Still Me (Dementia & life-altering conditions)

COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) UPDATE

In every action we take and with every decision we make, the safety of our participants, carers, staff members and the wider community is of the upmost importance to us and will always remain our priority.

In light of the recent government announcements and advice regarding COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily halt our Magna Vitae Community Projects and stop the following sessions across East Lindsey: Still Me, CHAPS Breakfast Club, CHAPS Sporting Memories and Fitness, Food and Friends.

We understand that this is a challenging, and potentially isolating, time for many, and whilst we will not be running our regular face to face sessions, we are determined to continue supporting our community and providing a source of advice, activities, information and entertainment to keep us all connected, active and positive through the weeks ahead.

Our team have pulled together and created a number of cooking lessons, exercise sessions, dance demos and nutrition bites for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home, so please keep checking our social media channels for updates, pass our information on to your loved ones where possible and take care of each other.

Still Me

The award winning Still Me Dementia support project, funded by Louth and District Hospice Limited, delivers free social activity sessions aimed at improving the experiences of those affected by Dementia and other life-altering conditions.

These popular sessions, which have been enjoyed by over 350 individuals since November 2016, include a healthy dose of tea, biscuits and laughter, alongside a variety of accessible cultural and physical activities, ranging from new-age kurling and seasonal crafts, to singing and seated exercise!

Sessions in a town near you!

Would you or someone you know benefit from support to take part in gentle exercise, dance, singing sessions, health walks, swimming and other social activities to improve quality of life?

Find a full list of our regular sessions below, pick one that suits you and come along!

If you wish to speak to someone before attending, our friendly Community Lifestyle Consultant, Lizzie, will be more than happy to chat with you. Lizzie’s details can be found at the bottom of this page.

Our Magna Vitae Community Team

Tracey

Tracey is the Lifestyle and Partnerships lead for Magna Vitae and has delivered and co-ordinated health improvement programmes for over 9 years. Tracey is passionate about nutrition, exercise and wellbeing and is motivated by empowering people who would otherwise not be active.

“There are a whole host of individuals out there who, for one reason or another, live quite isolated lives. Through our projects they can relax – it’s about being normal again. Our ‘Still Me’ sessions also provide a chance for carers and relatives to connect, which is vitally important.”

Lizzie

Since graduating from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts with a BA (Hons) degree in Community Drama, Lizzie has used theatre as a tool to engage diverse communities in a range of settings, including prisons, schools and care homes. Lizzie facilitates our ‘Still Me’ and ‘CHAPS’ sessions, delivering cultural activities and events (and making lovely cuppas!).

“There is nothing more rewarding than watching a group of people find joy in an activity that makes them feel like them again. So many of our participants find day-to-day life a struggle, so to play a part in them having a release is a huge honour.”

Erica

Erica graduated from Staffordshire University with a BA (Hons) Degree in Sports Development and Coaching, and worked for Stoke City as part of their community trust. Erica facilitates ‘Still Me’ and Fitness, Food and Friends, using her passion for sports to deliver accessible fitness activities for all.

“I always aim to empower our participants and ensure there are no barriers to them enjoying fitness activities. Their resilience is inspiring and seeing the positive outcomes that can be reached by working closely with my colleagues and the community is very rewarding.”

Marko

Marko studied Food Technology at university then worked in a food chemical and micro lab, where his interests in the benefits of nutrition, and how food can help people live better, grew. Marko worked for Food for Life with East Lindsey District Council before joining Magna Vitae, where he delivers our ‘Fitness, Food and Friends’ project.

“My role allows me to meet a great diversity of people, listen to their stories and see the big difference our projects make to their lives. My own life experiences have helped me to identify with these different people and to better understand the issues they may be facing.”

What our participants had to say 

“Thanks for sticking with me today. You’ve brought me out of myself, I haven’t laughed so much in a long time”

“(When asked what Still Me means to you) That I am still fine”

“This session has been a breath of fresh air, I’ve laughed more in the past two sessions than I have in two years”

” I cannot believe it’s been two years. These sessions have helped me loads, such as how to handle things. When I got diagnosed with Alzheimers I felt embarrassed when I couldn’t string a sentence together. These sessions make me feel comfortable talking because everyone is in the same boat. Thank you girls, you do a fantastic job. I can’t thank you enough”

” It’s given me my life back. It means life is good again”

“We can be ourselves and have fun with the nice people from Magna Vitae who organise lots of good activities for us all”

“(When asked what Still Me means to you) That I am still Carol and I can still enjoy everything they organise”

David’s Story

As a professional, David Hampton travelled the world as an electro-mechanical engineer for world-leading companies. Long hours of travelling, and the stress that David admits he put himself under at times, may well have contributed to health issues in later life and the onset of vascular dementia, with which he is now living.

David, now 76, recalls a particular incident during one of many long waits at airports around the globe.

“I was sitting in a large airport and had the sudden realisation that I did not have a clue what was going on around me. I was told by medical professionals afterwards that I had probably suffered one of a number of mini-strokes at that time, but of course I was not aware of that,” remembered David.

While strokes are not the only cause of vascular dementia, its onset is certainly linked and that is what happened to David, with a diagnosis made around two years ago. Married to Shirley-Ann and living in Skegness, David faced a new battle with his health. But, with the support of others, it is a battle he knows he is coming to terms with.

“When your life changes you must realise that you are now living a different life and people around you have to realise what is going on and the help you now need,” said David.

David is one of a whole host of people with life-limiting illnesses, along with their friends and carers, who have joined special Still Me sessions across East Lindsey.

Key contacts

To find out more about our Still Me project, please contact a member of our Community Team

T: 01507 681811 | 07500020193

E: elizabeth.atkin@mvtlc.org

Our Highlights 

Winning the Dementia

In 2019, our Still Me project team headed to London to proudly accept their award as the winners of the ‘Championing Diversity’ category at the DFAs!

 

‘Mirth and Me’ in partnership with Big Difference Company.

‘Mirth and me’ was a two week travelling project delivering light-hearted interactive comedy sessions which  offered a fun way to bring back memories and engage with people affected by Dementia.

  The Big Game (Dementia Friendly Sports Days)

The Big Game is our annual Dementia friendly sports day. The sports day includes: New Aged Kurling, Welly Wanging, Foam Javelin and Egg & Spoon races, trophies, medals, certificates and PRIZES for all including Best Dressed, Top Teammate & Selective Hearing Award. The event is a chance to get to know the Still Me team, meet representatives from local dementia support services and have loads of fun!

The Big Game 2017 had 49 participants take part … The Big Game 2018 had 62 participants take part … The Big Game 2019 had 74 participants take part!

Tea Dance

In both 2017 and 2018 we held a Tea Dance for participants of our project to enjoy. Our Tea dances included lots of food, dancing and laughing!

 

Still Me is Two!

In November 2018 we held a birthday party to celebrate our project being two! The party, held at Alford Manor House included an afternoon tea and a band to dance away to.

David’s Story

As a professional, David Hampton travelled the world as an electromechanical engineer for world-leading companies. Long hours of travelling and the stress that David admits he put himself under at times may well have contributed to health issues in later life and the onset of vascular dementia, with which he is now living.

David, now 76 recalls a particular incident, during one of many long waits at airports around the globe.

“I was sitting in a large airport and had the sudden realisation that I did not have a clue what was going on around me. I was told by medical professionals afterwards that I had probably suffered one of a number of mini-strokes at that time, but of course I was not aware of that,” remembered David.

While strokes are not the only cause of vascular dementia, its onset is certainly linked and that is what happened to David, with a diagnosis made around two years ago. Married to Shirley-Ann and living in Skegness, David faced a new battle with his health. But, with the support of others, it is a battle he knows he is coming to terms with.

“When your life changes you must realise that you are now living a different life and people around you have to realise what is going on and the help you now need,” said David.

David is one of a whole host of people with life-limiting illness, along with friends and carers, who have joined special Still Me sessions in East Lindsey.