We have been working to develop stronger partnerships for delivery of our dementia work so that more people become aware of sensory deprivation and what can be done to help. We have delivered sessions in Alzheimers cafes and direct to groups of people with dementia in residential homes. Our stage two bid to the Lottery is still being assessed.
We have also commenced collecting items that can be used as a Dementia Library - the intention is to fill it with resources other can borrow for activities sessions. Only available on the Isle of Wight at present and the drums are proving to be the most popular.
Adults
The Wolf Medicine programme is going from strength to strength. With the help of two small grants we have been able to expand delivery to a group of 16 people in recovery in Southampton and we are currently setting up another programme in Portsmouth.
In January we will be speaking at a national conference on the programme and in June 2018 we are presenting at an international conference with delegates from all over the world.
Children
The Kindness programme in Southampton is going well. To date we have worked with nearly 700 primary school children and they have been a total delight.
We have been assessing the level of their self esteem before and after taking part. The results thus far suggest those with the lowest self esteem make the most significant change. They are also likely to be the children who believe they are a failure and far less able than their peers.
Seems learning that each and every one of us is individual and unique goes some way to helping them value their own way of being.
Families
The community book - Legends of the Isle of Wight for Children has been published in draft format. We have been running workshops on each of the legends for families to get feedback on the final publication in December. .
One of the challenges has been the disappearance of the fairy doors and nature caches. So we have invested in sturdier resources. Plans are already underway for a sequel.
We were awarded a grant to create a Tree Theatre so we had a family Tree messaging day. Trees were planted with messages of hope for the future in their roots.
