint Cottage Lower Woodend Medmenham Marlow SL7 2HN **Someone in the UK develops dementia every 3 minutes.** Dementia Action Marlow Annual Report 2024 5 ## **Financial position** This report covers the year ending 31st May 2024. DAM prepares Receipts and Payments accounts. We end the year in a healthy financial position with cash in hand to meet anticipated expenditure. Expenditure has increased year on year as we have increased the number of events we run and we have introduced more activities at these events. We have found it more difficult to attract grants. ||YE 31 May2024|YE 31 May2023| |---|---|---| |Moneyreceived|14,537|30,016| |Moneyspent|13,260|8,029| |Surplus for year|1,277|21,987| |Reserve|10,011|0| |||| |**Balance at bank**|£13,254|**£21,987**| ## **Reserves policy** In 2023/24 we introduced a reserve that allows us to continue our operations for a period in the event of funding drying up. Introducing this will provide continuity for both our friends and volunteers. ## **Investments and Grants** DAM has made no investments nor grants in this period. ## **Support** DAM has relied solely on donations from the public and other local organisations this year to finance our activities and support its future plans. ## **Principal funding sources** ||YE 31 May2024|YE 31 May2023| |---|---|---| |Donatons|14,348|23,054| |Grants|0|3,900| |Fundraising|0|2,627| ## **Declaration** The trustees declare that they have approved the trustee’s report. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees: |**Signature(s)**|| |---|---| |**Full name(s)**|Janet Sambrook| |**Position**|Chairperson| |**Date**|24/07/2024| Dementia Action MarlowArhnual Report 2024 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES 1197610 Recei and 01106￿023 rnent5 accounts C¢16a 31I05f2024 SoctlDn A Roceipts and payrnents Urbtestricted futhjs Resttictedlunds EndtswThbÈntlunds Totsi funds Last year A1 Rltéi Donations Grants Recei ts from fundraisin HMRC Gift B8nk Iniefest received Sub ttstsl(GrOsS IorARJ 14.34B 14348 23.054 3.900 17B 1T8 435 A2Asset and Invesbnentsales, lseetable}. 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RiGhardsoD Jorb8s Ltd. M￿cUry House. 1>21 Chyl Slreel. Matlryw. ￿[V￿a￿st¥re. &7 3HN 7 Dementia Action Marlow Annual Report 2024 Dementia is a progressive condition that affects memory, thinking and behaviour. It is often viewed in 3 stages, early, middle and late. The way in which people progress varies with each individual. Listening to and engaging with music by singing, dancing, and playing instruments can help reduce anxiety and stress, as well as maintaining speech and language. It evokes happy emotions and memories, stimulating and reaffirming personal identity and social connectedness. Last September we sang at the Dementia Information day with BOPAG. We also entertained at the South West Chilterns Community Board’s Health and Wellbeing day in July with our Choir. It is important for people with dementia to stay physically well and remain as active as possible as people can develop weakness in the arms and legs, and coordination can be affected. We have teamed with Horizon Rehabilitation to run a weekly “Lets Get Moving Session” which is a fun, mainly seated exercise class. It has proved to be both enjoyable and useful. And there is some music there too. We have two Tuesday sessions a month with singing and music - and we are never surprised to see our Friends up and dancing! We are grateful to the Marlow Arts Society for the donation of some musical instruments, which are enjoyed by the group. DAM is a charity run exclusively by Volunteers and Trustees for the benefit of people in Marlow and the surrounding areas. None of our team are paid for their involvement and they give of their time freely. We are reliant on the local community and fund giving bodies for the funds to pay for the premises we rent, transportation, outings, printing, general overheads and to pay for the professionals that support our group activities. We need to raise £13,000 per annum to continue to offer the services we currently provide. We are seeing an increasing demand for our services, and our base cost will undoubtedly increase to meet this need. We are able to provide support to any individuals or organisations that wish to help us by raising funds by organising events such as sponsored walks/runs/bike rides, pub quizzes or bring and buy sales. Those interested in raising funds should email contact@dementiaactionmarlow.org . Individual contributions and donations can also be made via our website www.dementiaactionmarlow. org. We can also claim gift aid. We are also working towards applying for grants from major charitable trusts, but it may take some time for us to be successful. **“I much prefer the DAM Carers Support Group where carers can also talk amongst each other and learn from other experiences. The various speakers that attend each session are approachable for any further questions.”** **“Having developed relationships at DAM he now benefi ts from Let’s Get Moving. He fi nds that the exercises help him to concentrate, plus he enjoys the company.”** **“We are so grateful that Dementia Action Marlow is available and always welcoming to everyone and I hope that this continues.”** **“The Carer Support groups from County are not close enough to home. I think the carer support group that has been initiated by DAM is very useful as we see each other anyway and I certainly am gaining so much from just getting to know the people in DAM - it is so valuable to gain insight into the variety of issues affecting those with Dementia - everyone is different. We get so much excellent support from DAM- you all manage to include so much each week.”** **contact@dementiaactionmarlow.org dementiaactionmarlow.org**