With the first month of 2019 coming to a close, the Information & Signposting Team have been busy answering your enquiries and getting out and about visiting other services in the county.
We kicked off the New Year with a visit to a Dementia Café which is staffed by volunteers and members of the Council for Voluntary Service Uttlesford team. We were delighted to find a friendly and supportive environment for local people living with dementia to come to with their partner, carer or family member and relax and chat over a drink.
The Dementia Café is an amazing resource which runs on Mondays, from 10:30 am to 12:00pm, at the Uttlesford Community Hub, Great Dunmow. For more information, please call 01371 878 400 or email [email protected] – or just pop into the café, where you will be made as welcome as we were!
Back in mid-Essex, we paid a visit to the team at Hearing Help in Chelmsford. Their aim is to support anyone affected by hearing loss in the county, via a range of services including practical help with NHS hearing aids, assistive equipment demonstrations and loans and drop in sessions and events. They also run a events which are free to attend – friendly and informal presentations are for anyone living with hearing loss and their relatives/carers, providing practical information, advice and guidance on how to best adjust to wearing hearing aids and managing hearing loss.
Contact the Hearing Help Centre at Moulsham Street, Chelmsford. Call them on 01245 496 347, text 07950 406 173 or email [email protected] for all enquiries and to book a place at their local sessions.
Halstead was our next destination for the Winter Resilience Roadshow, hosted by Community360. Members of the community popped in for informal chat and useful information on keeping warm this winter. Details about various local health and wellbeing services, charities and voluntary groups, lunch clubs and other social groups were shared in the warmth of Queens Hall; a welcome and timely refuge from the cold day outside!
With National Dementia Awareness Day on 18th January, I attended one of the Dementia Friends Information Sessions in Braintree.
The word ‘dementia’ describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia, they have become severe enough to affect daily life. A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood or behaviour. The sessions are aimed at helping you learn a little of what it is like to live with dementia, and small ways in which you can help. Sessions are free and you can find your nearest one via the Dementia Friends website.
We will be attending more events and visiting more services throughout the year, so keep an eye on our website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates and join us at an event near you.
Back at the office, the team have been answering your enquiries about health and social care matters, including dissatisfaction with dental procedures, how to access advocacy services and difficulty with getting an appointment at the GP surgery. If we can help you with information and signposting, or you would like to tell us about their experience of health and social care, please call us on 0300 500 1895, text us on 07712 395 398 or email [email protected]
Sharon
Information & Signposting Lead