Would you like to help raise awareness of dementia? Help reduce stigma Help support people to live well with dementia Help to promote the positive messages around dementia

This is a Dementia Community Dog We now have our very own Dementia Dog in Gloucestershire, and he needs your help...

He needs YOU to design him a bright new bandana which he can wear when working!

Think about the following: Reducing stigma and raising positive attitude about dementia How dementia is not a natural part of ageing How it is possible to live well with dementia How we can all support people living with dementia Colour and contrast to support the changing brain of those living with dementia

Case Studies of Work with the Dementia Community Dog Objectives of the Dog’s work are to help people with dementia: Improve their confidence Increase their independence Enhance their wellbeing Achieve their existing therapy goals

CASE STUDY 1 Georgie and her handler are currently working with a lady that has early onset of dementia. She was diagnosed quite recently and is very aware of her diagnosis. She lives in a small village on her own and has recently been told she wasn’t allowed to drive anymore. Although she has a friend that takes her shopping once a week, she was worried she would become socially isolated, so her goals are mostly focused around increasing her independence and building up her social network. The lady was quite keen on using the bus but hadn’t done so in over 40 years and was a bit worried about this. We had our first visit last week and did a bus trip to a local town. Having Georgie there helped her stay relaxed and took some of the focus away from the journey. The lady also showed some interest in volunteering at a charity shop near the bus stop as she thought it would be a good way to stay active in the community and it was easy for her to get to on the bus. Over the next few weeks we will be looking at the lady travelling independently on the bus and we are also planning on introducing her to a local reading group which she could attend by using the same bus route we are working on.

CASE STUDY 2 Another lady working with our county dog is a little further progressed in her dementia. She is a lady that has always been very proud of her appearance but, recently, has lost her motivation to get dressed and ready for the day ahead. She also doesn’t particularly enjoy socialising and/or meeting people and visitors. Our goal was to get her dressed for occasions using Georgie as a motivator for this. The lady has previously owned dogs and is very fond of dogs although did initially struggle to remember Georgie between visits. During our first visit we spent a little time grooming Georgie and brushing teeth, talking about the importance of self- care, etc. The daughter took some photos of this which helped remind the her mother between sessions. However, we found that meeting the lady outside her home was a better motivator for her to get dressed so we started to arrange visits at local cafes and points of interest. Although she can’t remember exact details of our visits, she has started to remember certain activities from the previous week (such as making a dog toy for Georgie, etc) and her daughter has fed back that her mother is much more inclined to get ready when she knows she is meeting Georgie.

What we need you to do… Design a dog bandana on the template provided Submit your entry either electronically, or in hard copy, by Friday 7th June The winner will have their bandana printed and produced for a dog to wear Winners will be chosen from each of the Key Stages 2, 3 and 4. They will be announced on Friday 28th June 2019 Entries will be judged by Margaret Willcox, Director of Adult Social Care, Gloucestershire County Council

Good Luck and Thank You!