Spring is a time of new beginnings and growth. According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow, every person has a self-actualising tendency and tries to reach their full potential in life. Ongoing personal issues, however, can prove a stumbling block to an individual’s development and where to turn for professional help may then prove problematic. Fortunately, the Richmond and Kingston area is served by a longstanding counselling service that can help facilitate positive change in those wanting to be the best they can be.

The Addiction Support and Care Agency (ASCA) is a local charity that offers confidential, low-cost, one-to-one counselling and group therapy to address a range of life’s problems, including alcohol, drug and other addictions; anxiety; depression; low self-esteem and stress. There is also a Carers’ Group for those whose lives are, or have been, impacted by the addictions of others. This seems all the more relevant when it is known that alcohol and drug dependency affects one in 25 people and one in four adults drink more than is healthy. Extra wellbeing services available include meditation classes and yoga.

In addition, ASCA runs a 12-Step Zen Group, which features meditation and discussion in a supportive atmosphere. This is a drop-in group, open to everyone and does not require an initial assessment. It has proved a popular meeting for those who like a calm space for reflection.

For further information, please visit www.addictionsupport.co.uk, email info@addictionsupport.co.uk, contact ASCA Richmond 020 8940 1160 (233 Lower Mortlake Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2LL) or ASCA Kingston 020 8339 9899 (96 Ditton Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6RH).

Source: ASCA

Richmond Homes and Lifestyle Trust (RHLT) is proud to offer a wide range of social and leisure activities to people with a learning disability over the age of 18. We run regular weekly and monthly activities which include a pub night, rambles, dinner and lunch out in local restaurants as well as a comprehensive programme of things to do in half terms and holidays.  All our activities are run by experienced support staff and volunteers and offer an opportunity for people to meet up with friends, make new ones and take part in what our local community has to offer. We believe in supporting people to be as independent as they can be and involve our clients in planning activities including travelling to and from venues, managing their own money and learning how to be part of a group. We also offer short breaks away, which not only provide respite to carers but offer exciting, fun and interesting opportunities for our clients.  

If you would like more information about our Activity programme, please contact Susie Rowan, Opportunities Development manager in the office on 020 8977 5447 or email susie.rowan@rhlt.org.uk. You can also visit our website at www.rhlt.org.uk

Homelink is a nurse-led day respite centre supporting carers who give help and care to a partner, relative or friend who are unable to manage without that help due to age, disability, physical and/or mental illness.  We are a well-respected charity, which opened in 1997. Homelink is based in Whitton and caters for clients predominantly in Twickenham, Teddington, Hampton and parts of Hounslow. 
 
We offer day respite care to 133 clients each week giving their carers a much needed break. Homelink employs sixteen paid members of staff, four of whom are qualified nurses. We also have fifty volunteers – some who work in the centre and some who are drivers.
 
We are looking for 2 new Trustees who are able to enhance the charity by using their skills, knowledge and/or experience to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions whilst fulfilling its charitable objectives.
 
Trustees, who are unpaid volunteers, need to:

• Acquire sufficient knowledge in order to contribute and inform broad decisions
• Lead or be proactive in contributing positively to discussions
• Serve as  a member of a sub-committee when required
• Focus on key issues in a timely manner
• Make a particular contribution in areas where the Trustee has special expertise/experience
• Show regular commitment to attend/contribute positively to meetings (one evening monthly Board meeting plus one other sub-committee meeting per month)

 
We welcome applications from anyone interested in the work of Homelink, especially those who have legal, business, IT, health service experience, marketing/HR or financial skills or who have experience in the charity sector.
 
For further information about Homelink or for more information about the role of Trustee please contact Jen Clarke, Clerk to the Trustees on 0208 255 1992 or send an email to jen.clarke@homelinkdaycare.co.uk
 
www.homelinkdaycare.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 1047856
Homelink Day Respite Centre, Hospital Bridge Road, Whitton, Middlesex TW2 6DE

Alzheimer’s Society are pleased to announce the recruitment of Hollie Liu, a new Dementia Support Worker who will be responsible for all the Dementia Support Services for Carers as part of the Carers Hub. Hollie has joined us from
Mental Health Services in Surrey and we are really looking forward to her offering support to carers of people with dementia in their own home, at the Caring Café, Carers Support Groups and Richmond Gate Coffee mornings. 

If you are a carer of a person with dementia and would like to discuss your own situation or are interested in attending any of the above support opportunities please give Hollie a call on 020 8877 0033 or email Hollie.Liu@alzheimers.org.uk.

Hollie will also be able to tell you more about the dementia friendly activities that are available in the borough through the Community Independent Living Services that people with dementia and carers can attend together. *Source: Alzheimer’s Society

CROSSROADS will be holding Carer Drop-In sessions at their office on the last Friday of each month excluding August and December. All Carers are welcome to drop in to meet the team, have a tea/coffee, meet other carers, have a chat and gain information. we will also be providing support and information to those who wish to learn how to use a Tablet computer.

There may be speakers and specific information available and future topics will be advised once confirmed. If you have a specific subject you would like information on please let us know. Sessions run from 11.00 am to 3.00pm with refreshments provided. You are welcome to stay for the whole or part of the session.

● 29th May
● 26th June
● 31st July
● 25th September
● 30th October
● 27th November

1 Beverley Court, 26 Elmtree Road, Teddington, TW11 8ST
Please contact Rachel or Janet on 020 8943 9421 or email at janet.fevrier@crossroadscarerk.or.uk / rtawadrous@richmondcrossroads.org.uk

A safe environment where people with dementia can meet for a coffee or lunch with their carers and families and enjoy some time together has opened.

The Caring Café provides support and information by groups led by the Alzheimer’s Society and is run by Crossroads Care in partnership with Richmond Council. The Mayor of Richmond, Cllr Boulton, marked the official opening of the café at the Homelink Centre in Hospital Bridge Road on Saturday (August 2). Homelink  is one of the Mayor’s chosen charities for the year. 

Crossroads Care originally launched the first Caring Café in 2002 at Sheen Lane Day Centre. Since then the service has become increasingly important for those who care for someone with dementia. To allow as many people as possible to have access to such a well-loved service, the Caring Café will continue to run from Sheen Lane Day Centre on the third Saturday of each month. On the first Saturday of the month it will be open at its new location at Homelink Day Centre.

Richmond’s Mayor, said:
“The Caring Café is a place where people living with dementia can share their experiences in a safe environment. It brings together carers, loved ones, and trained experts from Crossroads Care. It has become an invaluable service which is why I did not hesitate to select Crossroads Care as one of my chosen charities for the year.”
Janet Fevrier, CEO of Crossroads Care, added: 
‘As a member of the Richmond Dementia Alliance . We are very pleased to be able to work closer with Homelink and continue our work with the Alzhiemers society.  Opening this new Caring Café for gives people living with dementia and their carers in this area better access to this much needed service’ .
The Caring Café is now part of the Carers’ Hub Service, a local health resource that was commissioned by Richmond Council. The hub provides a range of services delivered by a group of nine charities that work together. It is managed by Richmond Carers’ Centre. Services can be anything from emotional support, short breaks and leisure programmes, training and workshops for carers, and a host of other practical support initiatives.
The Caring Café will be among the first services to run from the Homelink Day Centre following a regeneration project that will make it a pioneering 21st Century Centre. Thanks to £1m plus of funding from the Council, Department of Health, and Homelink, the centre is being totally rebuilt to provide a state-of the-art, dementia-friendly centre.

For more information on the Carers’ Hub visit http://www.richmondchs.org/

For more information on Crossroads Care
http://www.carers.org/local-service/richmond-and-kingston

For more information on Richmond Carers’ Centre visit http://www.richmondcarers.org

For media enquiries contact Mark Coleman on 020 8487 5158 or email mark.coleman@richmond.gov.uk

The brick outer skin is under way

Solar panels fitted to both roofs

Under floor heating installed

A group of people with dementia and those who care for them recently enjoyed the Alzheimer's Society monthly trip from Richmond to the Royal Academy to join in InMind at the RA for coffee and conversation and for people living with dementia and their carers to discuss artworks from the collection.

The outing is part of the Dementia Friendly Activities programme in Richmond which has been working with a number of organisations to facilitate new and exciting activities for people with dementia living in Richmond.  Carers have also benefitted from the activities:

•           A really enjoyable experience. Not only the ‘in mind’ session where we share our thoughts but also the opportunity to meet up on a regular basis with other people with dementia and their carers. All the curators and volunteers at the RA are so supportive (Carer)

•           Stimulating, friendly, very enjoyable. The in house artists are encouraging and supportive. We look forward to the trips and enjoy the good company on the bus (Carer and Person with Dementia)

Hilary.dodd@alzheimers.org.uk or rita.cowperthwaite@alzheimers.org.uk

  Tel: 020 8877 0033

For six weeks this summer INS are running an exciting & varied programme called “Expanding Horizons”. INS supports people with long-term neurological conditions and their carers. 
The Expanding Horizons programme is designed to enable clients and carers, many of whom do not come to regular INS groups, to try out different activities and do something enjoyable in a supportive environment. 30 different types of activities are on offer from the end of July and throughout August including creative groups, physically demanding activities, relaxing interludes and outdoor events. 
A boat trip down the Thames in July allowed plenty of time for relaxing and chatting. “What a wonderful day, lovely weather, good company and food”. Lawn Bowling offered the opportunity for carers to have some healthy competition with the person they care for, whilst other forthcoming activities will give carers a chance to do something by themselves - a relaxing massage or an energetic session exercising in water at Teddington hydrotherapy pool.
Every month INS runs mutual support groups for people who are caring for someone with a long term neurological condition. In the autumn there will be informative external speakers at some of these sessions. For more details please contact INS on 020 8755 4000 or look at the website www.ins.org.uk. You can find a full timetable of activities running in August by clicking HERE along with their descriptions HERE

The past couple of months have been very hectic but exciting.  RHLT is now part of the Community Independent Living Service and has introduced a Job Club in partnership with Mencap for adults with a learning disability.   The club supports participants to complete a profile which will become a CV, we will then support people to find volunteering opportunities and paid employment.  We hold workshops for learning new skills and have guest speakers, last week we had a transport police officer who came and spoke to the group.

We also celebrated learning disabilities week.  Along with other organisations we put on a packed week of opportunities for people to try out new things including a buffet at our weekly pub night at the Cabbage Patch; this is a great opportunity for people with a learning disability to socialise in a safe environment, it’s also very popular sometimes up to 30 people attend!  We also showcased our book club along with the library services, our unique book club is for people of all abilities and involves storytelling and puppetry.  The grand finale was on Friday June 26th, this was a day of entertainment and fun, the theme was ‘my first experience’ and five adults spoke about their first experience of work, voting and travelling abroad, it was really informative and inspiring for the audience.

Leisure breakaway, which is part of the carers hub also organised a trip for five young adults with a learning disability to Paultons Theme Park in Southampton.  The group had a fabulous time and their carers had a well-deserved break, one of the carers said “it was great to be able to give a bit more time to my other daughters and just be able to relax at home without having to think about occupying R.  Things like this really help to get R’s confidence back so she can move on from what has been a really difficult few months.”

This weekend we will be at St Margaret’s fair, every year they use the fair profits to support a number of charities in the community, this year they received applications from thirteen very worthy causes and Committee members had the difficult job of choosing which three charities to support, we were one of the lucky three that were chosen!

Next week it’s the Dragon Boat race, this is the second year we have entered now, staff, volunteers and users of our services will be furiously paddling along the Thames to raise funds for RHLT, come along and support us it’s a great day!

For more information about RHLT please look at our website http://www.rhlt.org.uk/