Together We Stand
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Together We Stand April 2020 An activity pamphlet for people with Dementia and their carers Welcome Welcome to our second edition of ‘Together we Stand’, a short pamphlet full of activities and ideas that we hope will keep us connected, encourage us to be creative and hopefully bring some cheer into our lives. We have now been in lockdown for over 3 weeks and it feels like we have started to settle into something that resembles routine. For the most part, these routines are individual, for example our daily exercise, choosing what to watch on TV, or sorting the jobs for today’s gardening. There are however parts to our routines that are a national affair, including the Clap for Key Workers at 8pm on Thursday evenings and tuning in to the daily government briefing. It has been so wonderful to so see how the nation is coming together in such innovative ways despite the physical distancing measures, to spread happiness and love around communities. In these times, good news stories are always welcome, and it’s been heart-warming to see so many being reported on the news. One story that has grabbed the world’s heart is that of Captain Tom Moore, a 99-year-old Army veteran from Bedfordshire. He hoped to earn £1000 for NHS Charities by walking 100 laps of his garden with his Zimmer-frame before his 100th birthday at the end of the month, as a way of saying thank you to staff who helped care for him following cancer treatment and a broken hip. Captain Moore completed his 100th lap on Thursday 16th April, having raised £14 million at that point, and since then this number has increased to £23 million, and that sum is going up daily. He has helped to bring a smile to the nation by making the most out of an unusual situation and doing something with love in his heart. While we still are not sure how long the current rules will be in place, one hopes that this sense of solidarity will continue for the weeks to come, and far beyond. Hope is such a key thing at the moment and as signs of Spring start to show, we continue to hold onto the hope they bring. In friendship, Katherine, Erica, Ros and Freya Captain Tom Moore If you would like to contribute to the newsletter please email © thesun.co.uk Katherine at Porstwood DAG on: [email protected] Page 1 https://www.caraway.uk.com/ Page 2 A Little Bit of Exercise to Start… Seated exercises - thanks to Sheena Gawler of LaterLife training Safety advice - ensure the chair you use is sturdy and stable. Wear comfortable clothes and supportive footwear. Prepare a space and have an exercise band (scarf) and a glass of water (for afterwards) ready before you start. While exercising, if you experience chest pain, dizziness or severe shortness of breath, stop immediately and contact your GP. If you experience pain in your joints of muscles, stop, check your position and try again. If the pain persists, seek advice from your GP. However, feeling your muscles working or slight muscle soreness the next day after exercise is normal and show that the exercises are working. Breathe normally throughout and enjoy yourself. Aim to do these exercises twice per week in addition to a short walk in your local area (if possible). If you are using this booklet without attending a supervised exercise session, consult your GP to check it is suitable for you. To start, follow the exercises from the last issue as a warm-up. If you do not have access to this, do a short warm-up before attempting the exercises below. Upper Back Strengthener • Hold the band with your palms facing upwards and your wrists straight • Pull your hands apart then draw the band towards your hips and squeeze your shoulder blades together • Hold for a slow count of 5 whilst breathing normally • Release, then repeat 7 more times Thigh Strengthener • Sit tall at the front of your chair • Place the band under the ball of one foot and grasp it with both hands at knee level • Lift your foot just off the floor then pull your hands to your hips • Now press your heel away from you until your leg is straight and your heel is just off the floor • Hold for a slow count of 5 then return to the starting position • Repeat 6-8 times on each leg Well done - take some deep breaths and relax! Reader contribution Conversation Starter We were so thrilled to have received this image of a completed Use these letters to start a conversation about what this colouring in for us to share with season signifies, e.g. S for sunshine, P for playing with the everyone. grandchildren. It can revive memories of happy times S P R I N G Colouring In Page 3 Page 4 My History School life Have a conversation about your school life and share some stories. Why not use the following questions as a guide? • Describe your first school. o How old were you when you first went there? o What do you remember about the place and the teachers? o Did you take any public examinations and how did you do in them? o Did you make any friends at school, did you keep in touch with them after leaving? o What was your favorite subject? o Did you have homework? Clean out your larder While at home why not take this time to review your food cupboards, and to see what ingredients are lurking at the back. They might make some novel tasty dishes. I have sometimes bought ingredients for a specific meal or to bake a cake, only using a little and leaving the remainder to live out its days at the back of the cupboard. Sadly, some have been thrown away when I have discovered they are months or even years out of date. Some of my cupboards are so full that I cannot always find what I need before going to the shops so I have rebought things I don’t need. Cleaning out the larder on a regular basis will help to stop this happening and remind us what could be used for a future meal. I was tidying my cupboards and found some chick peas and some spices. This got me thinking about Northern Africa – a place I have never visited but it always looks great in the photos. Here is a recipe for a Moroccan style vegetable stew. The vegetables can be changed for others and the spices reduced or omitted. Why not have a go? Tin chickpeas, tin tomatoes (if you can get them), 1 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 onion chopped, half of teaspoon of coriander, cumin, cinnamon, 2 garlic cloves crushed, 1 red pepper, 1 courgette, 1 aubergine and 250 ml stock, 4 prunes or apricots chopped small and some parsley to garnish. - Fry the onion and garlic in a spray of olive oil for 5 minutes. - Add the spices and fry for a minute until fragrant. - Add the veg, fry for 8-10 minutes until they’re coated in the spices and start to take on colour. - Add the chickpeas, stock, and apricots/ prunes. - Season and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. - Scatter over the parsley and serve with couscous, if you like. If you can’t get tinned tomatoes you can use fresh tomatoes or just tomato puree and water. Enjoy, let us know how you got on if you tried this recipe. Wordsearch Page 5 T U P I L U Z E N O M E N A P D M A G N O L I A C H I W A R A T L E R H K B A E L O L E I F N I T O O L M A H N P C L H F N L N S U E T E S O A P A I O S A H E L H L M R A N C Z A D R C B L E L U D T A S A A L I O E I R E N I Y F R Y L P L L L A P B R H Y N O E P U E I L K I O U W E I G E L A M H U S L R B I R C R O C U S I I M U E I C A I S E E R F R R A T Z V E T I N O C A I D O P O R E Daffodil Lilac Aconite Daphne Crocus Allium Bluebell Weigela Tulip Anemone Iris Heather Hyacinth Hellebore Magnolia Peony Camellia Azalea Primula Pansy Viburnum Freesia Sudoku Page 6 A Trip Across the World The Joys of the Shetland Islands - by Freya Elliott 110 miles from the Scottish mainland lie the Shetland Islands. A group of roughly 100 islands, of which 16 are inhabited, house a population of around 23,000 people. To get there you have two options. You can either fly which takes just over an hour (provided the fog hasn’t rolled in so you can land safely), or you can take the overnight ferry from Aberdeen which takes around 12 hours and is definitely the more ‘adventurous’ option. Lerwick is the only town in the Shetland islands, and it is home to about a third of the entire population of the islands.