Latest news with #GillianCouncill
Scotsman
26-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Edinburgh to get UK's second outdoor centre for people with dementia after success of pioneering initiative in Cairngorms
A new outdoor centre for people with dementia is to be launched next month in the grounds of Edinburgh's Lauriston Castle. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Studies suggest that contact with the natural world can offer comfort, stimulation and a sense of freedom and meaning for people living with dementia. And the centre will offer a wide range of nature-based pastimes and sessions such as gardening, reminiscence, outdoor relaxation, all designed to support participants as their needs evolve over time. Contact with nature can offer comfort, stimulation and a sense of freedom and meaning for people living with dementia. | supplied Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It will be only the second outdoor dementia centre in the UK and it has been inspired by the success of the first, at Badaguish in the Cairngorms National Park. Gillian Councill, of Alzheimer Scotland, which is behind the project, said: 'We are delighted to announce the development of our second Outdoor Brain Health & Dementia Resource Centre at Lauriston Castle. Following our successful experiences at Badaguish, we understand the profoundly positive impact such spaces have." The Badaguish centre opened two years ago as one of the National Park's 20 projects making up the Cairngorms 2030 programme, made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. And it has become a hub for all sorts of activities and workshops inspired by the natural environment and changing seasons. Lauriston Lodge has been decorated inside in a style which will likely be familiar to those attending the centre. | supplied Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Councill said as their abilities reduced, people with dementia were less likely to get outside. "We were speaking to a lot of people who had spent their whole lives doing things in the outdoors and spending time in nature. People were saying they loved to go for walks but were worried they might get lost in the woods or were just generally finding things a bit more difficult. So we made it our goal to create a space where people could be supported to spend time in nature again. "Gardening is a really good activity because it's so accessible - people can engage in it in lots of different ways, from really getting stuck in and digging to very light touch, like smelling herbs." There are also music and art sessions inspired by nature and an all-ability cycling session, with a fleet of adapted bikes. And the therapeutic benefits of nature are not restricted to the participants themselves, with sessions also offering loved ones a welcome chance to take time for themselves, often going for walks with other carers. A red phone box and bus stop in the garden are intended to spark memories and conversation. | supplied Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Similar activities are likely to feature in the programme at Lauriston Castle, but Ms Councill said it would depend what people wanted. "We've talked about maybe gentle outdoor yoga, for example, but it's important to let the programme evolve based on demand locally." In addition to the outdoor activities, the new centre has the renovated Lauriston Lodge and the neighbouring Forget-Me-Not garden. The main room in the lodge has been decorated in a mid-century style that will likely be familiar to many of the people who will use the centre, and will help spark memories and conversations. The dementia-friendly design also extends to a red phone box and bus stop in the garden. And there is a glass-sided summer house which will allow them to look out on nature even when the weather is not good enough for venturing too far outside. Ms Councill said: 'Our new site is poised to become a haven where people will be able to immerse themselves in the restorative power of nature.'
Scottish Sun
27-04-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Dementia sufferers hail game-changing new tool as experts call for nation-wide rollout
'Each person living with dementia has their own unique story' AN expert has urged people with Alzheimer's to add a new chapter to their story – by writing an autobiography. Health workers have been supporting patients as they create their own life stories. Advertisement 1 NHS greater glasgow and clyde have experts who make story books about the lives of patients to help bring back memories The team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's speech and language therapy service hope that those who have been diagnosed will see it as the next step in their journey rather than the conclusion. Their documented memories can include personal details, such as family, friends and hobbies. Gillian Councill, executive lead for brain health and innovation at Alzheimer Scotland, thinks the project could be a nationwide hit. She said: 'Those living with dementia often struggle with communication and memory, and may struggle to express themselves and talk about what matters to them. Advertisement 'These difficulties can also make it harder to maintain social relationships which, in turn, can cause their condition to progress more quickly. 'Creating a life story book of memories and experiences can be an effective way to engage with a person with dementia, to help them feel more connected with their family, friends and carers. 'Each person living with dementia has their own unique story and their needs, preferences and aspirations are as diverse as they are. 'It's so important to see the person first and foremost, rather than the disease.' Advertisement Leigh McKnight, an SLT healthcare support worker at Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital, works with people struggling to communicate due to dementia, stroke or a brain injury. She has helped hundreds of patients and their families put together books after getting loved ones to complete a questionnaire and provide materials such as photographs and life highlights. Likes and dislikes, key people in a patient's life, places they have travelled, hobbies and even how they take their tea or coffee can all be effective in generating discussion and memories. RAH colleague Geraldine Ralph identifies patients who might benefit from a book and refers them to support workers. Advertisement Leigh said: 'A diagnosis of dementia can be devastating. 'The feedback we've had about our life story books is hugely positive, and we know they bring a lot of comfort to those affected by impaired communication. Often, they can be used to encourage conversations or discussions about certain topics or memories — this can really help people feel less isolated and better understood. 'They also help health and social care staff understand the person they are caring for as they act as a fact file of their life and interests. 'I find it a very rewarding process and it's great to see so many families take the books home and continue adding to them.' Advertisement In one example, Leigh used maps to illustrate all the countries someone had visited and, in another, she included the lyrics to the song Singing In The Rain, which the patient could still recite in full. Favourite foods, music and football teams have also featured in autobiographies. Every personalised story starts from birth and includes family snaps, plus milestones such as wedding anniversaries and the dates children were born. The wife of one patient with early onset dementia said the books give 'a flavour of the person and their life' prior to their diagnosis. Advertisement She explained: 'I have striven to make sure people see the person, and recognise and understand he deserves to be treated with respect, compassion and dignity. 'The life story book has really come into its own as he is in hospital and currently hasn't been able to communicate.' SHARE THE LOAD A HELPING hand with dementia diagnosis: DON'T TRY TO MANAGE ALONE: You shouldn't take on all the responsibility by yourself. Doing too much for a loved one can damage your health. Lean on friends and family. SHARING THE CARING: You can get help from services and benefits provided by places like social work departments. Don't think twice about asking. For example, you could be exempt from paying council tax. HEALTH SERVICES: Your GP is the first person to contact. Tell them about any changes in the patient's condition and ask to be referred to a dementia specialist. SOCIAL SERVICES: Carers and their loved ones can access a community care assessment from the local council's social work department to discover what services could help. HELPLINE: For further support, information or simply a listening ear, anyone can call Alzheimer Scotland's 24-hour freephone Dementia Helpline on 0808 808 3000, or email helpline@ Meanwhile, a patient with word-finding difficulties due to language-led dementia said: 'It saves me embarrassment when I can't think of a name because it's there in my book and it takes the pressure off.' And the relative of another patient said her loved one responds better to familiar visual prompts, rather than verbal ones, adding: 'When he comes to speech and language, we feel we are seen as individuals, not just a case history. Advertisement 'What a difference it makes to talk about what he can do rather than what he can't.'
