Thursday 11 July 2019, saw the official launch of the newest location for the innovative Southampton Living Well service.

Social Care in Action, a local charity working to support people to live independent lives across the south of England, has joined forces with Age UK Southampton to develop and run the service commissioned by Southampton City Council.

Following a campaign in the local area earlier this year for new premises we were delighted to welcome invited guests to Southampton Living Well Chamberlayne, based in Chamberlayne Leisure Centre, run by Active Nation, a fellow charity in Southampton.

Our guests included Caroline Dinenage, Minister of State for Care and MP for Gosport, Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, Cllr Blatchford, Cllr Payne and Cllr Filker from Southampton, and Trustees and staff members from Social Care in Action, Age UK Southampton and members of local community organisations and groups.

Caroline Dinenage, Minister of State for Care said: ‘“Living longer is something to be celebrated but as our population ages it’s vital we support people to remain healthy and happy. This is a key aim of our Ageing Society Grand Challenge, but can’t be achieved by government alone.

“This innovative partnership from Social Care in Action and Age UK is making this possible and I was touched to hear how much people like Valerie value it. Fun and flexible activities help people stay active and connected, tackling the loneliness that affects too many people in our society.”

Valerie, one of the people who regularly attends Southampton Living Well Chamberlayne also said: ‘I love every one of these people, I love the staff, this is my life. I love this place very much’.

Caroline Dinenage Minister of State for Care and other invited guests took the opportunity to take part in a range of innovative therapeutic activities that are offered as part of the support Southampton Living Well gives to older people in the city and those living with dementia.

Our physical activity session was a big hit, with games of tennis for some of our older people. We have great success here at Southampton Living Well in improving mobility and physical strength for those we support. We have recently seen a couple of people who previously used wheelchairs to get about able to walk increasingly longer distances without aid.

Intergenerational therapy, and music therapy have hit the headlines recently showing the improvements they can give to quality of life for people living with dementia. We have fully embraced this here in Southampton and regularly have children’s music groups attend our services.

Southampton Living Well launched in April 2018 as a new offer for older people in our city. Historically, support for older people has been via a traditional day centre model, with a number of centres across Southampton offering shelter, lunches and low key activities for the city’s older population. This new service offers innovative activity sessions and day trips with proven benefits to people living with dementia and other conditions associated with old age. The more holistic approach to supporting people in later life has the ultimate aim of increasing health and wellbeing and reducing loneliness and isolation.

We know that the older population across the city is growing rapidly, people are living for longer, with more complex health needs and less access to traditional models of family support and care. We know that by focusing on reducing loneliness, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and enjoying activities that are of interest to the individual, people are able to stay living independently in their communities for longer. Which is what people tell us they want.

Southampton Living Well brings together community organisations from across our city, working together to make life more meaningful and relevant to our older population. We have a range of activities and groups on offer, from day trips to local places of interest such as beaches and cafes, to intergenerational music sessions with local pre-school children. We also offer a range of exercise options to maintain health for as long as possible, from seated exercise for those with mobility problems to gentle trampolining for our more adventurous visitors, and a range of other activities in between.

Dan Freshwater, CEO of Social Care in Action said: ‘We are proud to have been at the forefront of this new service for the people of Southampton. Our ageing population, who are living longer and with more complex health needs than ever before, deserve to benefit from the latest research and therapies out there in order to maintain their chosen lifestyle. It is through the hard work and determination and experience of staff that we have been able to transform the day centre model to one offering proven therapies, activities and health support, keeping people in their communities.’

Peter Bennie, Chief Officer of Age UK Southampton said: ‘Over the past year we have seen many organisations come together across our city to focus on each individual and what best inspires and suits them. Our experience in listening to what older people want, and our connections across the city have allowed us to play a pivotal role in facilitating and delivering Southampton Living Well’.

If you are interested in finding out more about Southampton Living Well or coming along to find out for yourself please contact Matthew Gwynn on 023 8051 6021 or email hello@southamptonlivingwell.org.uk

Minister to attend official opening of new venue for Southampton Living Well.

Thursday 11 July 2019, sees the official launch of the newest location for the innovative Southampton Living Well service.

Social Care in Action, a local charity working to support people to live independent lives across the south of England, has joined forces with Age UK Southampton to develop and run the service commissioned by Southampton City Council.

Following a campaign in the local area earlier this year we are delighted to welcome invited guests to Southampton Living Well Chamberlayne, based in Chamberlayne Leisure Centre, run by Active Nation, a fellow charity in Southampton.

Our official opening will see us welcome Caroline Dinenage, Minister of State for Care and MP for Gosport, along for the day. We will also be bringing together many of the people who have been supported by the Southampton Living Well service for the past year, along with other local community groups and organisations that run sessions as part of the service and members of Southampton City Council who commissioned the service.

There will be several activity zones demonstrating our innovative offer for the older people we support, including intergenerational music therapy, sensory therapies, animal therapies and an activity zone including trampolining.

Our guests will be have the opportunity to talk to some of the people who regularly attend Southampton Living Well activity sessions across our city.

Southampton Living Well launched in April 2018 as a new offer for older people in our city. Historically, support for older people has been via a traditional day centre model, with a number of centres across Southampton offering shelter, lunches and low key activities for the city’s older population. This new service offers innovative activity sessions and day trips with proven benefits to people living with dementia and other conditions associated with old age. The more holistic approach to supporting people in later life has the ultimate aim of increasing health and wellbeing and reducing loneliness and isolation.

We know that the older population across the city is growing rapidly, people are living for longer, with more complex health needs and less access to traditional models of family support and care. We know that by focusing on reducing loneliness, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and enjoying activities that are of interest to the individual, people are able to stay living independently in their communities for longer. Which is what people tell us they want.

Southampton Living Well brings together community organisations from across our city, working together to make life more meaningful and relevant to our older population. We have a range of activities and groups on offer, from day trips to local places of interest such as beaches and cafes, to intergenerational music sessions with local pre-school children. We also offer a range of exercise options to maintain health for as long as possible, from seated exercise for those with mobility problems to gentle trampolining for our more adventurous visitors, and a range of other activities in between.

Dan Freshwater, CEO of Social Care in Action said: ‘We are proud to have been at the forefront of this new service for the people of Southampton. Our ageing population, who are living longer and with more complex health needs than ever before, deserve to benefit from the latest research and therapies out there in order to maintain their chosen lifestyle. It is through the hard work and determination and experience of staff that we have been able to transform the day centre model to one offering proven therapies, activities and health support, keeping people in their communities.’

Peter Bennie, Chief Officer of Age UK Southampton said: ‘Over the past year we have seen many organisations come together across our city to focus on each individual and what best inspires and suits them. Our experience in listening to what older people want, and our connections across the city have allowed us to play a pivotal role in facilitating and delivering Southampton Living Well’.

If you are interested in finding out more about Southampton Living Well or coming along to find out for yourself please contact Matthew Gwynn on 023 8051 6021 or email hello@southamptonlivingwell.org.uk

We are delighted to announce that the former Southampton Living Well hub run from Holy Family Church in Millbrook, Southampton has relocated to the newly refurbished Oaklands Community Hub in Coxford, Southampton.

Southampton Living Well is a service for older people living in Southampton who are frail, elderly or living with Dementia. The service is run by local charitable social enterprise Social Care in Action, in partnership with Age UK Southampton.

This new service provides a range of community hubs across the city of Southampton so that everyone wishing to use the service can easily access it. There is a wide range of activities that take place throughout the day, from gentle physical exercise, to activities to help with wellbeing and trips out. All activities are centred around the needs of the people that are visiting on any given day.

The service had outgrown the previous location and new premises were sought to enable more people to attend. We were delighted to find the newly refurbished Oaklands Community Hub run by Oaklands Community Pool Limited, another charitable organisation in Southampton. Oaklands Community Hub has excellent facilities including use of a kitchen and is fully accessible for those with mobility issues.

Alison Fisher, Day Opportunities Manager for SCA Care said ‘We are delighted to be relocating our Southampton Living Well hub in this part of the city to the Oaklands Community Hub. We have worked hard to move everything across and are looking forward to using facilities that we didn’t have access to before such as a kitchen. Of course, it is even better to be helping other local charities at the same time’.

Dan Lally, Contracts Manager for Oaklands Community Pool said “This is an excellent new venture for both of our organisations. Having recently refurbished the Hub it is exciting to have this amazing service operating from our premises! I very much look forward to working alongside Alison and all the team for many years.”

For more information on the Southampton Living Well service please contact Alison Fisher on 07384 461 727.

To enquire about booking Oaklands Community Hub call 023 8073 3496.

SCA Care and Age UK Southampton have come together to change the way day services for older people across Southampton are delivered. The traditional model of day centres, offering cups of tea and craft activities from an armchair are set to become a thing of the past.

The new service, named ‘Southampton Living Well’ aims to reach a wide range of people with different life experiences and interests. On offer will be day trips to local places of interest, or trips further afield such as to the beach in fine weather. Visits to special interest groups and sports grounds to watch local teams compete are also up and running. All these are activities that people in Southampton have said they would like to keep on doing, despite the health complications of older age.

In addition to taking people out and about in the local area, a new network of community hubs is being created. These hubs will offer bespoke activities and visitors tailored to the interests of those attending on any particular day. A hot lunch, refreshments and door-to-door transport is also available. 

Fiona Hardie, Head of Business Development, Social Care in Action, said ‘We are desperately in need of a space in the Bitterne/Thornhill area of Southampton to set up a new community hub. Our previous hub in this area can no longer be used and at the moment we are running two hubs from one location, meaning we can’t support as many people as we would like to. We are looking for something the size of a large community room, that is fully wheelchair accessible, preferably with access to a kitchen so we can provide refreshments. Outside space so we can enjoy the warmer weather when it arrives would be a bonus.’

This new way of working to support people to live a meaningful life well into older age draws on the extensive experience of both organisations, and places individuals and communities at the heart of the offer, recognising that as we grow older our expectations and enthusiasm for life don’t change.

Ricky Rossiter, Director of Integrated Services for SCA Care said: ‘I am delighted to see that all our hard work and planning over the past 12 months has come together to provide opportunities for older people in Southampton that we would all want to make use of. By providing exciting day trips and meaningful opportunities we know that improved mental wellbeing and new friendships along with the support of our Community Enablers will mean older adults across the city will be at lower risk of ill health, and less likely to need admission to hospital.’

Peter Bennie, Chief Officer at Age UK Southampton said ‘We are delighted to be working in partnership with SCA Care to make a real change to the way that older people are supported to live their life in Southampton. We recognise this as a real opportunity to pool our expertise and for older people to enjoy the benefits of linking the Southampton Living Well service with our wider range of support. There will also be exciting ways for people to volunteer in the service where they can learn new skills whilst making a difference in their local community.’

If anyone is interested in finding out more about this new service, or has information about premises that may be useful, then please call our team on 023 8060 1245 or email hello@southamptonlivingwell.org.uk.

Of course, cups of tea and a friendly chat will always remain available, no matter what the activity!

Wednesday 19 December saw all our day opportunities centres come together for a Christmas meal and celebration.

We support approximately 120 older people across Southampton and Lyndhurst to attend our day opportunities, where adults who are frail, or living with dementia can come together for a few hours a day to participate in activities and receive support to stay living independently at home. We offer them the opportunity to make new friends, have a hot cooked meal and participate in activities of their choosing from jigsaws and crafts, to walking football and trips out to the beach.

To celebrate the end of another fantastic year of opportunities delivered we held a Christmas lunch and entertainment for 80 of our regular attendees.

Eric, Day Opportunities attendee at Oak Lodge said: ‘I had a great time, since losing my wife I still have somewhere to go and meet people.’

June, Day Opportunities attendee at Oak Lodge said: ‘Isn’t it lovely seeing everyone together?’

As this was the last Day Opportunities session before Christmas for many of those who attended, we took the time to distribute the food and gifts that had kindly been donated by customers at Asda Eastleigh.

We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of shoppers at Asda Eastleigh. Monday 19 November saw the launch of our trolley requesting food and clothing for the people we support via our SCA Care organisation at Christmas time.

We received over 1,000 donations that took a couple of bus trips in our trusty dial-a-ride bus to bring back to HQ for sorting before distributing to those in need via our Day Opportunities and Extra Care schemes.

Staff at HQ with the food donated this Christmas by the shoppers at Asda Eastleigh

We know that these donations will make a real difference to those we support, at what can be a difficult time of year for those most in need. Soup, Christmas food, warm hats and gloves were among the items distributed on Wednesday 19 December to the older people we support in Southampton and the surrounding areas.

Southampton-based charity Social Care in Action is delighted to have been awarded £987.17 from the Asda Foundation’s Local Impact Grant, which will be used to purchase equipment for its day opportunities hubs to help improve both mental and physical wellbeing of the people it supports in the local community.

People come to day opportunities for a range of reasons. Most people who come are elderly and frail, many of whom also live with dementia. When they come to visit us they are given the opportunity to try new activities, including reminiscence activities and exercises to remain as fit and agile as possible. Social Care in Action offers a door to door transport service via a fleet of accessible minibuses, and hot meals and snacks throughout the day are on offer as well.

The money generously donated via the Asda Foundation’s Local Impact Grant will enable staff to provide a broader range of activities. Items that will be purchased include: reminiscence packs and CDs of music and events from the 1950s and 60s, along with a range of companion puppies (robots that look, feel and act like snoozing puppies), which have been proven to reduce agitation and provide focus and tranquility for people living with dementia.

Matthew Gwynn, Fundraising Officer for Social Care in Action said: ‘We are really pleased that Asda have chosen to support us in this way via their Local Impact Grant. We make a real difference each and every day to the lives of the people who come to our hubs, and this grant will ensure we use the latest tools, activities and research to make the biggest difference in the local community that we can.’

Debbie Wilson, the Community Champion for Asda Eastleigh, came to visit Social Care in Action on 23 October to present the cheque.

The theme for this year’s libraries week was wellbeing, showcasing how Cobbett Hub & Library brings the community together, to combat loneliness, provide a space for reading and creativity and support people with their mental health.

At the start of the week, Cobbett opened its doors to the community by holding a Wellness Recovery Action Planning Workshop (WRAP). The workshop helped people to understand and plan their wellness in a fun, creative way. They discovered what they like to do when they are well, as well as recognising triggers and early warning signs that may affect the way they cope with things on a day to day basis. Wendy Lee, Head of Health and Wellbeing said “Participants who attended the WRAP session were from all walks of life and were interested in ways to improve their health and wellbeing. This session provided an overview, and one participant is going to come back to the library to work on building her WRAP to improve her wellbeing.  Support is open to others who want to find out about WRAP or to compile their own WRAP.”

Southampton Healthy Living practitioners came to Cobbett on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, to provide free mini NHS health checks.

Cobbett also welcomed Steps to Wellbeing who were offering counselling appointments. These sessions give people time and space to talk about any troubles and to explore difficult feelings, to help bring about effective change in their life, or improve their wellbeing.

Friendships can have a major impact on a person’s wellbeing and our weekly art group welcomed new members during libraries week. The group get together every Monday and Wednesday and is a fun way to meet new people within the community and allows people to get creative.

Regulars of the library also continued to use the space to socialise and enjoy a game of chess.

The activities didn’t stop during the evening, the sound healing class that runs every other week on a Thursday evening at Cobbett was on, helping people to relax and refresh.

We’re proud that Cobbett plays a vital part for its community through offering a safe space for people to meet, enjoy free weekly activities and offers a range of facilities and support. To find out more about our regular activities visit cobbetthub.co.uk.

We held our AGM and Staff Awards Presentation on Wednesday 10 October 2018 at the Royal Victoria Country Park, Southampton.

Les Judd, Chair of Trustees for Social Care in Action Group, began the AGM with a positive round up of the events from the past year. This included a special thank you to all the staff that kept the services running during the prolonged bad weather last year, and those that went out to visit customers in their own homes when usually they would come to our centres. Les said ‘We don’t just go the extra mile, we go the extra 10 miles, sometimes quite literally!’

Dan Freshwater, CEO for Social Care in Action Group then spoke about his passion and commitment to lead and develop Social Care in Action Group to be fit for the future. Dan continued by saying he would like to welcome ideas on how services should be run and developed from all members of staff, he’s hoping that with over 250 staff that should mean a lot of ideas!

We then welcomed David Lane, CEO Development for Social Enterprise, CIC who spoke about why he believes that social enterprise is the future of business. We are grateful to David for taking the time to come and talk to us.

Next up was the Annual Staff Awards. This is our chance to thank our staff for all that they do – they really are the heart of Social Care in Action and we couldn’t make the difference that we do every day without them. We received a great number of nominations and the winners were:

Ann Hunt – Volunteer of the Year. Ann has been volunteering in one of our Day Opportunities Centres for over 10 years, consistently putting our customers at the heart of everything she does. Thank you!

[Read more…] about Celebrating success at Social Care in Action Group

Today staff and the people we support through day opportunities came together to celebrate and thank our long serving Freemantle Day Opportunities Manager, Niki Turner.

Niki has been part of the Social Care in Action team for the past 19 years helping us to support vulnerable people within our communities. Having started her career with Social Care in Action in 1999 as a Bank Care Worker, Niki progressed throughout her career to Freemantle Day Opportunities Manger. Niki played a key role going above and beyond to organise group activities with our other centres, allowing the people we support to meet new people within their community. Niki also organised a Christmas party to bring together the people who we support who were spending Christmas alone. Through Niki’s outstanding work she has supported us in helping people to live the life they want, in the way they want.

Alison Fisher, Day Opportunities Manager said “Thank you Niki for your dedication and commitment to the people we support over the 19 years that you have worked for Social Care in Action.  It has been a pleasure to work with you over the last 18 months and more so in the last year, especially with all the outings and group events you have been organising.  You will be sorely missed by the people we support and the staff, I wish you all the best for the future.”

To celebrate Niki’s time at Social Care in Action, the SCA day opportunities centres came together at AFC Totton where she was presented with flowers.