Samboards. A Western Story

 Nice to be writing once more and letting you know what we've been up to over recent times.

I have been working with Andrew Western , the CEO of Samboards and he has been introducing me to the wide range of products that are proving to be an effective way of helping to calm people living with dementia when they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

The sensory boards that Samboards have created are uniquely designed to be used for either distraction or enjoyment. Touching and feeling the board exercises your hands, increases messages to your brain, and releases natural chemicals which can help a person feel motivated, and improve the sense of well-being.

Benefits reported by other users include; increased concentration and focus, reduced anxiety, improved circulation and fine motor skills and a greater sense of calm and well-being.

The sensory board has seven different textures on it. Move your fingers around the textures around the board and think of how they feel. Touching and moving around in these textures can give the brain something new to think about and produce "feel good" hormones.

There are no timeframes or limits on how much the board can be used. They work effectively as part of a daily routine to stimulate fine motor skills for example or they can be used whenever you need it to feel more calm and focused.

The six textures on the front and one on the back are designed with a different feel to each of them. Each texture is experienced through touch, using the hands and fingers but it can also work if a tool is used in the mouth or by using other areas of your skin. 

Some of the textures are designed to recreate images of nature which are known to be soothing. When the texture is felt , different feedback or feelings are created, the blood flow to the outside of the brain increases and hormones are released. The sensory needs can be met by one or more of these textures.

By touching the board and finding new textures to explore, the body releases dopamine, which is a feel good stimulating hormone. The act of touch also produces messages through the nervous system which can then move blood in the brain away from the amygdala reducing anxiety and stress.

The swirl pattern (represented in blue) helps with breathing exercises.

While using the sensory pad, the user may feel calmer and more in control of their emotions. A calm mind can make learning easier and make better choices. They can feel more engaged and interested in the world around them.

The board also helps to develop hand control and small motor skills. By using your hands and fingers to touch textures that you may like, you can improve your mood and your small motor skills. This can lead to better hand control for other tasks like feeding yourself or doing up buttons.

The tactile experience can also help in memory building, memory storing and memory retrieval. By experiencing something different and new to you, you are building new pathways in your brain. The more pathways that you have in your brain, the more accessible routes your thoughts can take, which makes brain ageing and memory loss less noticeable. If your tactile sensors have been under stimulated, and that part of your brain has reduced it's function, it is possible to rebuild your sensitivity and the area of the brain it lives in.

The boards are made to a safe standard and are dishwasher safe. Cleaning does not require any specialist products : simply pop it in the dishwasher or clean by hand using hot soapy water or anti-bacterial cleaning sprays. It is recommended that you wash your board after each time that you use it.

Use of the board in a dementia setting

Andrew has been working with The Hollies Care Centre in Dursley. The Hollies Care Centre is a friendly and supportive care home community providing specialised and tailored nursing care, dementia care, respite care, end of life care and residential apartments. It provides round the clock care offered by a team of dedicated and well trained staff. It is well established and accredited with the Gold Standards Framework Award. Dementia Care follows the internationally recognised "Household model" of person centred care. It provides a full range of services to meet the changing needs of it's residents. It is set in a beautiful park overlooking the picturesque village of Dursley.

Recently, Andrew visited The Hollies site with local MP,  Right Honourable Siobhan Baillie, where they have been using his boards as as a tool for helping their clients relax and focus.

The Rt Hon Member of Stroud was so impressed with the way that the home was run and the effects that Andrew's products had in helping people living with dementia to calm and focus, that she wrote this letter of approval.

Testimony

Here is some of the feedback that Samboards' products has received thus far.

Salisbury NHS - Working in a hospital under the current circumstances is particularly challenging and stressful. With the job of site manager, ensuring patients flow and admission are beeded safely around the trust, a lot of stress is accumulated. My colleague presented us with a stress relieving device which helps take the mind off a million different thoughts and helps with sewing a line of thinking back together. I personally have mild ADHD and it helped me to focus on goals and targets one step at a time without drifting into a million different tasks. A very positive tool and comes in a portable form which is very helpful as well as being safe and easily wipeable.

Used the prickly tile during a presentation that I had to give. I found it a distraction from the nerves of presenting. It took my mind away from the fear of stuttering. It worked and I felt incredibly relaxed whilst carrying out the presentation.

Gave one to my youngest child during home schooling to try and keep him focused. I found the days where he had the tile to fiddle with, his concentration improved and he was less inclined to get out of his chair.

Used it in work to reduce my stress levels when confronted with situations that would normally create some levels of anxiety. I found having it on my lanyard meant that it was easy to access and provided a level of distraction.

Relative of an elderly patient living with COPD - With my Nan having COPD and many other health issues we had to implement breathing exercises. The SAMBOARDS have really helped my Nan with her breathing by following the various patterns. One evening, my Nan's oxygen levels dropped to a very low reading on her machine. We did the exercise with the Sam board and her reading went up on her machine. My point is that the boards have really helped, not only does it help her with her exercises, but it also distracts her panic when she is struggling. It is by her side 24/7 and she uses it every single day.

Headway - Samboards reached out to Headway in order to use their products to support social and cognitive rehabilitation. Results found that it supported user's neurological condition and helped to keep them focused.

Impressions were documented as:

"Yes 100%. I enjoyed using the Sam boards very much."

"I enjoyed exploring different shapes"

"Feeling the many bumps and ridges, I enjoyed that because of my condition."

"Sliding hand on the swirl and the wave shapes was very enjoyable."

"Refocuses the mind , I rate the board 9/10 and instant reward was 8/10."

The board and other sensory products can also be used as an aid in stroke recovery and many other neurological conditions. It has been used to help those with anxiety issues to aid with sleeping problems.

It has also helped within the adults with learning disabilities when feeling agitated and has been noticed to improve mood and reduce levels of incidents.

Personal Testimony

My 11 year old daughter suffers from anxiety issues. Just before Christmas, we were travelling on the motorway when my exhaust snapped and I had to pull onto the hard shoulder. We vacated the car and made our way behind the barrier. The area behind the barrier was a nettle and prickly shrubs overgrowth that took quite a bit of negotiating. Between this and the noise made from the oncoming traffic rushing past and the fact that we were looking at a six hour wait befire any recovery vehicle turned up, my daughter became quite anxious. Now I always keep one of the Sam boards on the back seat of the car for presentation purposes when talking about this product. My daughter asked me if we could go back to the car so that she could get something. We made our way back to the car and she retrieved the Sam board from the back seat. We went back behind the barrier and she started to trace the patterns on the board with her finger. I was amazed at what a calming influence that this had on her and she remained calm and focused until her Uncle Paul turned up on his white BMW (and if you ever want to see my daughter chuckle it was getting into a BMW after driving in a Honda Jazz with her Uncle) to get her back home whilst I waited for the recovery vehicle.

Well I hope this gives everyone a good flavour of the great work that these boards can do. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Until next time

The Last Post

Hi All,


Well it has been an absolute privilege to have represented GreenSquare as your Dementia Champion but all good things must come to an end. I will be continuing to attend meetings and provide dementia advice on GreenSquare's behalf until the change over at the end of March.


I am now going to tell you about some of the exciting things that we are currently doing in conjunction with partner agencies and some of the things we will be tackling further down the line.

On Friday I will be attending the launch of the This Way Forward group that look to support people with mental health issues in their daily life. I will be there to give advice on dementia and signposting those that need to access dementia services. This is run by people with mental health issues themselves and has been supported by the Community Involvement Team led by James Aldridge

Supporting Mental Health in The Forest of Dean

On Wednesday next week, myself and Sian will be attending a meeting on behalf of the Gloucester Dementia Action Alliance with Lisa Saybourn, Customs Relations Manager of Sandfields Care Home about supporting dementia events in Cheltenham. They currently promote dementia awareness with Waitrose and Alex Chalk. This is an opportunity to get a functioning Cheltenham Dementia Action Alliance and with Sarah Davis and Lena Maller supporting my old friend David Edwards of Promedica in setting this up, I have every faith that they will succeed.






Recently I attended the Train the Trainer course at The Pavilion Centre in Cheltenham (all it cost was a catalytic converter) and will receive the award once Tina Kustas of the Gloucestershire Dementia Training and Education Strategy team has seen me carry out a presentation to either new starters or on a GDAA training session. This will now allow me to certificate the sessions that I provide once I'm signed off.


Speaking of the Gloucestershire Dementia Training and Education Strategy team. they will be hosting an event at Black Friars Priory in Gloucester on June the 18th between 1pm and 4:30pm. This time they will be focusing on the links between Dementia and music. There has always been a link between these 2 subjects and it has always astonished professionals as to how powerful this correlation is. Anyone who was lucky enough to attend the A Day in the Life play would attest to how a combination of The Beatles and Frank Sinatra left everyone in the audience a bit misty-eyed.
To illustrate this I have provided a link to one of my favourite YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWn4JB2YLU


And after watching that quite remarkable video, I would think that is the perfect message of hope to leave you all with. Take care, look after each other and in the words of my good friend Porky Pig...











Seasons Greetings to All

Hi Everybody,


Hope everybody is getting into the festive swing of things and looking forward to cutting a rug at the Christmas parties.


I'm writing this blog today as a celebration of all the work that has been achieved this year and upcoming projects that we will soon be getting involved with.


The first thing I would like to talk about is a project that's quite dear to me. This is the "A Day in the Life Dementia" play that we have been working on at Gloucester College. This forms part of the HNC/HND diploma that the students are working towards.


The play is based on a number of scenarios that are experienced by people living with dementia and their carers. These range from night time disorientation, separation anxiety, repetitive questioning and walking with a purpose. The students have taken on these subject matters and desired learning outcomes to produce an interactive piece of work that illustrates how this affects the person living with dementia.
I have had the privilege of being involved in the progress of this work from inception to end and have been joined along the way by my partner in crime Sian Merrion-Jones of the Gloucester Dementia Action Alliance, Kim Dement of the Gloucester Dementia Education and Strategy team and Kate Barnes of the Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning Schools and Colleges Services for Children and Young People and as always the guiding hand of Lena Maller of the Forest of Dean District Council.
It's fair to say that anyone who has seen what the students have produced so far have been completely blown away by the intensity of the performance.
I have just received details of the dates and times of the performances which are on Monday the 9th of December at 10-1030, 10:45-11:15,11:30-12:00, 12:30-13:00 and 16:15-16:45 and Friday the 13th December at 10-10:30, 10:45-11:15, 11:30-12:00, 13:15-13:45 and 14:00-14:30.
Myself and Sian will be inviting dignitaries from the field of housing, dementia and public service to attend the shows as well as people living with dementia and their carers.
The hope is that this will become a personal fixture in the HNC/HND programme and will be rolled out at various times throughout the year for other colleges to come and look at what the students are doing and incorporate this into their own programmes. This will hopefully then lead to a roll out at a national level.

We will also be continuing the Dementia/Domestic Abuse protocol meetings with GDASS, police, fire services, Gloucester Dementia Education and Strategy team and the Gloucester and Forest of Dean Dementia Action Alliances.
This is currently being led by myself and the wonderful Di Martin (IDVA)(Prospective MP for the Forest of Dean and all round inspiration). I will update you more on this after the next meeting.


On Wednesday the 4th of December, I will be attending the inaugural meeting of the Gloucestershire Dementia Action Alliance, which looks to incorporate all the work being carried out by all the different Dementia organisations throughout the county and bring it all under one big umbrella. I have provided a copy of the terms of reference below.

In the New Year I will be attending the South Western Ambulances Services Silver Services event which focuses on treating the older person better. I will be hosting a stall and giving a talk about dementia and how it can be better supported throughout our community.

Well I hope that brings us all up to date with all that we're doing in the world of dementia at GreenSquare and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dementia Projects and End Of Life Care in Gloucestershire

Hi All,

Sorry for the long delay, but as most of you know it's been a difficult year.

I'm here to let you know about some of the fantastic events that are being promoted by GHS and the GDAA during World Alzheimer's month this September.

The first is a Dementia Advice session that we are facilitating in conjunction with Painswick Rococo Garden on September the 19th between 11am and 2pm. This is to provide information for people with dementia, their families and carers. We will also be joined by Age UK, GHS, Gloucester Rugby Charities and Alzheimer's Gloucestershire.
We are hoping to put on a concert on the 26th for people with dementia and for this to become a regular thing.

I am also working with Elaine Robinson-Fullard regarding the Dementia Project Program that Age UK are running in Gloucester and Cheltenham.
If you are 65+ and live in Gloucester or Cheltenham, and have recently been diagnosed with dementia, then the Dementia Project team will work with you for about 4 weeks. They will establish the help you need to remain living as independently as possible, explore your own personal strengths and guide you on how to maximise these, connect you with social activities and services within your local community, if you are entitled to any financial benefits, then they will help you to apply for these and signpost you to other services that can offer support. A copy of their leaflet and application form can be seen underneath.

For any more information on this contact Elaine Robinson-Fullard on 01452 420928.

End of Life Care

As most of you know, I paid a visit to the wonderful dementia village of  De Hogeweyk a few years ago. I even wrote a blog piece about it I was that impressed. I have canvassed ever since for something of a similar model to be adopted in the UK.Earlier last month I was lucky enough to attend the Dementia Forum run by the Gloucester Dementia Education and StrategyTeam and witnessed a presentation by a team of carers from The Hollies in Dursley.

They have a person centred approach to care, and the rooms of those they care for are unique to each individual. Each individual has their care needs tailored to their own requirements and this can include 24 hour 1-1 care if needed. I have been invited to visit the home and write a blog piece of what they do and what they have planned for the future, so watch this space.

They have been awarded the National Gold Standard Framework. The National Gold Standards Framework is a national training and coordinating programme for all Gold Standards Framework (GSF) programmes. This programme enables generalist frontline staff to provide the high standard of care that we all look for when choosing a residence for our loved ones nearer to the end of their lives. The GSF improves the quality, coordination and organisation of care, which then in turn results in better patient outcomes and an overall decrease in hospitalisation.

RECEIVING THE ACCREDITATION

In order to receive the accreditation, care homes must undergo a rigorous training process, as well as embedding the GSF care standards in their respective care homes for at least six months. The training programme itself is nine months long, and after both of these tasks have been completed, the accreditation process begins.

This process includes the assessment against 20 clear standards of best care home practices, the review of the care of residents utilising the ‘After Death Analysis Audit Tool’ and a quality assessment visit – which reviews the integration of Gold Standards Framework processes into everyday practice.                            

Now all this is rather commendable but the thing that stuck with me was the raw enthusiasm of the staff and in particular two stories that stuck with me.

The first was of an elderly gentleman that one of the staff had befriended. He was an avid rugby fan and just before he passed away, the staff managed to get him to his local rugby club for a game, where he met the players, enjoyed the game and also enjoyed a few libations afterwards. The way that this was handled and put together was an obvious source of pride to those involved and was a great example of person centred care for someone with dementia.

The second story was the way that they deal with the passing of a resident.
The resident is added to a tree of remembrance in the home, to recognise that person's life and their time at The Hollies. Not only that, the policy is that if someone comes in through the front door, then they leave through the front door. This not only gives the residents and the staff the time to say goodbye properly, but also respects the life of the individual that has passed.


If you have reached the stage where you are looking at residential care for a loved one with dementia or if you are someone with dementia, then I cannot recommend this home highly enough.


I have added the link for those interested https://thehollies.co.uk/

The GDAA also met with Gloucester Rugby regarding making Kingsholm a more dementia friendly stadium. Sian Jones and myself met with Sarah Lee a few weeks ago and had a very positive meeting regarding ideas to raise dementia projects around the stadium. They are currently training one of their staff to be the dementia lead for Gloucester Rugby and the GDAA have committed to aiding with signposting organisation that may be of benefit in this endeavour.

Gloucester Rugby Charity are quite keen to get involved with dementia projects around Gloucestershire and are already linking in with Painswick Rococo Garden regarding walking rugby for people with dementia.

                                                      

Working with GDASS towards a Dementia Protocol

I have had the pleasure most recently of working alongside Councillor Di Martin of GDASS in coming up with a protocol for domestic abuse and dementia.

We are working in conjunction with Lena Maller (Community Engagement Officer, Forest of Dean Council), Lauren Mackay (Gloucestershire Dementia Education and Strategy Team), Rob Mortimer (Forest of Dean Constabulary), Abigail Dunn (GP Development Worker GDASS) and we have recently received funding from the Crime Commissioners Office to start work on whether the dementia has changed the behaviour or whether the perpetrator is someone who has a history of DV and now has dementia or is caring for someone with dementia. We came up with this flyer not long ago to highlight at what we were looking to do.

Have you or your partner recently been diagnosed with a form of dementia?

Has there been an increase in aggressive behaviour that was not present before?

Has there always been aggressive behaviour in the relationship that has become more prevalent since the dementia diagnosis?

Ask yourself, is your partner’s behaviour a mystery or part of history.

GDASS, GHS and (insert organisation) are here to answer any questions that you may have on the subject. All enquiries will be handled with the strictest confidence.

And finally the Choir

On Tuesday the 24th of September, there will be an Evensong Dementia Service at 5:30pm at Gloucester Cathedral for those living with Alzheimer's Disease and their carers. It's a lovely evening out and when I took my Mum there a few years ago, she thoroughly enjoyed it, was as conversational as I've ever seen her and managed to neck enough cream cake to put Jane's Pantry out of business. Here's the photo to prove it. Miss you Mum.