Putting the ‘Live’ back into Alive

In this issue of Healthcare Matters, we are pleased to feature Alive Activities as our Health, Wellbeing and Social Care Company of the Month.

As a registered charity, Alive Activities has embraced a vision and mission to improve the lives of older people. Tim Lloyd-Yeates embarked on a journey in 2009 when he founded Alive off the back of his own personal experience of visiting a relative in care. From not being provided the opportunities, engagement or activities they needed; Tim was adamant he had to create a person-centred care system that enables each resident to be treated with the dignity they deserve. Tim unfortunately passed away in 2015, but his legacy lives on through Alive that still runs on the same passion, dedication, commitment and love that Tim once poured into the charity 14 years ago.

We heard from Ben Trowell, Business Development Manager who explained in more detail what role Alive takes within the healthcare sector.

“Alive is a charity that strives to engage older people living in care, train carers, connect care homes to their wider community, and work with older people still living at home to combat social isolation. Alive stand up for the rights of older people and try to give a voice to those who may otherwise not be heard. We are currently increasing our support in the community; we have five Meeting Centres across Bristol and the wider area, designed for people living with dementia and their carers to come and take part in personcentred activity, obtain support and advice in day-to-day tasks, and give their carer the support network that they so often do not receive. We also run two allotments in Bristol, supporting people living with dementia and their carers with opportunities to benefit from regular horticultural therapy.”

Alive is based in Bristol and covers in-person activities and projects across Bristol, Bath, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, however clients can access training, online services and speaking sessions nationwide. One particular service to note is Alive on Demand, a dementia-friendly, interactive video-streaming platform with over 300 original videos that are designed to spark conversation and evoke memories. Each video also comes with additional resources such as quizzes and crafts to provide further engagement on a range of topics.

“The content for all Alive on Demand videos has either come from previous conversations and projects or from steering groups, therefore we know that it is both practical and relatable. We also value feedback from all our users and send regular emails requesting suggestions for future content. Another element to this platform is the AoD Community that allows activity and care staff to network and share ideas on how to better engage with their residents. There is also a separate channel for those still living in their homes to be able to communicate with people that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, again to combat social isolation,” stated Ben.

Another core service by Alive is their Care Sector Training that is available to all care staff. Each course is designed to empower, support and equip Care and Activity Staff whatever capacity they are in.

“Our staff have many years of personal and professional experience of dementia and are experts in their field. All of them have either worked in the care sector or have cared for their own family members, and therefore understand how important it is that we put wellbeing at the heart of care through activities that foster closer relationships and happy environments,” added Ben.

Alive offer a vast range of in-house training courses, on the job coaching courses, activity audits, as well as training for individual care staff. If you choose to opt for in-house training, the courses are delivered as either half day or full day formats and you can even have the option to pick and choose your own bespoke training plan based on individual requirements. Having a range of training courses, Alive’s most recent is The Empathy Suit Experience, giving attendees the chance to experience what it is like to live with dementia and age-related physical impairment. Even though people living with dementia are a large part of the Alive customer base, the charity also works to help others that are often overlooked in the community with an aim to give them their ‘voices’ back. Alive understand that what older people, care staff, and care givers require is constantly changing which is why they will always strive to provide the most up-todate and relatable training.

“Another service we are really proud of is our intergenerational projects, linking care homes with schools and youth groups to establish meaningful connections. With our work’s key focus being to promote social action across the generations, our projects empower both younger and older people to have a positive impact on their environment and the community,” stated Ben.

As we transition away from COVID-19 restrictions, Alive, like many other companies working in the health care sector, have had to adapt and overcome many hurdles over the past three years. It is clear, however, the versatility of its services and ability to adapt to new rules and regulations have enabled the charity to provide an even greater service coupled with an even greater understanding.

“The pandemic provided us with an opportunity to reach a wider base through technology and the launch of Alive on Demand. We have grown our community support within the BNSSG area. Now running Meeting Centres, dementiafriendly allotments, hospital activity provision and technology groups, we are supporting more older people than ever before. Alive wants to continue to respond to the needs of older people and with the increase of people living with dementia, it is essential we can support as many people as possible. We will continue developing AoD to be an online community providing connection and activity across the country. We also want to continue training our care staff to enhance their level of care whilst continuing to influence our dementia strategy and provision on local and national levels, ensuring the voice of those living with dementia is kept at the heart of all decisions and developments,” said Ben.

For more information, please see below:
0117 377 4756
info@aliveactivities.org
www.aliveactivities.org
www.aliveondemand.co.uk