FOCUS

Winter

2014

Dundee Blind and Partially Sighted Society

Thomas Herd House

10-12 Ward Road

Dundee DD1 1LX

Telephone: 01382 227101

E-mail:

Website:

Hello Sandra here,

Well it is that time of year again Christmas madness Buzz, Buzz, Buzz Christmas parties,Christmas outings & lunches & let us not forget the shopping. I must say I am looking forward to Christmas I started my shopping early for once and have quite a bit of it done although I wasa little unhappy when a handbag I had bought for a friend was in the shop 25% cheaper than when I had bought it a few weeks earlier so that is the downside of shopping early. It is also guaranteed to be a lively Christmas this year with three grandchildren, this will be Emily’s first Christmas but at 9 months still a bit young to know what is going on unlike her big brother & sister. Scott also has his 7th birthday a few days before Christmas with the party taking place at the skate park, he loves it there but I must admit I am not a fan. Gordon & I are also guests at our friends daughter’s wedding at the end of November in Bedford, so much going on.

Well that is enough about me on with the Society news. May I first of all thank all of you who took the time to fill out our recent survey about the services we provide to you, your answers help us plan for future service provision.

The staff and I were very happy to read the huge amount of very positive feedback, it seems that the majority of you are very happy with the newsletter although one client felt it was slightly patronising and aimed at the over 80s.I know that we will never be able to satisfy all of our clients with the content of the newsletter but we do try to give information that is beneficial to all clients, even if it is only one item.

One client felt that the lighting and furniture in the building were below standard and required refurbishment and given that the lighting has been completely upgraded over the past 2 years, this seems a little unfair. The furniture may not be to everyone’s taste but it is sturdy & practical and given that we ran at a £70,000 deficit in the last financial year I don’t think we will be changing the furniture anytime soon.

Another comment in the responses was that our social activities are all for very old retired people and there is not much on offer for younger people such as trips to concerts.The staff discussed all of the issues raised in the feedback and we may be able to organise some activities, (see Helen’s article further on in the Focus). I would however reiterate that all of our activities (apart from the Sticky Toffee Pudding Club) are open to all clients and we have several young clients attending quite a number of the clubs on offer. Over the years we have tried to put on activities for our younger clients such as the walking group, cinema nightsand young person’s group and all have failed due to little or no take up of these services. But we shall try to give you some clubs to meet these wishes.

One person felt the rooms are too hot, another that the volunteers should wear a badge, another that there’s not enough communication between reception and other staff,and someone commented there is not enough information about activities on offer and can this be put in the Focus and can any client take part - well all clients can take part in all activities, activities are put in the Focus and our webpage, and no, there isn’t a waiting list on any activities available.

Another clientfeels that there is not enough information about the various roles of the staff employed within the Society, so I thought this would be the ideal time to tell you about the Society and its role. The Society is the oldest local charity in Dundee, we are an independent charity and we are the main provider of services to visually impaired people within the city of Dundee only. The Society provides services on behalf of Dundee City Council by way of a service level agreement to fulfil their legal obligation to provide services to visually impaired people, this then determines most of the staff the Society employs–

  • There is myself the Manager, I am a qualifiednurse and social worker with a few other more minor qualifications, it is my job to see to the day to day management of the Society, I work full time which is 36.25 hrs per week, of which 29 hours are allocated to the statutory services on behalf of Dundee City Council .To fulfil this role I must keep abreast of all current legislation and implement it in our service provision. I must monitor and supervise all staff serving the contract with the council to ensure you receive the services you are entitled to. I must also strive to provide these services within the financial package which we receive to fulfil the contract. The other hours I work (a mere 7.25 per week) are dedicated to the charity and the provision of its services and the staff who work on the side of the charity, once again staying within charitable law and employment law. I must work with the budgetary constraints of the charitable income and also be proactive in raising funds to maintain our services, staff and building no mean feat in today economic climate. I also help on any activity or service to fill staffing gaps. I attend meetings, write reports and liaise with our Board of Directors to keep them informed of all activity,finance or changes in the law so they can make informed decisions on policy for the Society.
  • Next in command to me is Fiona, Senior Care Manager and qualified social worker, nursery nurse, as well as having a qualification in management. Fiona will deputise for me in my absence and take on any or all of my tasks as listed above. Fiona also works full time with33hrs on behalf of the contract for Dundee City Council and 3.25 hrs on behalf of the charity. Fiona is a practising care manager and carries a caseload of clients. Part of Fiona’s workload is to carry out a full assessment of need of our clients and carers listening to clients giving appropriate information on service availability,finance, equipment etc to allow clients to make informed decisions about their lives and take up services and equipment etc to lead as independent life as possible. Fiona is also part of the team covering duty here at the Society every afternoon from 1pm to 4pm. She will also liaise with other professional bodies to ensure the speediest effective provision of services input. Fiona also supervises junior staff to achieve high standards of training and service input on behalf of the Society.
  • Helen is also a qualified social workerwho works part time 25hrs per week on behalf of the contract for statutory services. Helen does the same as Fiona but without deputising for me.
  • Doreen is our full time Rehabilitation Officer,employed 100% on supplying the council contract. It is her job to help clients maintain or regain their independence.Doreen teaches clients how to safely orientate within their home, oroutside she may teach someone how to use a long cane or a symbol cane, she may mark equipment within the home to allow a visually impaired person to continue cooking or washing and introduce clients to equipment that will help maintain independence and quality of life. Of course, none of the tasks are exhaustive Doreen and all staff will strive to find solutions to client and carer needs.
  • Tracey works 25 hrs per week and works partly on our contract with the council and partly for the charity. She is our Volunteer Co-ordinator as well as an assistant to the social workers and also helps with the planning and organising of much of our social activities.
  • Alison works full time and is our Office Manager, she too has a mixed remit covering council services and the charity. Alison looks after the reception, answers the phone, deals with all the finance and all the paperwork required within the Society as well as helping clients in the resource room.
  • Gordon works full time and is our Driver Handyman, he works entirely for the charity.Gordon makes sure everything in the building and the building itself is kept in tip top condition carrying out any repairs required, he also picks up clients and drops them off door to door and maintains the company vehicles.
  • And last but not least is Anna our Cleaner who works 15hrs per week keeping the whole Society spick and span.

I hope this clarifies what thestaffdoand in what capacity they are employed. I think it is quite amazing, all that the staff provide to our clients in only 246.25 hours between us for the week.

I am very happy to see from the survey results that most of you agree and are happy with the service on offer. However, we would not be able to provide you with these services without the help of our band of valued and committed volunteers who help us with the driving, cooking, and helping out with the activities to name just a few of the areas. We couldn’t be without them, so a huge thank you to all of our volunteers.

Another question that came up was about how we are funded,we currently receive £191,000 per year from Dundee City Council to provide the statutory services on their behalf - this is less than it actually costs to provide the services. We also rent out some of the building to Talking Newspapers and Scottish War Blinded to bring in some income. We charge for some of the costs of running the groups and transport however, what we charge does not cover the full cost of the services we provide. We also have some money invested which brings in some income, we actively fundraise to support our services,and we receive donations and some legacies which also help to level income over expenditure.

We are not a part of any other organisation so we don’t receive any income from R.N.I.B for example and I know that some clients and their relatives often think we are a part of these other organisations and have even fundraised for them thinking it comes to us.

I hope this all makes it clearer to those that asked what we do and how we are funded.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a wonderful 2015.

With fondest wishes

Sandra

Editor’s bit

Hello everyone,

Well I think we can safely say that winter is here, but with winter brings Christmas and we have some festive events arranged for those of you that attend the social activities.

I mentioned in the last FOCUS that I was taking part in a sponsored 26 mile cylathon in aid of the Society, and I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone that sponsored and supported me, with your help I raised £200. We had a great day for the cycle which I thoroughly enjoyed, and saw parts of Dundee that I didn’t know existed! I’m looking forward to taking part again next year!

I hope you enjoy reading this FOCUS, I have included information on upcoming events like pantos, concerts and visiting comedians as well as some recipes for refreshing mocktails, so hopefully something for everyone.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and we will be back with more news in 2015.

Best wishes

Alison

Dates for your diary

Friday 5th December – Tea & Chat Christmas Party
Wednesday 10th December– Christmas Lunch
Come along and enjoy a delicious home cooked 3 course lunch with entertainment - £14 per head.

Please call us on 227101 to book a place.
Tuesday 16th December – Bingo Club Christmas Lunch at the Inchture Hotel

Audio Library

We have a large collection of donated audio books. They are mainly on cassette tape with some CDs and they are freely available to our clients to borrow for as long as they like. Please come along and have a look.

Home Security

You may be eligible for free home security improvements being fitted in your house if the main householder is in receipt of benefits.

These may include:

  • Window Locks
  • Door Viewer and Chain
  • New Locks
  • Door Frame Strengtheners
  • Smoke Detector
  • Viewcom – A door entry system which allows you to see and speak to who is calling before deciding to open your door.

You choose which security improvements are to be fitted. They will be fitted FREE by the Claverhouse Group (a Scottish Executive accredited, non profit employment training organisation).
If you do not receive benefits or qualify for free work you can still get this work done for the reduced cost of £150.

Also, if you have been a victim of housebreaking you will get these home security improvements and their fittings for FREE, no catches, no strings.
All you need to do is phone the Claverhouse Group on 01382 828828 and mention ‘Home Security Improvements’.

Dundee Handyperson Service

Dundee City Council’s Home Care Service supports older members of the community and those with a disability in their own home. The Handyperson Service can carry out some home maintenance tasks and a home safety assessment in your own home. Handyperson Service staff are all police checked and carry identity cards.
Free Services:

  • Changing light bulbs
  • Installing smoke alarms and replacing batteries
  • Carrying our safety checks of small household electrical items
  • Home safety checks

Chargeable services – per 15 minute intervals.

If you need any help with any of the tasks listed here, there is a small handyperson charge to cover the costs of:

  • Taking down and putting up of curtains
  • Moving furniture within a room
  • Ensuring floor coverings are safe

If there are other tasks you might need help with which are not covered about please contact the Handyperson Service to discuss on 432437

Let us know what’s happening in your life

You may not be aware that the Society is totally independent of any other organisation. Although we work with people under contract from the Council and with those who have health conditions; we do not have any direct lines to the information held about you by other organisations. This means that if you change address, go into hospital or have other big changes in your life we won’t get to hear about it unless you tell us.

For example, if you are unwell and go into hospital, and are then contacted by the hospital Care Manager, that won’t be either Fiona or Helen, it will be someone else. They won’t know to speak to us.

This is an appeal to keep us up to date so we can help out if required. Make sure your family or other contact person knows we have worked with you and what our contact number is so if you cannot manage to, they can give us a quick call.

A New Group for ‘Younger’ Clients?

One of the comments we had back from our recent survey noted the apparent lack of groups for younger clients. We are a small organisation so we are limited in what we can do. Operating in the evening and weekends would be too difficult to set up. However, we do understand that there may be clients who do have free time during the day and may find it difficult to get out and meet people or get involved in activities or groups.

Just a wee reminder: The groups we run currently are not age restricted – except the Sticky Toffee Pudding Club on Mondays – so everyone is welcome.

However, in recognition that Bingo, lunch, tea dances and art may not be for everyone we will be running a Drop-In throughout February 2015. This will be weekly to gauge interest and thereafter monthly if there are enough people to make the group viable. This will give us an opportunity for you to tell us what you would like from such a group.

So if you are over 25 and under 55, or thereabouts, come along on a Monday in February between 10.30 and 12pm. Have a cuppa and a chat and bring your bright ideas. What would you do if there was somewhere to go and other people to do it with? If coming in for the first time is challenging you can phone first, ask for Helen or leave a message, and we will get back to you.

Regardless of how small or big your enquiry or concern is...

DIAL-OP are just a phone call away!

DIAL-OP is a Local Information Helpline that provides older people and their carers with information about a wide range of issues. From loneliness, home help, energy advice, social activities and lunch clubs, transport, to welfare benefits (to mention just a few!) we can help you find answers to your queries and concerns.