Caremark Thanet Raise Money for East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal

Our Charity Quiz Night

On Friday 8 December 2017 we (Caremark Thanet) held a quiz night in aid of East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal. Even the atrocious Margate weather could not keep our valiant quizzers away from what proved to be a spectacularly successful evening. On the night £366.60 was raised, which, in the new year, we will make up to £800. 

Managing Director, Garry Costain, and Business Development Manager, Jemma Clayton, draw the Raffle.

Everyone at Caremark Thanet sends a very big thank you to each of you who came along, bought raffle tickets and donated raffle prizes. Your wonderful generosity will go directly to help people in Thanet living with dementia. A special thank you must go to Bernie, the owner of Bernie's Chocolate Bar, for allowing us to use her superb venue located on Margate sea front, and for organizing the questions and compering the quiz.

Caremark Thanet and Bernie's Chocolate Bar

The quiz night is the third event Caremark Thanet has held with Bernie's Chocolate Bar.  In June we held two events: a Great Get Together, in celebration of the values of Jo Cox, and a Charity Comedy Night, once more in aid of East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal. The comedy night raised £1200, which means that this year we will have raised £2000 for the Appeal.

Presenting the Cheque

We will arrange to present a cheque for £800 to the East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal sometime early in the new year.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Caremark Thanet Presents a Cheque to East Kent Hospital's Charity Dementia Appeal

Dementia affects an estimated 850,000 people in the UK. This is expected to rise to over one million people by 2025. In Kent, there are currently some 22,000 people living with dementia. This figure is expected to rise to 30,000 by 2026. There could be thousands more people living with dementia that is as yet not diagnosed. It is estimated that in the UK there is one person every 3 minutes diagnosed with dementia.

Dementia is not a disease itself but is caused by other diseases; Alzheimer's disease, perhaps, being the most widely known of these causes. There is no cure for dementia. Historically, dementia research has been underfunded. This under-funding has meant that the progress in dementia research has been slow, when compared with other areas of medical research.

Although there is no cure for dementia; there is help. Often this help comes through the work of charities. One such charity is the East Kent Hospital's Charity Dementia Appeal. On June 30 2017, Caremark Thanet was pleased to team up with Bernie's Chocolate Bar to sponsor a stand up comedy night for the East Kent Hospitals appeal.

The evening was a runaway success. The twelve talented comedians kept the audience laughing. One of a number of comedians making his debut at stand up comedy was Caremark Thanet's financial controller, Jay Harrison. Jay was the youngest performer on the night and proved a real crowd pleaser.

A fantastic £1,200 was raised on the night, and the cheque was presented by Caremark Thanet and Bernie's Chocolate Bar to representatives of the dementia appeal. From left to right in the photograph above are: Berine Morgan (owner of Bernie's Chocolate Bar), Lorna Shadbolt, Joy Marshall, Karan Scrivener (dementia nurses), Jemma Clayton (Business Development Manager, Caremark Thanet), Garry Costain (Managing Director, Caremark Thanet) and Vicky Adley (Fundraising and Development Officer, East Kent Hospital's Charity).

The money raised will be spent on facilities at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Comedy Night Raises £1200 for East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal

East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal will receive £1200 in the next few weeks. This is the sum of money raised  last night - 30 June 2017 - from a charity stand-up comedy night held at Bernie's Chocolate Bar in Margate and sponsored by Caremark Thanet.

Caremark Thanet and Bernie's Chocolate Bar

The charity comedy night is the second event organised by Caremark Thanet and Bernie's Chocolate Bar. On 16 June 2017, we held a Great Get Together, in celebration of the values of Jo Cox. Our Charity Comedy night was held to raise money for East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal. We have requested that the money raised goes to the QEQM Hospital in Margate.

The evening was a fantastic success, but it could hardly have failed. Our venue - on the seafront in Margate - is stunning. If you've been to Bernie's you'll know what I mean. The hospitality was - and always is - exceptional. The comedians were outstanding. The audience was receptive, warm and appreciative. And everyone was generous. 

Thanet's Talent

The people who performed for us were all very different. Our oldest performer was 86; our youngest was 22; one or two were seasoned performers; one or two were less experienced; some were first timers. The one thing they each had in common was their talent. Thanet should be enormously proud of  the very talented people who live and work here. We were truly entertained by twelve of those remarkable talents last night. 

Some of those first time performers had been coached by Bernie in the work she is doing with Ageless Thanet. Bernie should be congratulated; her students did not let her down.

Caremark Thanet's Own Talent

I could not end this article without drawing particular attention to one performer. I do this only because, by day, this comedian works for Caremark Thanet. His name is Jay Harrison; he works in our office as our Finance Controller. He took to the stage last night; it was his first time; his performance was magnificent. 

We should have expected nothing less because, by night, he is The Caped Comedian 

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Thanet Has a Super-Hero: The Caped Comedian

A special announcement: this article will end with another special announcement

By day, Jay Harrison is an ordinary man, doing an extra-ordinary job, in a remarkable office, staffed by unforgettable people, working for the World’s Best Company (as voted for (following heavy bribery) by Jay Harrison and the unforgettable people he works with). But by night he becomes: The Caped Comedian.

At the age of 17 Jay’s life was transformed when he ate genetically modified mango chutney while watching old Abbott and Costello films. He woke up at 3.00 am with an urge he just could not control; an itch he could not scratch; a craving so strong he could think of only one thing; he had to find relief and he knew relief could be found in only one way: He had to be funny.

Five minutes later, Jay told his first joke- to himself. His craving was satisfied for the time being and he knew where his destiny lay: from now, his life would be dedicated to ridding Thanet of the evils of grumpiness. But first he had to learn how to control his super-power.

By day Jay wasn’t working. This is a problem for this article because it means that by day, as Jay Harrison, he wasn’t at this point in our story an ordinary man doing an extra-ordinary job. He needed to be, because we need to be able to say in this article – purely because it gives a narrative coherence to the article - that by day, as Jay Harrison, an ordinary man doing an extra-ordinary job he could never be funny or else his cover would be blown, and people, innocent people, might be harmed.

However, by night, as the Caped Comedian, he could use his super-power mercilessly and mirthfully against the forces of grumpiness. But controlling his uncontrollable urge would not be easy because it was uncontrollable.

He knew that with great power comes great responsibility (sorry that’s Spiderman). He knew he was the most powerful being on earth (oops no that’s Superman). He knew he was Bruce Wayne (Batman). Frankly, he knew very little, apart from the fact that he had to get a job so that by day he could be – and we can say he was - an ordinary man doing you know what.

And he did get a job. He became by day an ordinary man doing …something. He became Caremark Thanet’s Financial Controller.  At first, just one reckless, witty monosyllabic quip from his almost infinite store of reckless, witty monosyllabic quips could reduce a co-worker to a helpless, howling, undisciplined, uncontrollable, rolling, reeling, laughter junkie. The only cure for her would be to go cold turkey while listening to re-runs of the Money Programme, first aired on Radio 4 during the financial crash.

Over-time, Jay, an ordinary… has learnt to control his super-power. He uses it now only when he becomes the Caped Comedian and only against the grumpy people.  And only in Thanet.

And now a special announcement: 

The Caped Comedian will be appearing as Jay Harrison at the Charity Comedy Night at Bernie’s Chocolate Bar on 30 June 2017 starting at 7.30pm. This event is sponsored by Caremerk Thanet where an ordinary man named Jay Harrison works doing an extra-ordinary job. Money raised will go to East Kent Hospital’s Dementia Appeal. Jay Harrison an... invites you to attend. Be there or you’ll be somewhere else.

Another special announcement: 

This article ends with this special announcement. You’ve read the article; you’ll see the act, now, look out for the film: The Caped Comedian staring Daniel Radcliffe (in the most challenging role of his career) as the Caped Comedian in the film The Caped Comedian staring ….

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Can You Answer The Question: What Is Comedy?

What Is Comedy?

Working in domiciliary (home) care is a serious business; so a little light relief is always welcome: And there are few more effective ways of delivering that relief than through comedy. Have you ever wondered, though, what comedy is? if you have; you are in fine company. Stan Laurel is on record as saying: "A friend once asked me what comedy was. That floored me. What is comedy? I don't know. Does anybody? Can you define it?"

Stan Laurel, one half of one of the greatest comedy double acts in history, did not know what comedy is. Can you believe it? 

If that has got you thinking about what comedy is; let me tell you that I have the answer. Sadly, the great man died some time ago so I cannot share it with him. I can, however, share it with you. But why should you believe me? That is a very good point; a very good point indeed. You do not know me, and I must confess that my qualifications for answering the question do not rank highly.

Having confessed to one deficiency, I might as well go on a roll. I'm not actually able to tell you, in so many words, here and now, in this article, what comedy is. But if Stan Laurel didn't have the answer; I'm in good company

I'm not be able to tell you the answer; however, I can do something much better than that. I can show you what it is. At least, I can if you accept my invitation to a charity comedy evening. At this event, there will be a group of well qualified people who will demonstrate the art of comedy. This group of people will be performing at our charity comedy evening. Allow me, then, formally to invite you to:  A Charity Comedy Evening at Bernie's Chocolate Bar, sponsored by Caremark Thanet. The event starts at 7.30 pm on Friday 30 June 2017.

Now you know where to find the answer to the question "what is comedy?" why not come along? In doing so, you will not only have the balm of insight applied to the itch of curiosity you will also be helping the worthiest of causes:  East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal.  

Dementia

Dementia is not a disease; it is caused by other diseases.  Dementia respects no-one. It has no sympathy for illness, for gender or status. It is not a natural part of aging though age makes us more susceptible. Dementia will touch the lives of many of us. It is estimated that in Thanet there are over 2000 dementia patients and this figure will rise to approximately 3000 in 2026. In Kent the figures are over 22 000 current patients rising to over 30 000 in 2026.

Please Join Us

I hope you can join us on 30 June. We have a wonderful cast of comedy talent lined up. Some very experienced; some less so including one or two first time performers. We have old and young: there is a 60-year age gap between our oldest and youngest performers.

Whatever money is raised on the night Caremark Thanet will match up to £500.

The cost is £5 on the door. Please tell your friends. Please share this article with your friends. There’s no need to dress up, but you can if you want: and if you do dress up, as Stan’s partner Ollie didn’t say: “that’s another evening dress I’ve got you into.”

I promise the jokes on the night will be far superior to that.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Support Our Dementia Appeal

Did you hear the one about the circus lion who ate a clown? He said never again because the clown tasted funny. You thought that was a bit cheesy, did you? Personally, I thought it was grate.

There's nothing like high class comedy: And that was nothing like high class comedy. However, I'll let you into a secret: I know where you can find high class comedy in Thanet. It's a secret I'm sharing with you but keep it to yourself because places will be limited. The place is Bernie's Chocolate Bar, 12-14 High Street, Margate, CT9 1AT; the date: Friday, 30 June 2017; the time 7.30 pm.

You can be sure that  in this place (Bernie's Chocolate Bar), on this day (Friday 30 June 2017) at this time (7.30) there is a stand up comedy night where the quality of the jokes will be far superior to what is on offer in this article. But this event is more than just a showcase for some of the regions comedic talent. It is also an event that will raise money for East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal.

Dementia is an evil, hideous, horrible condition. Dementia is not itself a disease. It is an umbrella term that refers to symptoms caused by a number of illnesses, of which Alzheimer's disease is, perhaps, the most widely known. There are probably, however, a hundred or more illnesses that can cause dementia.

The shadow of dementia will touch many of us. It is estimated that in Thanet there are over 2000 dementia patients and this figure will rise to approximately 3000 by 2026. In Kent the figures are over 22 000 current patients rising to over 30 000 by 2026.

To raise money for East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal, Caremark Thanet has teamed up with Bernie's Chocolate Bar to bring you a a charity comedy night. Caremark Thanet will match the sum of money raised on the night up to a maximum of £500. We have requested that the money raised goes specifically to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Come along and join us. The price of entry is just £5 on the door. We have a wide range of performers. Our youngest performer is 23 years old; our oldest is 86. Some of our comics are very experienced; some are not; one or two are first timers. Old or young; experienced or novice; all our performers want your support. And in supporting our comics you will also be supporting the most worthwhile of charitable appeals.

Alternatively, you could stay at home and wait for my next article on the subject of comedy. Did you hear the one about... .

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Caregiver Training Part III: Refusal to Bathe | UCLA Alzheimer's and Dem...

East Kent Independent Dementia Support

Dementia touches the lives of many of us. It is estimated that in Thanet there are over 2000 dementia patients and this figure will rise to approximately 3000 in 2026. In Kent the figures are over 22 000 current patients rising to over 30 000 in 2026.

Dementia is not itself a disease. It is an umbrella term that refers to symptoms caused by a number of illnesses, of which Alzheimer's disease is, perhaps, the most widely known. There are probably, however, a hundred or more illnesses that can cause dementia.

One of the most difficult things for people whose lives are affected by dementia is where to go to find support and advice. In East Kent we are very lucky to have a number of organisations, one of which, in particular, is East Kent Independent Dementia Support (EKIDS for short). I have singled out this organisation for mention in this article because today I, along with a colleague, attended one of their monthly support group meetings, where we were made very welcome indeed.

EKIDS is a support group in East Kent for people living with dementia and for their families and carers. There are five locations (see the website for details), where meetings are held, usually once each month at each location. (EKIDS do a great deal more than this, but I'll keep this article brief). The meeting we attended was at St Christopher's church in Newington, Ramsgate.

At the meeting we attended, there was a speaker named Christine Cuss, who gave a very interesting and moving talk about growing up during the blitz. In adult life, she discovered a diary kept by her father addressed to her. Christine has published this diary as a book entitled Notes to my Daughter. Proceeds from the book are donated by Christine to the British Legion.

There are a number of impressive things about EKIDS; I will mention just three. First, you are sure of a very warm welcome. If you want to attend a meeting, you can contact them in advance (01227 730000; enquiries@ekids.org.uk), or you can just turn up. Either way you will be made very welcome.

The second impressive thing is that the people there genuinely feel they are supported; it is difficult to put a price on that.

And thirdly, the people in this group are a fantastic source of knowledge. They probably do not have the answers to everyone's questions, but someone will probably be in a position to know where the answers can be found.

If you want more information about EKIDS:
go to their website: www.ekids.org.uk
telephone: 01227 73000
email: ekids.enquiries@outlook.com

They also have a Facebook page that is well worth a visit.

If you or someone you know is affected by dementia, EKIDS may be well worth looking more closely at.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Do You Want to Work as a Live-in Care Worker

Caremark Thanet: Providers of Outstanding Domiciliary Care to the Residents of Thanet

We are looking to recruit a small number of live-in care and support workers. At the moment we have a particular demand in Broadstairs.

If you would like to find out more about the opportunities that are available with us please telephone me on 01843 235910. However, before you do that, please read the following article:

http://thanetcare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/what-do-we-look-for-in-potential.html

This article tells you a great deal about the type of company we are and what we look for in care and support workers.

You can also visit our website: www.caremark.co.uk

and Facebook page: facebook.com/caremarkthanet

If you feel that we are the type of company that you would like to work for: telephone me now.

Will You Support John’s Campaign?

What Is John’s Campaign?

I want to tell you about a campaign; it’s a very special campaign; you may have heard of it; you may not; it’s called John’s Campaign. If you’ve heard of it you’ll know how important it is; if you haven’t heard of it, let me tell you why it’s important; it’s important because it deals with an issue that will touch the lives of many of us at some point: John’s Campaign is the campaign for the right to stay with people with dementia in hospital.

The campaign was named after Dr John Gerrard who died five weeks after entering hospital in November 2014. John was aged 86 when he died. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when he was in his mid-70s. He went into hospital to have treatment for leg ulcers. His family described his decline as catastrophic.

Going into hospital is unnerving and unsettling for most of us. For someone with dementia who is already confused, insecure and frightened the experience is something that we can only try to imagine. How can any society with any claims to being a compassionate one deny people with dementia the comfort of having a familiar figure with them when they are in hospital? One of the most important elements of support that people with dementia can be given is the reassurance that comes from having trusted people with them.

June Andrews, Professor of dementia studies at the University of Stirling puts things starkly: “…for many [people with dementia], getting admitted [to hospital] is the top of a slippery slope.” To find out what things might be encountered once on the slippery slope I recommend Andrews’ article to you. Further information is provided as follows by the Alzheimer’s Society:

• Over a quarter of hospital beds in the UK are currently occupied by people with dementia
• The average stay of a person with dementia is three weeks but it can be much longer if rehabilitation is a problem or there is nowhere suitable to go
• One third of people with dementia who go into hospital for an unrelated condition NEVER return to their own homes
• 47% of people with dementia who go into hospital are physically less well when they leave than when they went in
• 54% of people with dementia who go into hospital are mentally less well when they leave than when they went in

As things stand, there is no general right for carers, family or friends to stay with people with dementia when they are in hospital. Practice varies from hospital to hospital and from ward to ward. By supporting John’s Campaign you will be supporting the right to stay with people with dementia in hospital.

What Can You Do?

1.      Go to the website of John’s Campaign, in particular this page, which explains different things you can do.

2.      Download, read and disseminate widely the John’s Campaign Statement.

3.      This is an election year. You can question candidates about how they and their parties stand on the issue.

4.      Write to your local NHS trust and ask what its policy is.

5.      Go to the John’s Campaign Facebook page, like it and encourage all your friends to do the same.

It strikes us as almost unbelievable today that there was once a time - and it was a time in the not too distant past - that parents were not allowed to stay with their sick children in hospital. The generation who won the right for parents to stay with their children when they are in hospital is the generation who will benefit when John’s campaign succeeds.

If you have read this far, please support John’s Campaign.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.