• HOME
  • VISIT
  • EXHIBIT
  • Digital Hub
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • VISIT
  • EXHIBIT
  • Digital Hub
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT

Catch up with Dementia Adventure

  • Posted by admin
  • On 10th September 2018

Dementia Adventure at the Alzheimer’s Show and Beyond

DA Logo-HiResWe had a chat with Simon Thorp of national dementia charity – Dementia Adventure– about their ethos, their plans for the future, and what they get out of regularly attending the Alzheimer’s Show.

Dementia Adventure is a charity dedicated to helping people living with dementia retain their connection with the outdoor world and the community at large. Many people with Dementia (Alzheimer’s and similar conditions) can end up quite isolated and inactive – when the evidence suggests that remaining active and engaged with the world around us is beneficial for quality of life.

This is the fundamental ethos behind everything the charity does – helping to keep people with dementia living as full a life as they can for as long as possible.

There are 2 main areas that Dementia Adventure cover:

i) Support for other Organisations and Family Carers – through training and consultancy.

ii) Designing and Delivering Holidays – that are specifically-aimed at providing people with dementia an opportunity to enjoy a break away from their usual environment.

 

Abbeyfield_5Thinking Differently About Dementia

The training and consultancy that Simon’s team provides is based on a framework known as ‘Thinking differently about dementia’ – which provides a set of practical and inspirational tools to help support people living with dementia.

Everything the organisation tries to help facilitate is based on the fundamental principal of ‘risk and reward’ – whereby they encourage the people offering support to assess whether the rewards of the activity are worth the inherent risks for people with dementia.

This balanced approach to risk stems from the idea that risks can be reduced through adequate planning. Plus the belief that the benefits of, for example, getting out into the open versus sitting in a chair all day, are much greater than the potential negative effects that could occur due to any of the risks involved.

Some of the main types or group that Simon and the team work with are “green space” and “blue space” organisations. (Such as social farms, gardens and parks for “green space” or coastal and river based organisations for “blue space”).

The idea is to encourage people with dementia to get outside.

 

Dementia Holidays

Providing holidays for people with dementia is the area that Dementia Adventure are most well-known for. Their range of bespoke, small group vacations are based on providing a high level of support for attendees so that everyone gets the most out of the experience.

Lake-District-Ireby-July-2017-303-1200x675Generally there might be 3 or 4 couples (the person with dementia plus their family member / carer / friend), supported and assisted by the group team leader and 3 or 4 helpers. Most often, the holidays have been in the UK and last up to around 5 days – though following several requests from previous attendees, there are now international trips, with Portugal being a particular favourite destination.

A Dementia Adventure can for some be as small as bringing the outdoors indoors through a sensory nature box, or by crossing the threshhold of a care home and spending time in the garden.   Or taking part in a park walk.   Living up to the word ‘adventure’ in their name, some of the perhaps unexpectedly-energetic activities the team have organised in the past have included walking in the Lake District, attending gardens in the Isle of Wight and even whitewater rafting and a zipwire experience in Scotland!

With this kind of activity, it’s no surprise that the holidays tend to attract people who’ve always been active and outdoorsy types – though Simon assured us this is not an essential requirement, based on some of the people who’ve enjoyed previous holidays.

 

Alzheimer’s Show

Dementia Adventure have attended several shows now and have already booked their place for next year’s show. Their main criteria for evaluating whether a promotional activity is worth doing is whether it delivers a Return On Investment – which is why they’re more than happy to continue their association with the Alzheimer’s Show.

As well as the stand where they can promote their services and holidays, the networking opportunity with the other exhibitors and attendees has always proven very useful for furthering the charity’s long term aims – with new connections made, services promoted, holidays booked and volunteers recruited as a result of every show.

 

Future Plans

Simon and the team are looking to work with an increasing number of partner organisations around the world – with ‘Dementia Adventure in a Box’ being a kind of social franchising model they’re keen to develop and roll out further.

They’re also always on the look out for more volunteers and fundraising assistance, as well as getting involved with research projects (both operational and academic) to further reinforce the principles their strategy is based on.

On top of this, they’ll be adding to the range and type of holidays they offer in the UK and overseas.

 

Find out more about Dementia Adventure and its bright future here – https://dementiaadventure.co.uk
 

0 Comments

Leave Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • Supporter Spotlight. The Good Care Group – Communicating with a loved one
  • January Supporter Spotlight. Dementia Carers Count. Free professional support.
  • How activities help Care Staff relate to the Lived Experience of Dementia
  • OMi’s sensory system to motivate and engage people with dementia.
  • Namaste Care Room at The Alzheimer’s Show
Recent Comments
  • admin on The Full Virtual Dementia Tour & Training Experience
  • Tina on The Full Virtual Dementia Tour & Training Experience
  • admin on The Full Virtual Dementia Tour & Training Experience
  • Valerei on The Full Virtual Dementia Tour & Training Experience
  • davina on Tovertafel – The Magic Table for People with Dementia
Archives
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • August 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • February 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • August 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
Categories
  • #DementiaUK
  • AdmiralNurses
  • Alzheimer's
  • Alzheimer's Research
  • Alzheimer's Show
  • Alzheimer's Society
  • Beaconsfield
  • Call Prevention Registry
  • Care homes
  • CPR Call Blocker
  • Daily Telegraph
  • Dementia
  • Dementia Care
  • Dementia Challenge
  • Dementia Friends
  • Diagnosis
  • ECCA
  • Elderly care
  • G8
  • G8 Dementia Summit
  • Granddad
  • Granddaughter
  • London
  • Memory Loss
  • Memory Walk
  • Olympia
  • Red & Yellow Care
  • Research
  • RT
  • SweetTree Home Care Services
  • SweetTress
  • The Alzheimer's Show
  • Uncategorised
  • Uncategorized
  • Young Carer

Update with John Ramsay from Shift 8

Living Well With Dementia – Some Tips from the NHS

Scroll

Copyright © 2022 The Alzheimer's Show – All Rights Reserved.  Privacy policy.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT