Hello Everyone!
Abbeyfield UK resident using Skype to keep in touch
Welcome to Abbeyfield’s International Blog! This blog is aimed at linking Abbeyfield Societies around the world and is run by Abbeyfield’s International Department. Material here will cover news, views and activity from around the Abbeyfield world, and anything of general interest happening in the world of accommodation and support for older people’s living. The main Abbeyfield Website can be found at www.abbeyfield.com However, following last March’s merger between Abbeyfield International and Abbeyfield this site is being re-developed and the international material is still being added.
How does the blog work?
Simply go to the web address abbeyfield@wordpress.com You can submit comments, or request to be notified about new articles too, and using the buttons on the page bottom, you can share articles by e mail, Facebook or Twitter.
How can I submit an article?
If you would like to submit an article or photos, please e mail david@abbeyfield.com
For general information on Abbeyfield’s international Societies
Visit abbeyfield.com
Abbeyfield’s Founder Richard Carr-Gomm
Abbeyfield St Joseph Open House Events
As building work begins to draw to completion at Abbeyfield St Joseph, thoughts have turned to the marketing of the 12 fantastic new apartments to potential residents.
A number of events at the new house have taken place: the Board members held an open house at the beginning of May and another will take place on the 19th of May. This will be open to all potential residents and anybody that wants to see the house!
Volunteering is a key part of the Abbeyfield ethos and the Girl Scout Volunteers have made a fantastic contribution to St Joseph’s already by raising $2500 for a gardening project.
Work now continues to complete the building and building relationships within the St Joseph community – on track for the Summer opening!
The Girl Scout Volunteers came by to help with the gardening project.
Campaign To End Loneliness Research
The Campaign To End Loneliness is a coalition of organisations and individuals working together through research, policy, campaigning and innovation to combat the loneliness experienced by older people.
A quarterly Research Bulletin is issued to keep all Campaign supporters up to date with the latest research into loneliness and isolation. The aim of the Research Bulletin is to identify gaps in the academic research on the issue and aims to create new research for the benefit of both practitioners and academics.
To read a copy of the Research Digest and for more information about the Campaign follow this link: Campaign to End Loneliness Research Bulletin – 6th Edition
Attracting Volunteers
How to Recruit and Train Volunteers
In an interview with the UK’s Third Sector magazine, Matt Hyde, the new Chief Executive of the Scouts’ Association talks about his ‘to do’ list and near the top is to recruit and retain volunteers. More than 30,00 young people in the UK are waiting to join the Scouts who simply do not have enough adults to supervise them.
Part of the problem, Hyde argues, is marketing. “We need to start selling it properly, as a way of putting something back in and changing people’s lives for the better, while developing your own skills,” he says. “The other question is how to design volunteering opportunities so they are flexible enough for people’s modern lives.”
This is precisely the challenge we all face in Abbeyfield.
The Big Walk Diary – Abbeyfield – International Walk Event
In April 2013 a group of intrepid fund raisers, led by House Manager Ian McNulty (in orange T Shirt), started a 50 mile trek from St Leonards-on-Sea to Canterbury. Ian kept a diary recording the walk and the people they met on the way – follow the link to read about it:
This has now become an annual event run by Ian and has proved a popular way of raising awareness of Abbeyfield as well as raising money for his Abbeyfield House. It would be great to try to run this as an annual international walk event, with walks taking place around the world at the same time. If you want to get involved and raise money for Abbeyfield get in touch and we will set up a walk event at the same time as Ian next year!
The Spark of Life
The Spark of Life philosophy is a pioneering, social approach that aims to change the nature of how aged care organisations care for those who live with dementia.
The purpose of Spark of Life is to enable people with dementia to live fulfilling lives despite their diagnosis and to provide the best possible care experience for staff and families. The philosophy adopts a whole systems approach to dementia care involving a club program for people with dementia, a torchbearers program for staff members, and an education program for everyone within an organization caring for people with dementia.
The attached article outlines how this approach is implemented and provides a number of case studies that brings the approach to life.
http://www.bankofideas.com.au/Newsletter/Dec11/downloads/Spark-of-Life.pdf
Cherish Yearn- a Chinese take on care and sheltered housing
Cherish Yearn
Here at Abbeyfield we have had visits from several Chinese delegations wishing to see the Abbeyfield way of providing sheltered housing and care in small environments. One of these described a dementia ‘home’ with many people sharing huge wards. So here is something a little different.
With 700 one and two bedroom apartments it makes Abbeyfield UK’s Girton development seem tiny! Located in the Pudong neighborhood of Shanghai, Cherish Yearn is a state-of-the-art, senior retirement community consisting of 15 buildings and over 700 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments. In addition, the on-site Cherish Yearn hospital offers three tiers of service including Standard Care, Nursing Care and Private Care, along with a recently added memory care unit. Since 2005 Cherish Yearn has been a unique trendsetter in China’s senior housing market hosting a rich array of community amenities including MegaFit health club, arts center, dance hall, computer center, pond, miniature golf course, café and hotel. While Cherish Yearn shares much in common with modern retirement communities throughout the developed world, its many community resources were specially designed to support and enhance the traditional ways elders enjoy spending time in China.
The promotional video in Chinese is on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQiGc922YIE
A credit card appears useful!
An Abbeyfield House Takes Shape
More pictures from the team at St Joseph’s – great progress is being made on the house as all the hard work starts to come together.
Radio Interview
During David Coe’s recent trip to Illinois, he was interviewed by the local radio station - great publicity for Abbeyfield! David’s interview can be listened to if you follow the link below:
http://www.will.illinois.edu/news/story/a-new-approach-to-senior-living
