Dementia Support East Sussex

Aim

To reach out to as many people as possible living with dementia in our local community and bring the power of music/human connection to them

WHAT WE DO

We take structured and interactive singing, activity and craft sessions into community day care centres and dedicated care homes supporting those living with dementia and offering respite opportunities for carers.  From very small beginnings, as a not for profit organisation back in July 2014, we have expanded from one session per week in Bexhill to at least 30 sessions per month, sometimes more.  Our sessions take place in many care homes and day care centres throughout East Sussex but we are hoping to expand to the whole of Sussex, funding dependant. 

Our interactive singing, craft and movement sessions are unique in the fact that we approach every individual and make sure that everyone feels relaxed and at ease with permission and advice always taken from the care staff. We get to know our clients, have a real connection with them and make sure that we know the names of each and everyone one of them, there is no-one left out. 

For maximum therapeutic benefit our session programmes are uniquely designed and structured to involve all the senes and produce the greatest level of response from interaction. We regularly see some who have arrived silent and less communicative become animated, talkative and sociable. Others appearing sad or depressed immediately show signs of happiness and even those less mobile become more physically active. We know that stimulation is essential for the self esteem, well being and sense of purpose for those touched by dementia and singing and interaction is the perfect therapy. 

OUR MISSION AND AIMS

Our mission is to support, bring joy, laughter, a sense of still belonging, a chance to reminisce, a sense of community and a moment of respite for carers.  We will never tire of seeing them come alive, smiling, dancing, chatting, tapping a foot, mouthing words and laughing. 

Our aims are to help those living with this very cruel condition to still feel that there is a life worth living, that they are are still important and that they have not been forgotten.  We want to reach out to as many people as we possibly can in our area to bring the wonder of music to them as we know it can soothe, stimulate and bring to mind long forgotten memories!  

OUR SESSIONS

We vary our sessions so that we include many different types of music, month to month.  One month might be Musicals many of the old ones being their favourites, then Vera Lynn, Ocean Antics with songs all about the sea and sailors, Places which takes us all over the world, Spring with songs of flowers, sunshine and new beginnings, 60’s, Elvis the list goes on.  

As we get to know all our clients so well we can tailor our sessions to meet the needs of each centre.  And we don’t just stand at the front and sing, we move around the room including everyone and making a connection with even the most withdrawn clients.  Each session we will use props to help with stimulation whether it be everyone in cowboy hats, flower garlands, crazy glasses, fun sparkly headbands sometimes using props that have been made in our craft sessions.  

Of course as the pandemic took hold we had to adapt our services considerably.  Initially, we removed the use of props but when the lockdowns began we had to adapt again. In the early stages of lockdown we set up our own YouTube channel and recorded some sessions and put them on the site for our clients to use.  We had some wonderful feedback from clients families around the County saying how much they were helping. We then began to run many Zoom sessions, Garden sessions and Chat and Sing sessions over the phone or online.  All of these were very successful and we managed to retain a wonderful relationship with many of our clients. 

We also managed to lead some craft sessions over Zoom with clients providing the materials themselves so that they could complete a craft session at home.  We are now slowly returning to many of our homes / centres and month by month reintroducing props, crafts etc.

 It has been wonderful to return to our centres / homes as we know over the last 18 months many of our clients have felt isolated, anxious, frightened, confused and lonely so, to be able to bring a little joy back into their lives has been an honour. 

Before the pandemic struck we were reaching out to up to 1000 local people living with dementia.  Numbers have understandably dropped since the pandemic but we are hoping to be able to reach out to more Care Homes and Day Care Centres once we have secured further funding. Dementia is rapidly becoming the health and social care challenge of the 21st century, especially with the added pressure of the pandemic, so we want to help as much as we can.

TESTIMONIALS

We believe that the success of any organisation is the reaction you get from the people you are connecting with, so please see below for many testimonials from clients and members of our local community. 

Debbie Peaford, Parish Councillor of Wadhurst

They were absolutely amazing. A Vera Lynn theme; aside from having an amazing voice, they had each and every person regardless of their stage of life engaged. An extremely. clever engagement method. Everyone, singing, dancing, waving flags, shaking different items. She had one man in a wheel chair, lift himself up and start dancing to the delight of his wife, who had visited him at the time of the event.

SISTER BONNIE, AUGUSTINIAN CARE, St George’s Park, Ditchling

I thank you, and give praise for your work. Unlike many visiting entertainers, where maintaining resident interest is a problem, DSES unique sessions of interactive song, dance and movement brings our residents alive, and is truly inspirational and stimulating. They speak directly to each and every one, making them feel special. Their prodigious talent, and beautiful singing, is greatly appreciated by us all.

Pam Doodes, Former Chair of Wealden District Council

It is customary for a newly elected Chairman of Wealden District Council to select a charity to support and promote during the term of office. I had no hesitation; the choice for me was obvious. I was delighted to be able to promote Dementia Support East Sussex. (DSES)

It has been a joy to see the charity grow, to watch first-hand their amazing work and dedication to their mission, and to witness the difference they make to those living with dementia in our District. Dementia is a growing problem so the work of DSES has proved to be invaluable to not only those living with dementia, also those who care for them. Watching DSES communicate through song, dance, arts & crafts is extremely moving. One cannot help but be affected by their kindness, enthusiasm and professionalism as they strive to improve the lives of those people they love to serve.

Like us all, DSES faced challenges through lockdown but, with sheer dedication and hard work they continued to spread joy and laughter. During the summer months, when it was impossible to meet inside, they adapted by taking their sessions out to gardens and green spaces.

These sessions not only entertained the people they visited, on one occasion a neighbour climbed a ladder to join in over the fence. Their sessions, which included a special Birthday Party to celebrate Captain Tom’s 100th birthday delivered much needed laughter and escapism not only to dementia sufferers, also those caring for them.

As summer turned to autumn DSES adapted again by delivering their activities on line. Their popular Zoom sessions offer music and movement, Create and Chat sessions, and now they are delivering 1-1 calls/online sessions to offer a familiar voice to those who are really missing the social interaction in these difficult times.

DSES make a real difference to our community and I am extremely proud to support them.

Wendy Coleman, Manager TN22 Plus Club (Engage)

We first met Suzanne, along with Cliff Slack the founder of DSES, over 4 years ago in November 2017! Since then, she and her team have carried the torch for Cliff’s dream of bringing music and joy to people with dementia all over East Sussex. Cliff understood that music could very often unlock the ‘prison’ in which people with dementia sometimes feel stuck; Suzanne takes this principle and adds to it warmth, compassion and fun – and the results are pure joy to see. Her energy, vision, kindness and compassion drive DSES and, having been manager of the TN22 Plus Club in Hadlow Down, a fortnightly Activities and Companionship Club for people with mild-to-moderate dementia for over 7 years , I can hand-on-heart say that Suzanne’s sessions are the most well-received of any invited entertainers we have ever had ( and that is saying something as we have had some wonderful, professional contributors in the past). Suzanne’s professional approach and musicality is first-rate; what makes Suzanne unique is her instinctive understanding of people as individuals, and that people with dementia especially need to be acknowledged and related to as individual adults. She remembers their names, their likes, their quirks and relates to each person with warmth and plenty of eye-contact and never treats them as if they were children; her tone and approach is perfect with each person and she can draw out even the quietest or most reluctant Club member. Yes, Suzanne brings a touch of magic to our sessions that we all – and I include my large team of retiree volunteers in this – blossom and benefit from.

The icing on the cake from all this is that she and her wonderful team make no charge for their musical gifts to us and relay solely on grants and donations to keep DSES running in the way that their founder envisioned. We felt Cliff’s loss when he passed away, but I know how proud he would be of the way Suzanne has not only carried forward, but grown, his work and vision. During this past year of the 2020+ pandemic, Suzanne and her team worked with their clients to deliver ‘garden-singing’ sessions – for us, at ‘TN22 Plus Club’, that meant that she and I spent many a happy hour last summer, all over the Wealden area, singing in our Club members’ gardens, socially distanced of course, come rain or shine! And shine is the word I would like to end on– Suzanne often ends her session with Morecambe and Wise’s ‘Bring me Sunshine’; she absolutely does – long may it continue.

And from some of our Happy Havens clients in Peacehaven/Newhaven
“We love it when Suzanne and Helen come and see us, it’s lots of fun” - Christine
“I love it when they sing Elvis, he’s my favourite. They even have an Elvis wig” -Frank
“They are just wonderful and make me feel better” - Sid
“I want them to come every week” - John
“I like getting up to dance to the Twist” - Anne

FUNDING

We need to raise funds so that we can support all our current clients. We also want to have the opportunity to reach out to as many new areas/homes/centres as we possibly can after what has been a very uncertain, confusing and upsetting 18 months for all those living with dementia.

This project successfully funded on 7th December 2021