Royal Alfred supports Woolly Hat Week (1/2/2012)
Woolly Hat Week Inspires Knitting Frenzy as the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society Supports Campaign to Help Sailors
Sailors are renowned for spinning a good yarn, however on this occasion it is a volunteer at the land-locked Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society who has been getting busy with her knitting needles to make hats for mariners as part of Woolly Hat Week (6-13 Feb).
Maureen Phillips has spearheaded a knitting frenzy at the care home, which provides dedicated accommodation and care to former seafarers, and has already produced 15 hats which will be given as gifts to sailors who arrive as strangers in ports all over the world.
Taking advantage of her previous experience as owner of a wool shop, Maureen has captained the team of five knitters in their campaign to ‘knit one purl one’.
Launched by the Sailors’ Society which operates in over 100 ports across 30 countries, offering support through its network of Port Chaplains, the campaign offers a practical gift as well as helping seafarers to realise that someone is thinking about them and cares.
Commander Brian Boxall-Hunt OBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, said Woolly Hat Week is a fun campaign with a serious message.
“Having come from a seafaring background and working with retired mariners every day we know the challenges sailors face and the often freezing conditions they have to work in, so we are pleased to be able to support the campaign. Sparks have been flying off our knitters’ needles here at the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society over the past few weeks so we’re hoping to have a good number of home-made woolly hats to donate to this excellent cause.”
The Sailors’ Society is also encouraging non-knitters to get involved by making a donation which will help to provide assistance to seafarers in ports across the world, as well as going towards the transportation and distribution of the woolly hats.
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The Merchant Navy has kept citizens in the UK fed, clothed and equipped for over 200 years, not to mention being a lynchpin of the economy. Today 95 per cent of Britain’s imports and 75 per cent of exports still travels by sea. In addition to maritime defence of the nation and our interests worldwide, protecting the Merchant Navy, the Royal Navy also contributes to the stability, economic growth and development of the UK.
Despite this, awareness of this important industry is surprisingly lacking with a quarter of children believing the film character Captain Jack Sparrow to be Britain’s most famous seaman while a third of adults did not know that the Merchant Navy transports cargo and passengers to and from the UK.*
These figures show the importance of campaigns such as Woolly Hat Week for raising awareness of this important industry and the difficult circumstances our seafarers operate under. This is a fun campaign with a serious message that more needs to be done to support our sailors,” said Boxall-Hunt.
To find out more about Woolly Hat week, email woollyhats@sailors-society.org or call 023 8051 5950.
Picture Caption: Volunteers and residents at the Royal Alfred Seafarers Society model the knitted Woolly Hats.
Notes to editors:
For more information on Weston Acres or Belvedere House please contact the home on 01737 360106, or Mrs Margaret Brazier the Executive Assistant on 01737 353763.
*Statistics sourced from a survey conducted by Seafarers UK.
Families urged to seek support following dementia care expertise findings (19/1/2012)
Surrey Seafaring Charity Highlights Need for Expertise in Dementia Care
A Surrey residential home is urging the relatives and friends of dementia sufferers to seek out specialist care provision to safeguard the comfort of their loved ones after a new report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists found dementia care knowledge to belacking in many hospitals across the UK.
The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, which provides dedicated accommodation and nursing for former seafarers, and whenever possible non seafarers in Banstead, Surrey says specialist dementia support offering continuity in care should be provided if medical care and support is to prove beneficial for both the carer and patient.
The Home opened its dedicated dementia wing in 2011 and created a film about the unit for the website with Angela Rippon whose mother died from the condition. It also launched a respite care service at the start of 2012 after identifying the need from frequent enquiries.
The condition, which affects 750,000 people in the UK, requires specialist support and consistency in care patterns and processes needs to be a priority to ensure the patient doesn’t deteriorate.
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The report, issued by the Royal College of Psychiatrists claims two thirds of hospital staff say they have not been trained sufficiently in the care of dementia patients despite figures showing one in four hospital beds is occupied by people with the condition.
The society highlights the benefits of residential care in providing families with the professional support for their loved ones.
Home Manager Anne Kasey explains: “Triggering memories is key to dementia care and we use our patients’ personal items such as photographs and trinkets from their past to create comfort and familiarity in the home. These items are also placed in our memory boxeswhich are transparent boxes hung by the door to enable them to easily identify their own room. Communication is key to dementia care, and our nurses have learned a series of therapies to trigger memories through conversation including memory mapping. We also run regular reflexology sessions which have been known to reduce agitation.”
Research has found that music can also help to unlock memories and connect with loved ones, reducing feelings of isolation and improving confidence and self-image. Singing and music sessions help relax residents’ minds and take the fear out of the condition.
Anne continues: “The positive effects of music on dementia sufferers is well documented, the part of the brain that manages music is not affected as severely by dementia, which means patients can remember songs and music very clearly, therefore boosting their confidence. We have observed a definite uplift in the mood and confidence of our residents after implementing singing and music sessions, which suggests it is having a positive effect on their wellbeing.”
Commander Brian Boxall-Hunt OBE, Chief Executive of the Society, said: “With new statistics showing that by 2021 a million people are likely to be suffering from dementia in the UK it is even more important to ensure that all care providers are properly trained. Our objective for the new annexe is to use both expert staff and a specially designed environment to deliver the very best care for residents. By linking this to reminders of their former life makes this as comfortable and fulfilling as possible.”
The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society is a registered charity and was established in 1865. It is incorporated under the Royal Charter, with HRH the Princess Royal as its patron. It provides nursing, dementia and respite care to retired seafarers and residents of non-seafaring backgrounds from across the UK. Under the Royal Charter, ‘seafarers’ include Merchant Navy, Royal Navy, fishermen and port workers, as well as their widows, widowers or dependants.
Photo caption: L-R Home Manager Anne Kasey, Angela Rippon and Chief Executive Brian Boxall-Hunt
For more information on Weston Acres or Belvedere House please contact the home on 01737 360106, or Mrs Margaret Brazier the Executive Assistant on 01737 353763.