Early Intervention for Young Carers Support Teams ...

Happy Days Publishing

Creative Writing & Drawing Interactive Activity Pages

for Support Workers working with Young Carers or Students

Write ~ Draw ~ Talk

Choose follow-on sequence or individual pages

1. 1  Introductions / Guides & Tips / Assessment Framework
2. 2  About Me
3. 3  Who Can Help Me ?
4. 4  Identify Feelings
5. 5  Identify Needs
6. 6  Dealing with Issues: Bullying / Exams / Peer Pressure
7. 7  Recognise Change
8. 8  Reconstruction / Motivation / Goals
9. 9  Achievement / Self-Care

Also Available:

Specified Issues / Templates / Feed-back Forms 

Please phone to discuss requirements, a visit or samples; Gillian Hesketh

at www.happydayspublishing.co.uk or email happydayspublishing@yahoo.co.uk

HAPPY DAYS PUBLISHING LTD. CWIP 1/3/2012 © All rights reserved. This document may not be copied in whole or part by any other person without express permission of Happy Days Publishing Ltd. www.happydayspublishing.co.uk

Interactive Activity Pages for Carers Centres and Schools

Interactive Activity Pages to help identify broader needs of children, young people and adults can be a custom designed collection, hard-back, ring-ring bound and licensed to photo-copy to suit the specific requirements of your School, Carers Centre or Charity; age-group / social concern / colour scheme and include your own logo.
Gillian

Children who care ...

Good Afternoon everyone,
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to display Happy Days Interactive Activity Pages and associated products to members of the caring services who support young carers. Chief Officer, Michelle Smith of The Blackpool Carers Centre, presented the 'Children Who Care' one day conference at the Hilton Hotel, Blackpool.

After two hours sleep, I loaded the car up with Happy Days books, samples and pro to-type products and found myself at 7.30am prompt for what turned out to be an interesting, exciting and fruitful day.

Professor Saul Becker; University of Nottingham, presented his MACA findings and explained the 'how to' and 'how not to' to an absorbed audience which included myself.

I'd like to thank Michelle Smith for the opportunity to share my early intervention resources and to the many people who took the time to view, enquire and consider my resources which help to identify the broader needs of children, young people and adults.

It was truly wonderful to meet everyone and discuss the benefits of the Happy Days Pages, how the simple-to use interactive pages can complement assessment frameworks; how the Happy Days Pages can help to identify broader needs, how the easy-to-follow system can be designed to suit your Care Centre, school or community requirements:

All About Me
My Caring Day
Identify Needs
Identify Feelings
Change and Reconstruction
Motivation and Goals
Achievement
Self Care

* Also available: Bullying / Cyber-bullying / Exam tips / Social issues plus more.
* Pages can be made to suit your request, sensitive issue or social topic.
* Activity Pages and Life Story Jotter for Care Homes.

Please contact me by phone or email if you wish to discuss anything in detail, specific requirements, place an order or book a visit,
Gillian
Gillian Hesketh MA
Happy Days Publishing
www.happydayspublishing.co.uk
Tel: 01253 899163
Mob: 07971 953 620

My Memory Jogger ...

Please email me for further information on the Memory Jogger.
Coming to the website soon.
Gillian

What's the difference between Alzheimer's and Dementia?

Courtesy of Alzheimer's Reading Room - Thanks for the information:

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2010/06/whats-difference-between-alzheimers-and.html

In a nutshell, dementia is a symptom, and AD is the cause of the symptom. When someone is told they have dementia, it means that they have significant memory problems as well as other cognitive difficulties, and that these problems are severe enough to get in the way of daily living.....

Too often, patients and their family members are told by their doctors that the patient has been diagnosed with “a little bit of dementia.” They leave the doctor’s visit with a feeling of relief that at least they don’t have Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 

There is great confusion about the difference between “dementia” and “AD.” The confusion is felt on the part of patients, family members, the media, and even healthcare providers. This article provides information to reduce the confusion by defining and describing these two common and often poorly understood terms. 

Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2010/06/whats-difference-between-alzheimers-and.html

What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia?

“Dementia” is a term that has replaced a more out-of-date word, “senility,” to refer to cognitive changes with advanced age. 

Dementia includes a group of symptoms, the most prominent of which is memory difficulty with additional problems in at least one other area of cognitive functioning, including language, attention, problem solving, spatial skills, judgment, planning, or organization. These cognitive problems are a noticeable change compared to the person’s cognitive functioning earlier in life and are severe enough to get in the way of normal daily living, such as social and occupational activities.

A good analogy to the term dementia is “fever.” Fever refers to an elevated temperature, indicating that a person is sick. But it does not give any information about what is causing the sickness. In the same way, dementia means that there is something wrong with a person’s brain, but it does not provide any information about what is causing the memory or cognitive difficulties. Dementia is not a disease; it is the clinical presentation or symptoms of a disease.

There are many possible causes of dementia. Some causes are reversible, such as certain thyroid conditions or vitamin deficiencies. If these underlying problems are identified and treated, then the dementia reverses and the person can return to normal functioning. 

However, most causes of dementia are not reversible. Rather, they are degenerative diseases of the brain that get worse over time. The most common cause of dementia is AD, accounting for as many as 70-80% of all cases of dementia. 

Approximately 5.3 million Americans currently live with AD. As people get older, the prevalence of AD increases, with approximately 50% of people age 85 and older having the disease. 

It is important to note, however, that although AD is extremely common in later years of life, it is not part of normal aging. For that matter, dementia is not part of normal aging. If someone has dementia (due to whatever underlying cause), it represents an important problem in need of appropriate diagnosis and treatment by a well-trained healthcare provider who specializes in degenerative
diseases.

In a nutshell, dementia is a symptom, and AD is the cause of the symptom. 

When someone is told they have dementia, it means that they have significant memory problems as well as other cognitive difficulties, and that these problems are severe enough to get in the way of daily living. 

Most of the time, dementia is caused by the specific brain disease, AD. However, some uncommon degenerative causes of dementia include vascular dementia (also referred to as multi-infarct dementia), frontotemporal dementia, Lewy Body disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Contrary to what some people may think, dementia is not a less severe problem, with AD being a more severe problem. There is not a continuum with dementia on one side and AD at the extreme. Rather, there can be early or mild stages of AD, which then progress to moderate and severe stages of the disease.

One reason for the confusion about dementia and AD is that it is not possible to diagnose AD with 100% accuracy while someone is alive. Rather, AD can only truly be diagnosed after death, upon autopsy when the brain tissue is carefully examined by a specialized doctor referred to as a neuropathologist. 

During life, a patient can be diagnosed with “probable AD.” This term is used by doctors and researchers to indicate that, based on the person’s symptoms, the course of the symptoms, and the results of various tests, it is very likely that the person will show pathological features of AD when the brain tissue is examined following death. 

In specialty memory clinics and research programs, such as the BU ADC, the accuracy of a probable AD diagnosis can be excellent. And with the results of exciting new research, such as that being conducted at the BU ADC, the accuracy of AD diagnosis during life is getting better and better.

This contribution was made by Dr. Robert Stern, Director of the BU ADC Clinical Core.
Source BU ADC Bulletin

My Personal Jogger ...

The Happy Days Personal Jogger is a place for people to record memories, validate their lives with recollections, photographs, stories, words and images.

Caring for someone who has dementia can often be a demanding experience.

Doing activities together may to help stave off boredom frustrations and challenging behaviour.

My Personal Jogger is designed to help people enjoy reminiscing together by triggering memories, prompting communication and creating conversation.

Great for use in Care Home environments where family, visitors, friends and carers can participate to create a story to pass down to children and grandchildren.

Images coming very soon.

Things To Do Together ~ Communication Prompt Cards

If you care for someone who is finding it difficult to remember everyday things, 

it is sometimes difficult to find things to do together.

Enjoy conversation, interaction and activities together ...

Happy Days Talking and Doing Prompt Cards are designed to encourage communication.

For people with dementia, participating in conversation and activities may help stave off 

boredom, challenging behaviour and frustrations.

A selection of prompts and ideas covering Feeling Good, Health, History, Arts & Crafts, Sport and many more are intended to help the Carer and the person being cared for 

plan and enjoy activities together. 

Card Prompts are laminated for easy wipe clean and longevity.

To purchase packs, see: 

http://happydayspublishing.co.uk

Self Image Packs for Children and Young People

Small things ... Very excited to be putting Happy Days range of products together to supplement resources for Support Workers in Care Homes, Dementia Homes, Domiciliary Care, Schools, Community and Carers Centres for children, young people and adults

Self Image Packs can contain an assortment of specially designed materials, interactive activity pages with images and sensitive text to help a child or young person understand themselves and be more able to express and communicate what is happening in their lives.
Image shows 1 folder; personal card, emergency numbers and sticky notes
Folders can include Activity Pages: All About Me / Bullying Awareness / Cyber Bullying / Rules of the House / Exam Pressure / Keeping up Appearances ...  and more ... Journals, pens, stickers ...

Add caption

Schools NEED Libraries

You might like to check out children's author and member of The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, Candy Gourlay's slide ... campaigning for libraries in schools

http://www.slideshare.net/candygourlay/schools-need-libraries

Multi-tasking the Happy Days way ...

Multi-tasking the Happy Days way...

Whilst photographing the new product range, I just couldn't resist this photo opportunity !

Gillian