Glance The Brain Charity · 2017-12-05 · Glance - The Brain Charity Newsletter 3 “ My Marathon...

GlanceNational support for all neurological conditions December 2017/January 2018

The BrainCharity

My Marathon

Building Bridges by Painting Walls

Dementia Workshops for Carers

2 Glance - The Brain Charity Newsletter

Glance - The Brain Charity Newsletter 3

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My MarathonLouise Earle, our London Marathon runner for 2018,raised an incredible £6,763 for The Brain Charity,going above and beyond her original fundraisingtarget of £2,500.

Louise tells us all about her big day back in April:

The nerves were definitely there but on the whole I was pretty calm and just keen to get to the start line. Walking up the hill in Greenwich Park, surrounded by hundreds of runners was unforgettable; I couldn’t stop smiling! I bumped into two different friends just before the start, which really helped to calm my nerves.

The hardest part was definitely the last few miles. I always thought the final stretch would beenjoyable, but it was so painful! Somehow it felt like the finish line was getting further awaythe closer I got. My injured leg had behaved for most of the run but by that point it was hurtinga lot - as was every inch of my body!

I feel really lucky to have some very generous friends, family and colleagues, who not only donated but spread the word about my fundraising page too. I think those who knew my Dad orhave heard about him through me understood the significance of this race to me and my reasonsfor doing it.

The crowds were amazing. There were so many spectators cheering us on, including PrinceWilliam and Kate who I saw twice! My family and friends were supporting on the sidelines at various stages along the course, jumping up and down with balloons and signs, which wasabsolutely incredible. It definitely kept me going and made me feel quite emotional too. WhenI was really struggling, I thought of my Dad, I know he would have been there cheering louderthan anyone.

Louise has raised an extraordinary amount for charities that support people with neurological conditions over the years andran the London Marathon in memory of her dad, who passed awayfrom a brain tumour at the age of 48. Louise ran the wholemarathon, despite a leg injury that hindered her training. We areall immensely proud of Louise and want to say a massive thankyou to her, and to everyone who supported her.

My top tips would be to not go too hard too early in your training, toensure your plan includes plenty of cross-training and REST, and tostretch and roll your muscles after every run to avoid injury. I wouldalso recommend finding a good physio. I wouldn’t have made it to thestart or finish line if it wasn’t for some additional help from sportsdocs and physios. Finally, it really helped to know some other runners to speak to and train with.

If Louise has inspired you to take part in your own challenge and get fit in 2018, please email us to find out more:

[email protected]

”


Thanks to a grant from North West Housing Services,we have been able to purchase books from theReading Agency’s Reading Well scheme for peoplewith long-term conditions.

These are books recommended by health professionalsand by people with long-term conditions, and includetitles such as Rebuilding Your Life after Stroke andMindfulness for Health, and titles for carers such asThe Carer’s Handbook and The Selfish Pig’s Guide toCaring. Information about all of these books can befound in our online catalogue at:www.bit.ly/TBClibrary by picking up a leaflet atThe Brain Charity, or through the Reading Agency’swebsite: www.bit.ly/glanceRW

We also have books supporting the Living Well withDementia scheme.

Reading Well to Feel Better

All these books can now be borrowed from our lending library, upstairs at Norton Street. We are also developinga fiction collection, particularly following the ReadingAgency’s Mood-boosting Books promotion of upliftingbooks. Send us your recommendations for good reads tothe virtual book club on our website: www.thebraincharity.org.uk/forum/book-club

Join us on Monday the 18th December fora wonderful evening of festive carols, crafts,mince pies and mulled wine (perfect forSanta’s older helpers).

The children are bound to enjoy our traditional ChristmasConcert too, and leave with happy memories that theywill treasure for many years to come. Our magicalcandlelit evening will be held at the beautiful and historic Church of St Francis Xavier in Liverpool.The evening will feature performances by charmingLiverpool couple Tom and Laura from the X-Factor,as well as carols from The Brain Charity Choir andspecial Christmas readings.Tickets are £5 per person. Under 12s and volunteersof The Brain Charity go free. Get your tickets onlinetoday and get your Christmas off to a great start:www.bit.ly/TBCcarols

Carols by Candlelight

DementiaWorkshopsfor CarersTheatre group ‘Collective Encounters’ are runninga series of creative workshops for carers and people living with dementia at our centre in Liverpool.

The workshops are free to attend and will give youthe chance to meet other carers and explore ways ofhelping people to live better with their dementia aswell as helping you as carers to find fun, creativeways of enhancing your caring experience and yourquality of life.

Every carer attending will get a copy of an Arts andDementia Toolkit, so you can continue to use the skillsat home or at work.

Wednesday 31st January at 5pm and Wednesday 7th February 2018 at 5pm.

If you would like to find out more, please call Collective Encounters on 0151 345 6266or email [email protected]

Tourette’s AwarenessTV production company, Hello Halo, want to hear from people living withTourette’s to be part of a new programme which will show the unexplored realities of having the condition. This will be a sensitive investigation andthey are keen to avoid stereotypes and common misconceptions that the media have focused on before, such as swearing. If you or someone you knowwould like to contribute, contact: [email protected]


Burns Night Supper

The Brain Charity will be holdingour annual Burns Night celebrationon the evening of Saturday 27thJanuary 2018. Join us for fantastic food, company and atmosphere, in what is also agreat opportunity to get creativeby writing something unique forthe night. Be it your thoughts, a short story or poem,put pen to paper for our 'open mic', set your imagination free and make yourself heard.

Burns Night celebration at The Brain Charity7pm, Saturday 27th January 2017Tickets: £6.50 per person, including a traditional orvegetarian Burns Night menu, are available online:www.bit.ly/TBCBN17

Film NightThe votes are in and our Christmas movie is going to be the classic ...“It’s a Wonderful Life”. Tickets are only £2.50 andthis includes a free mince pie, a mini concert fromour very own choir and our bar will be serving mulledwine. What more could you want? Come along onThursday 21st December 2017.“This Is Spinal Tap” is going to be our first film afterthe New Year. Again, the tickets will be £2.50. A funfilm to get us back into the swing of things. It will beon Friday 19th January 2018 – make sure you don’tmiss out.


Building Bridges by Painting WallsThe Brain Charity staff went on a team building day to help redecorate Asylum Link'sreception rooms in Wavertree recently. Asylum Link is an organisation that assistsasylum seekers and refugees in Liverpool and raises public awareness around theseissues. Two of our team, John and Moira, took some time out to talk to a few of theirmembers.

When Moira arrived, a very smiley womancalled Shaheena helped take her bags andbring in the food. She has been workingfor 4 years on the reception, which is theperfect role for her as she is really bubbly.One o f her favour i te th ings is the multinational community. Many refugeesget cut off from their families, so it is greatfor them to have a group of people theycan rely on. Shaheena told us that peopleuse the centre for help with food, shelterand advice. They are often destituteand Asylum Link is their lifeline.

After Shaheena, our staff chatted with Imanishimwe; 10 years ago he came to Asylum Link and later became a volunteer. Imanishimwe has a great sense of humour,which he uses to calm people down whenthey first come. He tells them about thehelp available to them like legal guidance, employment support, food and help getting accommodation.

The last person that John and Moira spokewith was Michelle who is a volunteer and,like Imanishmwe, started out as a serviceuser. When she first arrived she was in desperate need of food and clothes, whichAsylum Link helped with. A big problemshe has faced is people’s attitudes - peoplelook down on you for not having papers;she felt vulnerable.

Seeing everyone eating together remindedus about how vital the time that we spendtogether is. Having a community is fundamental to our mental health.

Thank you to Asylum Link for lettingus spruce up their centre, especially Shaheena, Imanishimwe and Michelle forsharing their stories.

We hope that the walls we painted staybright for a very long time.


Hello my name is Tracy and I’m a volunteer at The Brain Charity.

I volunteer as a library assistant and mymain job is putting together information

packs that we send out to people. I also update files on the computer and

scan books for the online library.

I sing with The Brain Charity choir and I enjoy it when we sing to the public at events.I like shopping, eating out and listening to music, my favourite holiday is going to Blackpoolwith my mum.

I have a learning disability, asthma and non-epileptic seizures as well as Fibromyalgiawhich causes me constant pain, I’m also my mum’s ful l t ime carer so l i fe is very challenging. My complicated health worries have caused me mental health issues andI’ve had depression for a number of years, which at times has left me feeling suicidal.

I’ve been coming to The Brain Charity for a long time and decided to become a volunteer3 years ago after my mum developed epilepsy and I became her carer. She uses awheelchair which I have to push and she can’t leave the house by herself, so she relieson me to look after her 24hrs a day. We thought it would do us good to get out moreand it was easy to bring her with me as the building is fully accessible and everyone always made her welcome. She liked it so much that she’s also become a volunteerand we now work together in the library on a Thursday.

I really enjoy coming to the charity as it helps me forget about my problems and I feelI’m doing something useful to help others; it’s also good for my mum to get out. Mymum was very ill in hospital last year and the charity helped me through it all so I didn’tfeel like I had to deal with everything by myself; people are always there to listen andhelp you as best they can.

Away from The Brain Charity I’m involved with People First where I’m a member of theboard. I take part in their healthy eating road shows as, having lost 6 stone myself inthe last year, I can tell everyone about my experiences and how healthy eating can makea difference to your life. People First also helped me and my mum get rehoused tomore suitable accommodation that’s all on one level, which has made life a bit easier.I think anyone with a neurological condition should come along to The Brain Charityand find out what’s available. It offers a chance to meet people like yourself and startenjoying your life.

STORYTracy’s


End PJ Paralysis!No, PJ Paralysis is not the name of a neurological condition. But itis a real problem. It’s to do with your PJs, and with spending toomuch time in them!

If you are in hospital, you need to try and get out of bed more often. And get outof your sick person’s uniform - your pyjamas - pop some of your day clothes oninstead. ‘Sit up, get dressed, keep moving’ is the motto.In hospital, just staying lying in bed all the time will actually affect your health forthe worse. Your muscles will weaken, you will become frailer, and be more atrisk of falls.

Lying in bed can affect your digestion too, and make you constipated. And it’sjust very depressing. Getting dressed and moving about will reduce your risk ofthese things. You could shorten your stay in hospital, and you will be better ableto cope when you get home.Don’t worry, nobody is expecting you do any exercises! Even a short walk to thebathroom or to the hospital shop will do you good. If you have problems walking,just ask the staff for something that would help, such as a walking frame. Even justgetting out of bed and sitting on a chair when you have visitors will help you too.

Like the song says, “Move on up for a greater day”.Loads of people are talking about this on Twitter #endPJparalysis

BRAIN CHARITY KNIT AND NATTER GROUP

The BrainCharity

Enjoy to knit or crotchet? Then come along each Wednesdayafternoon to "Knit & Natter" with us!

This free group meets from 1.30pm in the café area at The Brain Charity. It doesn't matterwhat your skill level is - you don’t even have to be able to follow a pattern! After a chatwith Janet at the charity, members decided to compete with each other, knittingsquares which would then be sewn into blankets for children at home and abroad.So squares would be great, or maybe you'dlike a bigger challenge? Maybe you would like to knit something else, but would like company while you are doing it?

If you'd like to learn, we'd love to see you. Come and knit - whatever and however you like!

Unable to get out, but still like the idea? How about joining our virtual group? Knit awayat your own pace then send us the completed squares. Happy knitting! Caroline Fogell from Project Linus receiving

the first blankets made by our knitting group.


THE BRAIN GYMGive your brain a workout in our Brain Gym.WORDSEARCH

CHRISTMAS TREEHOLLYMISTLETOESANTA CLAUSTINSELELVESJINGLE BELLSNATIVITYSLEIGHTURKEYHAPPY NEW YEARMINCE PIESREINDEERSNOWMAN

DINGBATS

Dingbats are visual word puzzles from which a well-known phrase or saying has to be identified.

QUIZ

1) What country did Christmas trees originate from?

2) Name Father Christmas’ reindeer.

3) The Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, London is an

annual gift from which nation?

4) Which country did Saint Nicholas come from?

5) What were the names of the three wise men?

6) What is the name of The Simpson's pet greyhound?

7) Which plant associated with Christmas has the Latin

name Viscum album?

8) In Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" which is the first ghost

to visit Scrooge?

9) Who wrote the book that became the cartoon classic

"The Snowman"?

10) How many presents were given in total on the 12 days

of Christmas?

11) On what date does Twelfth Night occur?

12) The first line of the song “Do they know it’s Christmas?”

was sung by which artist in the original 1984 version?

Find the Brain Gym answers

on Page 11

B M S V R F N T Z W Z Y S RH I N A Y V I U F M M T L AN N Y I N N N P J I G I E ER C S O S T H U S W V V I YU E S E E Y A T L E Z I G WJ P L V D W L C S I J T H EJ I N G L E B E L L S A C NF E D D T O V O F A L N F YT S N O W M A N S E U O D PS U E Y L L O H G W V S G PE E R T S A M T S I R H C AK I V K Z T L O I U F Y H HQ W V L E O K A C Y A B I HG V Z R E Y R E E D N I E R

1) Nigmassht

2) Mistletoe xxx

3) Night Night Night Night

Night Night Night Night

Night Night Night Night

4) Winterwalkingwonderland


ChristmasHolidays

Ingredients

• 350g/12oz Plain Flour• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda• 2 tsp Ground Ginger• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon• 125g/4.5oz Butter• 170g/6oz Light Brown Sugar• 1 Egg (Free Range if possible)• 4 tsp Golden Syrup

Method1. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl then add the butter and sugar and rub together, by hand or in a food processor, until it looks like breadcrumbs. 2. Beat the egg and golden syrup together in a cup then gradually blend it into the breadcrumb mixture (you are probably best pulsing the mixer to do this bit if you’re using one).3. Once the mixture starts to form clumps shake it out onto a floured board and knead it until it goes smooth (it will look a bit like pastry) then wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for 15 minutes.4. Put your oven on to heat while the mixture is in the fridge (180C/350F/Gas 4) and line two shallow baking trays with greaseproof paper.5. Once the dough is chilled roll it out on a floured board until it’s about 5cm thick. Then cut out shapes of your choice, stars and Christmas trees look nice, but any shape you like or have a shape cutter for is fine.6. Place your shapes on the lined baking tray making sure they’re not too close together as the mixture will spread a bit during cooking. Bake for about 12-15 mins or until they are golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the tray then put to finish cooling onto a wire rack.7. Decorate your shapes however you like, tubes of coloured ‘writing’ icing available from supermarkets are easy to use and add a nice finish.8. Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW?Cinnamon is a high source of antioxidants and helps to defend against cognitive decline and protectsbrain function, whilst ginger benefits memory, attention and brain ageing! So enjoy your ginger breadbiscuits!

ChristmasGingerBreadRecipe

The Brain Charity will be open until 5pm on Friday 22nd December2017. We will then be closed over the Christmas period and reopenat 9am on Tuesday 2nd January 2018.The staff and trustees of the charity would like to thank all our readers,friends and fundraisers for their spectacular support this year. Best wishes to you all for 2018.


Answers to The Brain Gym QuizChristmas Wordsearch:

Dingbats:1) Midnight mass2) Kisses under the mistletoe3) Twelfth Night4) Walking in a winter wonderland

Quiz:1) Germany (It was Latvia, but this was part of Germany at the time)2) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Vixen and Rudolph.3) Norway.4) Turkey.5) Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar.6) Santa’s Little Helper.

7) Mistletoe.8) The Ghost of Jacob Marley.9) Raymond Briggs.10) 364, because:

She gets 1 partridge in a pear tree on each of the 12 days.1 x 12 = 12 She gets 2 turtle doves on the last 11 days.2 x 11 = 22 She gets 3 French hens on the last 10 days. 3 x 10 = 30 She gets 4 calling birds on the last 9 days. 4 x 9 = 36 She gets 5 gold rings on the last 8 days. 5 x 8 = 40 She gets 6 geese a-laying on the last 7 days. 6 x 7 = 42 She gets 7 swans a-swimming on the last 6 days. 7 x 6 = 42 She gets 8 maids a-milking on the last 5 days. 8 x 5 = 40 She gets 9 ladies dancing on the last 4 days. 9 x 4 = 36 She gets 10 lords a-leaping on the last 3 days. 10 x 3 = 30 She gets 11 pipers piping on the last 2 days. 11 x 2 = 22 She gets 12 drummers drumming on the last day. 12 x 1 = 12

11) January the 5th.12) Paul Young.

It’s time to check your Christmas card list,and check it twice, it’s time to find out who’s naughty or nice. Jingle your bells down to The Brain Charity, buy our range of radically different, festively funky cards and have yourself a very merry cool Yule.

The Brain Charity’s unique Christmas Cards are available to buy now in our online shop:www.bit.ly/TBCcards

or call into our Norton Street building and pick up yours.

The Brain Charity ’s Christmas Cards

The BrainCharity

THE BRAIN CHARITY CALENDAR

The Brain Charity, Norton Street, Liverpool L3 8LR Tel: 0151 298 2999 Fax: 0151 298 2333 Email: [email protected]

The Brain Charity is registered as a charity (No: 1114999) and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (No: 5741930) Glance is available in large text or braille on request. Glance is available on The Brain Charity website: www.thebraincharity.org.uk

If you wish to be added to the Glance mailing list, please contact our Information and Advice Officer using the telephone number or email above.

The Brain Charity does not necessarily share all of the views or opinions expressed in Glance.

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ABOUT THE BRAIN CHARITYThe Brain Charity offers practical and emotional support to people with neurological conditions and to their families, friends andcarers. For more information contact the Centre or visit our website: www.thebraincharity.org.uk

Get Social with us:

thebraincharity thebraincharity You can also find us on:

December 2017

Sat 2nd North West Ataxia Support Group, 11.30-3pm

Mon 4th Tea, Coffee & Company Morning, 10.30am-12pmStroke Friends, weekly, 2-4pm Choir, 5-6pm

Tue 5th Craft Club, weekly, 10.30am-12.30pm Advice Drop-in, weekly, 1-4pm

Wed 6th Knit & Natter, weekly, 1.30-3.30pm Merseyside Spinal Injury Group, 2.30-4.30pm

O.C.D. Support Group, 5-7pm

Thurs 7th Boccia bowling, weekly, 1-2pm

Fri 8th Migraine Peer Support Group, 10.30am-12.30pm The Snow Ball, Garden of Eden, 7pm-1am

Tue 12th Craft Club, weekly, 10.30am-12.30pm Advice Drop-in, weekly, 1-4pm

Mon 18th Stroke Friends, weekly, 2-4 pm Carols by Candlelight, St Francis Xavier Church, 7-9pm Thurs 21st Epilepsy Action, coffee and chat drop in, 11am-12.30pm Boccia bowling, weekly, 1-2pm Film Night at The Brain Charity, 7pm

Fri 22nd Close for Christmas Break, 5pm

January 2018

Tues 2nd Reopen after Christmas break, 9am Craft Club, weekly, 10.30am-12.30pm Advice Drop-in, weekly, 1-4pm

Wed 3th Knit & Natter, weekly, 1.30-3.30pm Merseyside Spinal Injury Group, 2.30-4.30pm O.C.D. Support Group, 5-7pm

Thurs 4th Boccia bowling, weekly, 1-2pm

Sat 6th North West Ataxia Support Group, 11.30-3pm

Mon 8th Tea, Coffee & Company Morning, 10.30am-12pm Stroke Friends, weekly, 2-4pm Choir Practice, 5-6pm

Sat 13th Quiz Night at The Brain Charity, 7pm

Fri 19th Film Night at The Brain Charity, 7pm

Sat 20th Facial Palsy UK Support Group, 10am-1pm

Thurs 25th Epilepsy Action, coffee and chat drop in, 11am-12.30pm Boccia bowling, weekly, 1-2pm

Sat 27th Burns Night at The Brain Charity, 7-10pm

Mon 29th The Brain Tumour Charity, 1-4pm Stroke Friends, weekly, 2-4pm Choir Practice, 5-6pm

Glance The Brain Charity · 2017-12-05 · Glance - The Brain Charity Newsletter 3 “ My Marathon...

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Transcript of Glance The Brain Charity · 2017-12-05 · Glance - The Brain Charity Newsletter 3 “ My Marathon...