Dear

Pop the kettle on and take a cosy seat to enjoy an uplifting read of our latest highlights:

• "An amazing change" - Mary and Sally's befriendship story
• Help more residents enjoy meaningful connections with our silent auction and winter appeal
• Knitting Joy in West Sussex
• Blooms in Richmond
• Hampshire residents' joyful summer reminisces
• New poetry collection released
• "Unfailing Love" - devotions for dementia caregivers 
• We've gone Through the Roof
• Get involved: bringing cheer to care home residents this Christmas

Last but not least, you'll find upcoming events and how you can volunteer to get involved and make a difference to older care home residents and unpaid carers.

Thank you for your part in our journey - our growth would not be possible without our volunteers and supporters like you!

Best wishes 

Sinéad and all the Embracing Age team

A care home on the Isle of Wight recently shared this beautiful story of the life-changing impact on one of their residents thanks to our volunteer befriender:

"Mary had been living with her son and daughter in law, but after a time it became clear that she needed more care and she moved to our care home. After Mary moved here, her son became very ill and passed away, and her other sons live on the mainland and are not able to visit.  Mary was spending more and more time in her room and did not want to engage with the other residents so we felt she was become increasingly isolated.  When Sally started visiting, the change in Mary was amazing. If you happened to go upstairs when Sally was here you would hear shrieks of laughter coming from Mary's room and they would chat away for ages.  It has been lovely to see their friendship develop and it has made a huge difference to the quality of Mary’s life. I think everyone should have a Sally in their life.

Embracing Age has been so supportive to our care home. The majority of our residents have dementia and the wonderful craft ladies have made little creatures to hang on walking frames so that we can easily identify whose is whose. They also made some lovely little bags to pop over the handles so that our residents can put tissues, spectacles and bits and bobs in.

Sadly we do have residents that for whatever reason have no visits or little contact with their families and the cards of kindness have been a lovely treat to have.  All in all,  Embracing Age has been wonderful and special thanks to Rebecca for her continued support and understanding."

September was World Alzheimer's month so it seems an appropriate time to recommend a wonderful book of bite-sized devotions for carers of those living with dementia. "Unfailing Love" is written by Robin Thomson, a former Bible teacher in India who then cared for his wife after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and is described by Tina English as:

"This poignant book offers a lifeline of hope and comfort to dementia caregivers. Through its tapestry of bite-sized biblical reflections interwoven with real-life stories, it provides much-needed solace and reminds caregivers that they are not alone."

Find out more and order your copy at https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/unfailing-love.

If you are caring for a loved one or know a carer who might benefit from Carers Connected, please encourage them to contact Sarah Smith about joining us - she'll happily answer any queries about the gatherings or using Zoom, and offers connection via the Weekly Message even if you can't attend a gathering.

Over the last month, we’ve been delighted to be partnering with the Christian disability charity Through the Roof to deliver training on ‘Coming alongside people living with dementia’. If you’re a member of a church and have never heard of Through the Roof, their website is well worth a visit as it is packed full of helpful resources and opportunities to connect your church to their support network across the UK. Find out more about them here.

As well as our Christmas gift projects, we're always looking for more volunteers to support us throughout the year, so if you're interested in a longer term way to have fun getting involved with us and make a big difference in the lives of older people, do read on!

Many of these roles can be done from wherever you are in the country and offer a range of time requirements to fit around how much (or little!) time you can offer:

• Could you host Carers Connected Zoom sessions? 
• Could you spare 1 hour a week to visit care home residents in Richmond, West Sussex, Hampshire or the Isle of Wight? We urgently need adult volunteers to meet referrals for residents in these areas.
• Could you help build links between schools or community groups and their local care home? 
• Do you enjoy community fundraising? 
• Are you good with IT systems, especially websites and CRM systems, and could offer some back office volunteer support? 

You can find full details of these and many more opportunities via the button below.

Come and chat with us on our stalls at the following events - we'd love to see you!

TWICKENHAM

• Full of Life Fair, Friday 24 October 10-4pm, Twickenham Stadium - book your free tickets here for events and information on the opportunities available locally for you to lead a long, happy, healthy lives. 

ISLE OF WIGHT

• Health Road Show, 4th November 10am-1pm, The Riverside Centre Newport.
• Volunteer Fair, 17th January 11am-3pm, The Riverside Centre Newport

*Names may have been changed for anonymity

You can enjoy more photos and stories of what Embracing Age is up to via our website and social media icons below

Thank you for your support, we're really grateful that you're part of our vision.

Sinéad and all the team at Embracing Age