Showing posts with label help. Show all posts
Showing posts with label help. Show all posts

Tuesday, 5 November 2024

Making Christmas Special for Care Home Residents and Hospital Patients: How You Can Get Involved This Festive Season

As we approach the Christmas season, many of us look forward to spending time with family and friends. But for residents in care homes and patients in hospitals, the festive period can sometimes feel lonely and isolating. 

This year, why not consider helping to bring a little extra Christmas cheer to those who may otherwise miss out? 

There are many ways to get involved, and your contribution, however small, could make a real difference. 

Here’s a guide on how to bring a little magic to someone’s Christmas and make this season memorable for those who need it most.

1. Organise a Christmas Card Drive

A Christmas card may seem simple, but it can mean the world to someone who doesn’t have visitors over the holiday. Reach out to local schools, community groups, or even friends and family to help create a stack of festive cards. Many care homes and hospitals welcome such initiatives, and you can personalise the cards with uplifting messages. Each card is a reminder that someone is thinking of them, which can be a powerful gesture of goodwill.

Tip: Contact local care homes or hospital wards to confirm the best way to deliver these cards and find out about any specific requests or restrictions.

2. Get Involved with Gift Drives

Some organisations run Christmas gift drives specifically aimed at care home residents and hospital patients, collecting donations of small presents such as toiletries, cosy socks, blankets, or puzzle books. You can often find local charities or churches that organise such gift drives, or you could even coordinate your own in your neighbourhood or workplace.

Be mindful to choose gifts that are appropriate and easy to use, as some recipients may have physical or cognitive limitations. You can always check with a contact at the care home or hospital to ensure your gifts are suitable and won’t be too complex for recipients.

3. Volunteer to Help Spread Festive Cheer

Volunteering your time is one of the most direct ways to make a difference. Hospitals and care homes often need extra hands to help decorate spaces, organise festive activities, or simply visit with residents and patients. Even something as simple as singing carols or helping to facilitate holiday games can bring joy and a sense of community.

If you’re musically inclined, consider putting together a small group to perform carols or holiday music. Many residents and patients love to hear familiar songs, and a small performance can break up the monotony of hospital or care home life.

Note: Many places will have volunteer requirements, such as background checks, so it’s a good idea to reach out early to find out what’s involved.

4. Donate to Relevant Charities

There are several UK-based charities and organisations that specifically support hospitalised patients or care home residents during the holidays. Consider donating to charities like Age UK, The Silver Line, and Friends of the Elderly, which focus on supporting older people who may face loneliness or isolation. Your donations go towards everything from purchasing gifts to supporting activities that keep residents engaged and connected during Christmas.

You could also look into hospital charities, many of which have seasonal appeals that fund holiday treats, decorations, and events for patients spending the season in hospital.

5. Offer a Helping Hand to Staff

The staff in hospitals and care homes work tirelessly over the holiday season, often with limited resources. Consider providing small treats for them – perhaps a batch of baked goods, a festive hamper, or simply some handwritten notes of appreciation. These gestures remind staff that their hard work is valued and encourage them to keep spreading the festive cheer.

Some communities also organise “care packs” for staff, with essentials like hand cream, chocolates, and other items to keep morale up. You could contribute to or start your own initiative if you’d like to show support in this way.

6. Encourage Young People to Get Involved

Encouraging children or young people to help out fosters a community spirit and gives them a sense of connection with older generations. Whether it’s through drawing festive pictures, recording short holiday video messages, or joining a virtual carol session, young people can bring vibrant energy to these settings. Many care homes and hospitals welcome virtual interactions, which can be organised through video calls if in-person visits are not possible.

Tip: Check if there are any local intergenerational programmes that support interaction between young volunteers and care home residents, especially around the festive season.

Wrapping Up: Making a Meaningful Impact

The Christmas season is a wonderful time to come together as a community. Whether you’re sending cards, organising gifts, volunteering, or making a donation, you’re helping to create cherished memories for people who might otherwise feel left out. Small gestures can truly brighten the lives of care home residents and hospital patients and remind them that they are part of a broader community. Let’s make this Christmas unforgettable for everyone – because everyone deserves a little festive cheer.

You can check with local churches who often run festive care schemes for local nursing homes, carehomes, hospices, hospitals, etc. 

From all of us working to spread kindness this season: Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, 27 December 2023

Trussell Trust reveals new figures on emergency food parcel needs. Learn how you can help

New figures released by the Trussell Trust showed 1.5 million emergency food parcels were provided to people between April and September 2023 by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network. This is the most parcels the network's ever distributed at this point in the year and represents a 16% increase from the same period in 2022.

Low incomes, especially from social security, debt, health conditions and issues with social security payments such as delays or sanctions were the main reasons people were left with no option but to turn to food banks for help.

A record 540,000 food parcels were provided for over 265,000 children living in families who couldn't afford the essentials. That's an 11% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting the continuing rise in need for the support provided by food banks.

The new data also revealed 65% of all the parcels provided by Trussell Trust food banks between April and September this year were for families with children.

Furthermore, the charity has reported an alarming 320,000 people have needed to use a food bank for the first time in the past six months, warning food banks are at ‘breaking point’ as more people in communities across the UK find themselves unable afford the essentials.

The Trussell Trust believe the situation is unlikely to change in the coming months with this stark new data leading them to forecast that food banks in their network will distribute more than a million emergency food parcels between December 2023 and February 2024 – the equivalent of providing a parcel every eight seconds this winter.

Jess Holliday, Deputy CEO at Eastbourne Foodbank said: “At Eastbourne Foodbank, our donations are down even as need remains very high. We are deeply concerned about the alarming rise in the number of children needing our support. 

"Last month, 633 of the food parcels we provided were for children. Day after day, people tell us they simply don’t have enough money to buy the basics. A client told me, ‘I have sold my car. I have sold everything and cut everything out. But that’s still not enough. All I want is enough money to pay the basic bills and have some left to buy my own food.'”

In order to reduce these relentless levels of need, the Trussell Trust is calling on the UK Government to use the upcoming Autumn Statement to build on its work to protect households on the lowest incomes.

Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust said: “These statistics are extremely alarming. An increasing number of children are growing up in families facing hunger, forced to turn to food banks to survive. A generation is growing up believing it’s normal to see a food bank in every community. This isn't right.

“Rising hunger and hardship have devastating consequences for individuals and our communities, damage the nation’s health and hold back our economy. People in work, as well as people who cannot work, are increasingly being pushed into debt and forced to turn to a food bank to survive.

“That’s why the UK Government must build on its work to protect people from increasingly severe hardship and commit to putting an Essentials Guarantee into legislation, to embed in our social security system the widely supported principle that, at a minimum, Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials."

The Trussell Trust is encouraging people to show their support for people facing hardship by signing a petition urging UK political party leaders to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee to ensure that the basic rate of Universal Credit at least covers life’s essentials, such as food and bills.

That's Christmas believes that the spirit of Christmas must be with us all year round. So if you can offer any help to your local foodbank, please do so. Even if it's buying a couple of extra items of food during your regular shopping trips and donating these, as everything helps.

Also, supermarkets such as Morrisons and Tesco offer special schemes to help to ensure food gets to people in need, so do look out for these.

To learn more about The Trussell Trust please visit them here:- https://www.trusselltrust.org

Monday, 11 September 2023

Make Christmas Christmas for everyone

Christmas has many different meanings to many different people. Obviously, there's the celebration of the birth of Christ, obviously. But for many people Christmas has become a time to not only mark the birthday of Christ (even though the decision to use December 25th was fairly arbitrary and involved politics to an extent) but to celebrate family togetherness.

However, the COVID-inspired global recession means that for many people they still really cannot afford the type of traditional family Christmas that they were used to in the good old pre-COVID days.

But! There are ways to try to make sure that everyone gets the type of Christmas that they would like to have, the type of Christmas that they deserve.

Many supermarkets have schemes whereby shoppers can help to provide foods and gifts for families who are in need of help obtaining Christmas foods, gifts and the like.

Supermarkets such as Morrisons and Tesco have a system where their customers can go into the store and donate food. Morrisons and Tesco both have a different scheme when customers pick up a plain brown or white paper bag which contains foods, toiletries, etc which they will buy with their regular shopping and then place in a special colleting point behind the checkouts. In conjunction with a local charity the branch will ensure the donations go where they are most needed.

Also in the months running up to Christmas stores like Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, etc, collect new toys and other gifts to distribute to families in need of help. 

One organise that provides special help at Christmas time is Crisis at Christmas 

https://www.crisis.org.uk/crisis-at-christmas/what-is-crisis-at-christmas

There are also food bank charities which you can get involved with 

https://www.givefood.org.uk

https://www.yourlocalpantry.co.uk/pantry-listings

https://foodcycle.org.uk

https://www.trusselltrust.org

https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/foodbanks

https://www.feastwithus.org.uk

https://www.bankuet.co.uk/find-a-foodbank

https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/using-a-food-bank

https://feedingbritain.org

https://fareshare.org.uk

You can check for food banks and church operated food pantries and charities involved with providing support to those in need during Christmas in your own local area by searching with Google, Bing, etc.

Imaged used courtesy of JaymzArt from Pixabay)