00:00 [Singing]
00:05 For the last 80 years an Edinburgh charity has been supporting the elderly community
00:10 with a mission to ensure every older person receives the best possible care, companionship
00:16 and advice to live well and independently in their homes for longer.
00:20 Situated in the heart of Stockbridge, Life Care was founded in 1941
00:25 and here at their community hub the charity offers a range of daily clubs to support people living with dementia,
00:31 those with mobility issues and poor mental health and people experiencing isolation and loneliness.
00:37 Helping approximately 1,000 Edinburgh residents a year, the charity delivers a range of services
00:44 offering help both at people's homes and at the community hub where elderly people can get a hot meal,
00:50 enjoy a warm space and socialise with others.
00:53 But as the days and nights become darker and colder, Life Care is launching its Winter Warmer appeal
00:59 asking local people and businesses to support them to help vulnerable people through a difficult winter.
01:05 The cost of running our hub here and delivering all our services across Edinburgh
01:12 this budget year is about £1.5 million, so a considerable cost
01:18 but a huge, huge delivery of services for that money.
01:22 One of the things that makes Life Care so special is that our staff have worked with us for many years,
01:27 they've developed long-standing relationships with the people they support
01:30 so it was really important to us that we made sure that our staff could afford to continue to work for Life Care
01:35 and that of course has also increased our costs at a time when lots of our grants are at standstill
01:41 so the amount of money that we're getting in for some of our grants to deliver services
01:45 haven't necessarily increased in line with the costs.
01:48 Life Care's got quite a number of services. Two of the units are for people that are living with dementia
01:54 and one of them is for people who are frail and older and need a wee bit of assistance to get out and about.
02:00 We also have our home services, so we have our outreach service which is a one-to-one service
02:06 either in somebody's home or taking them out to still access their community
02:10 and our other at-home services are the help at-home service
02:14 where we actually do the shop ironing, the cleaning, change sheets, anything to do with domestic work
02:22 and we'll go in and do it.
02:24 There are many ways you can support the Winter Warmer appeal,
02:27 with the funds helping Life Care to continue to deliver their vital support services
02:32 which also includes a meal delivery service to Edinburgh residents
02:36 and a newly introduced dementia-friendly hairdressing service.
02:40 Our cafe is open Monday to Friday 9am-3pm, so coming in and using our cafe is one of the ways we help to
02:45 generate income as an organisation, it helps to underpin our services.
02:49 Over the next few months at Life Care we've got a range of Winter Warmer activities
02:53 starting with a Christmas fair, we've got Christmas lunches,
02:56 into the new year we will have other events, so attending some of our events,
03:01 spending money when you're here, also donating to Life Care so people can donate via QR codes,
03:06 we can donate on our website, so donating a little bit of cash helps,
03:11 so if people can deliver a little bit, we're encouraging people to pay it forward on our cafe,
03:16 so if you come in and buy a coffee, buy a coffee for somebody else
03:19 and that helps support the running of some of our services.
03:22 From the point of view of local businesses, we work really closely with corporate sponsors
03:26 and corporate partnerships and we're always looking for new corporate businesses
03:30 to come and join us and support the work of Life Care.
03:32 It's good for their staff to be doing something worthwhile, but it also means that they can help fundraise for Life Care.
03:38 But also lots of local businesses have already been generous and we hope will continue to be generous
03:43 in donating things like raffle prizes, gifts for some of the older people that we support over Christmas,
03:49 things for our trombolas and lots of the other fundraising events.
03:53 So it really is a multitude of ways you can support us.
03:56 Come in, use our centre, donate to us via the website, give us prizes for raffles and trombolas
04:01 and if you're a corporate business, think about making Life Care your charity of the year.
04:05 I lived alone for years after my husband died, but now my daughter is staying with me and it's good to have somebody.
04:13 It's her that got me here. I like it. I like it because, you know, I just like it.
04:23 I've been around the company and everything, been around other people, actually just myself.
04:29 So my daughter comes to stay with me and she's got me here. It makes a difference.
04:37 It's a social thing. Social work. And because we're not going to, it's like coming to a club,
04:46 but we've all got maybe a wee bit of a problem with memories or things like that.
04:50 I don't know about everybody's private history, but we're all older and maybe I've got problems with stuff like that.
04:57 And we'll remember things, you know, from when we were younger.
05:02 The staff are great. Very good. Very sociable and they involve us. They get everybody involved.
05:11 They look out for everybody, really, I think. Yes, they're very good.
05:16 Living with dementia is not easy. The burden of care rests heavily on the carer.
05:22 Watching your husband, wife, mother, father or friend drift away from you,
05:28 maybe even forgetting who you are, is a heart-wrenching experience.
05:33 Funding is critical to help and support carers and also charities like Life Care
05:39 who do such wonderful work for the elderly at their clubs here and out in the community.
05:45 However, there's another side to dementia which involves laughter, saying and having fun.
05:52 Our clients' dementia is advanced, but they can still socialise and for some,
05:57 it's the only chance they get to meet with others.
06:01 We have games and quizzes designed to keep memories alive.
06:05 And laughter is an important factor too. And singing. They love to sing.
06:11 Music is a wonderful thing. It can trigger memories and evoke moods and lift the spirit.
06:18 St Bernard's is a joyful place to work and I wouldn't be there if it wasn't. Thank you.
06:25 [Applause]
06:29 We feel we're doing a good job. We can see that we're of benefit to the clients and the carers
06:35 and we can actually see the difference we make to the person that comes in,
06:39 you know, really stressed, especially the carers, or really socially isolated.
06:44 And then after a few weeks, you can see them start to come out of themselves.
06:49 You can actually, you know, when we do the six-month review, you can actually see a difference
06:52 in the carer stress and in the client's interaction with everybody that's attending the club.
06:58 For more information on how you can support Life Care and help with the Winter Warmer appeal,
07:03 you can visit their website at www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk.
07:10 Alternatively, you can visit the Life Care Community Hub and Café in Stockbridge,
07:15 open Monday to Friday between 9 and 5.
07:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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