Beacon Dementia and Wellbeing

26/06/2026

Meet our newest team member Eric AKA ...Chief Happiness Officer 🐶💚

Qualifications: excellent people skills, expert cuddler, accepts payment in treats.

Thankyou to Viv our dementia support worker and of course Eric 🐶 for making Ian's day.

🐾

26/06/2026

Can you help us caption this? 😂

25/06/2026

🙏The lack of “Thankyou’ and gratitude from the person you are caring for living with dementia can sometimes be sparse or nonexistent.

This can be really difficult for carers 😥

They may not recognise how much you do and how much of your time and energy you are giving them.

Its normal to get frustrated and think “Why don’t they just say `Thankyou’ or recognize everything I do for them? This can leave with feelings of resentment, frustration, or anger.

Here are a couple of reasons why.

1️⃣ They may struggle to find the words or expression – the frontotemporal lobe of the brain may have been affected. This lobe affects self-expression, behaviour, and emotional responses. The temporal lobe affects language and speech. This means that the person may struggle to articulate their feelings/words.

2️⃣ They are unaware they have dementia (denial) …. there’s nothing wrong with me! or have a neurological condition called anosognosia, the brains inability to be self-aware. They are unaware that your world revolves around them or that you are struggling.

3️⃣ They could be feeling distressed, embarrassed, vunerable or overwhelmed - they are struggling to process why and feel frustrated or fearful. It can come out in their behaviour and harsh words.

It can be helpful to understand it's not them…it’s the dementia.

🥰Thank you to everyone who provides support and giving so much of yourself.

Thank you for having an open and curious mind that is open to learning. Sending love and strength to all carers. We see you 💚

25/06/2026

Janet is attending the Repair Cafe, representing Beacon Dementia and Wellbeing and also Knits at Fitz.

We have rare opportunities to join our Wellbeing groups (both Wednesday and Friday) to learn either knitting or crochet, or to support anyone at a loose end.

Friendly easy going groups, welcoming all abilities or none!

See you on Saturday x

🔧 Meet the Team – The Bodge It Lads

Every Repair Café has those jobs...

The ones where someone says...

"That'll only take five minutes..."
..and three hours later you're still scratching your head! 😂

Meet Steve and Tall Dave – our very own Bodge It Lads.

These two are always up for the challenge. Whether it's a wobbly chair, a loose hinge, something that's come apart, or an item that's seen better days, they'll happily have a go before you give up on it.

Now, full disclosure... the lampshade in this photo may have required three grown men, several cups of tea, plenty of laughter, and considerably more time than anyone would like to admit! 🤣

Did it test everyone's patience? Absolutely.

Did anyone give up? Not a chance.

That's what our Repair Café is all about.

We can't promise every repair will be possible, but we can promise a warm welcome, a brew, a friendly face, and volunteers who genuinely enjoy trying to keep things out of landfill.

So before you throw it away...

Bring it along.

You never know... the Bodge It Lads might just save the day. 🔧

📍 Haslingden Community Link
🗓 This Saturday
🕙 10:00am – 2:00pm

☕ Tea, coffee, cake and repairs by donation.

We look forward to seeing you there!

25/06/2026

Our Beacon shed sessions and groups aren't just about being busy and 'doing'.

They are about the hidden things of feeling connected, sharing joy and 'just being' 💚

24/06/2026

A gentle Wednesday evening reminder 💚 Sending lots of love to anyone who needs it tonight.

24/06/2026

💚 Dementia Hub – Today
📅 Wednesday 24th June
🕤 10am–12:30pm

Vicki is at our Dementia Hub (AKA our Beacon Shed) this morning with a warm welcome. If the heat is too much on the patio, we'll meet inside the Manr restaurant ☀️

Our dementia hub offers

✨ Specialist emotional and practical support & guidance for family carers and people living with dementia
🥰 Peer support and the opportunity to connect with others
☕️ A warm welcome and a drink ☕️
ℹ️ Find out about what dementia services are available for your needs

We love meeting new people so if you’re looking for advice, support, or simply a friendly space to connect, we’d love to see you 💚

Here's our telephone number if your unsure where we are
☎️ 07726 765368

23/06/2026

😴 Let talk about sleep.

💤 Sleep problems are common in people living with dementia. They can experience changes in their circadian rhythm (body clock) that can work against getting quality sleep.

💤 Signs to look out for are; increased agitation, added confusion and distress, especially at night.

💤 Things that can contribute: change in routine, over sensory stimulation, caffeine, alcohol, medication or pain.

💤 People with dementia can also be affected by sleep disorders i.e.Restless legs syndrome (RLS), Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), sleep apnea and depression.

💤 Sleep disorders can also affect carers. The disruption to routine, worry the person is at risk i.e up in the night or wanting to go out.

⤵️ Below are some tips that support sleep hygiene and a lℹ️nk to a great F R E E booklet on the challenges of sleep by The Scottish Dementia Alumni.

https://livingwithdementiatoolkit.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SLEEP-FINAL.pdf

23/06/2026

🎹 Music, memories, and smiles 🎹

Brian comes to Beacon shed on Friday's. He used to play the organ in pubs, clubs, and care homes, so when our Dementia Support Worker Matt brought in a keyboard, Brian was more than happy to take a seat and play for us all.

Its amazing how music can quickly create smiles, spark memories and bring people together. Everyone enjoyed the performance.

As Kevin summed it up perfectly: "A brilliant day!" 😁
Thank you, Brian, for sharing your talent and helping create such a special afternoon 💚