Wales / Cymru news
Find out about our activities in
Wales - news, events, fundraising and volunteering
opportunities.
Giving evidence to the National Assembly about residential
care
Steve Ford, our chief executive, and Val Baker, whose
relative has Parkinson's and lives in a
nursing home, spoke to the National Assembly for Wales on 2 May
2012 about residential care for older people.
Val and Steve spoke about issues that affect people with
Parkinson's, including the need to involve specialist Parkinson's nurses in people's care.
Our full news story: Evidence to
National Assembly on residential care services in Wales
Walk in the Park for Parkinson's
All across Wales
people came together to raise money to find a cure for
Parkinson's. 12 walking events took
place during Parkinson's Awareness
Week.
Our Llanelli Branch got off to an
early start on Saturday 14 April walking around the lake at
Sandy Water Park.
The group of over 30 walkers joined together to raise awareness
of the condition and raise funds for a cure that means so much to
them.
Find out about the other walks that
took place around Wales.
Fabulous Forties Night raises £1,515
Congratulations to our Newport
Branch who raised an amazing £1,515 at their Fabulous Forties
Fundraiser.
Around 160 people dressed in their Second World War finery to
attended the event at Ponthir village hall on 17 March
2012.
Swing singer Heather Marie and dance troupe Belle Amie
entertained the guests along with 1940s entertainer Major Swing Tim
Handley.
Organisers Ben and Sandra Dobbs, of Newport, chose the charity
in memory of Mrs Dobbs' dad, Joseph Hegarty, who had Parkinson's
when he died 4 years ago, aged 83.
Social Services bill consultation
New proposals to reform social services in Wales, including
giving people more control over the care they receive and increased
rights to assessments of their needs have been announced by the
Welsh Government. Proposed
legislation will:
- allow Welsh Ministers to consider extending the range of
services available by direct payments, meaning people will have
more control over the services they use
- introduce national eligibility criteria and ensure people are
assessed on what they need, rather than just on what services are
available locally
- introduce portable assessments, which means people will be
entitled to similar services if they move from one part of Wales to
another without having their needs re-assessed if they haven't
changed
- require local authorities to provide information to carers on
their rights and the services available to them in their local
areas
- overhaul workforce regulation
A consultation
on the proposals has been launched and Parkinson's UK will be
submitting a response. We would welcome your input to this
response.
Please provide any feedback by Friday 18 May 2012, to Carol
Smith, Campaigns, Influence and Service Development Officer, email
csmith@parkinsons.org.uk, or
call 0844 225 3715.
Newport Branch Awarded £3,704 through Grab a Grant
Congratulations to our Newport Branch
who have been awarded £3,704 after being shortlisted for the
Grab a Grant
Competition, funded through the Big Lottery. 10 projects were
shortlisted and showcased in the South Wales Argus and over 2,000
votes were received.
The money
will be used to buy 6 consoles, balance boards and hold Wii taster
and therapeutic treatment sessions. Consoles can also be lent out
to members.
Jenni McCabe, Newport Branch member said:
"We've identified the Nintendo Wii as a very beneficial tool to
allow people with Parkinson's to become more physically
active.
"It helps improve mood and combat the anxiety and depression
that many people with Parkinson's experience."
A big well done to the branch and thank you to all those who
voted!
Lesley Griffiths AM meets Wrexham Parkinson's nurse
February 2012
Welsh Government Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has met the
specialist Parkinson's nurse she helped to get appointed in
2011.
Having a Parkinson's nurse has made a huge difference to people
with Parkinson's in Wrexham, after years of campaigning.
Full news story: Welsh Health Minister
meets local Parkinson's nurse
Assembly inquiry into Residential Care
The National Assembly for Wales' Health and Social Care
Committee are conducting an
Inquiry into Residential Care for Older People.
Our response to
the Inquiry into Residential Care for Older People (Word,
255KB)
The inquiry looked at a range of aspects including:
- how people enter residential care and the availability of
alternative community services
- the staffing issues of residential care provision, including
the right skills mix and access to training
- the experiences of service users and families
- quality of residential care services
- effectiveness of regulation and inspection arrangements
To find out more please contact Carol Smith,
Campaigns, Influence and Service Development Officer for Wales on
0844 225 3715 or email cisdo.wales@parkinsons.org.uk.
Hardest Hit event on disability benefits, Cardiff
A big thank you to everyone affected by Parkinson's
who came out in Cardiff on Saturday 22 October 2011, as part
of the
Hardest Hit rallies and marches that took place across the
UK.
Around 5,000 people came out at rallies and marches across the
UK to show government just how unfair these cuts are.
The message to government was that people with disabilities and
conditions such as Parkinson's are being unfairly targeted by the
coalition government's cuts programme.
You can see all our photos from the weekend's marches and
rallies across the UK on our
Flickr page.
Latest Wales newsletter
Our Autumn
2011 newsletter for people affected by Parkinson's in
Wales is now available. Some of the items featured in our
Autumn edition include:
- Campaigning for Parkinson's nurses in Wales
- Information on how we're providing learning support to
community pharmacists in Wales
- Putting a stop to dyskinesia
Calendars for research
Our
Chepstow and District Support Group has produced a calendar for
2012 featuring some of the brilliant paintings that their
members have done via their weekly art class.
Proceeds from the calendars go towards funding our
vital research.
Calendars are £5 each and £1 postage and packing, and can be
paid for by a cheque made payabale to Parkinson's UK,
Chepstow and District Support Group.
To order your copy, contact Anne Hughes on 01291 623465 or email
angelh@talktalk.net.
Wales campaigns - Have your say
Promoting the impact of Parkinson's nurses
We launched a new report -
Parkinson's nurses - affordable, local, accessible and expert care.
A guide for planners in Wales - at the National Assembly
in July 2011.
The report champions the work of Parkinson's nurses in Wales and
highlights how they help save the NHS money. It's part of our Fair
Care for Parkinson's campaign.
If you're in Wales and affected by Parkinson's, take part in
our campaign to tell your Assembly Members about the
importance of Parkinson's nurses.
Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010
The Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010
received Royal Assent in November 2010 and is a key step forward in
providing support to carers. The measure will place new duties on
the NHS and local authorities in Wales, to work on their own or in
partnership, to prepare and publish a carers' strategy.
The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on draft
regulations and guidance to support the implementation of this
measure. The regulations and guidance aim to address the gaps in
provision of services for carers, and to ensure consistent
standards.
Our response to the Carers
Measure consultation (Word, 237KB)
White Paper on social services published
The Welsh Assembly Government has published a White Paper on
social services -
Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for
Action - in February 2011.
The paper puts in place a framework for meeting the challenges
facing social services in the next decade and beyond. And it sets
out priorities for action.
It aims to reshape and refocus social services in order to
ensure that they remain strong, and can continue to meet citizens'
needs and aspirations.
Get involved in fundraising
There are so many ways that you can help us to help people
affected by Parkinson's, and ensure people in Wales get the support
they need.
-
Hold a Party for Parkinson's
- Involve your company, workplace or social
club
Whether you want to hold a one-off event to
support people with Parkinson's, or make us your charity of the
year, we would love to hear from you. There are many exciting ways
in which you and your colleagues and friends can get
involved.
-
Hold your own event
You may already be organising
a local event - anything from an art exhibition to a weekend
ramble. Why not support us by simply adding sponsorship, an auction
or a raffle to your existing plans?
- Trusts and foundations
Help us to support more people with Parkinson's in Wales. Find out
about opportunities to fund a range of projects in Wales, from
nursing posts to education initiatives.
- Make
a donation to help people with Parkinson's
To find out more about any of these opportunities to support us,
contact our Wales Regional Fundraiser, Sara Bass on 0844 225 9835
or email rf.wales@parkinsons.org.uk
Get involved in volunteering
There are lots of opportunities to volunteer with us in Wales,
from joining one of our local branch committees, to helping us at
events or getting involved in fundraising in your area.
Volunteering can help you to share your existing skills or to
develop new ones. All new volunteers receive an induction and
support from our team.
If you are interested in knowing more about volunteering with
us, we would love to hear from you. To find out more, contact:
More
about volunteering your time to help people with
Parkinson's
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