Lottery funding awarded by Jersey Community Foundation brings art and music therapy to people affected by dementia

Following changes made in 2021, CI Lottery proceeds are now awarded with 50% of the proceeds going to the Arts, Culture, Heritage, Sports and Science sectors via the Jersey Community Foundation.

In the recent round of grant applications, Jersey Dementia was successfully awarded £9,583 to help provide art and music therapy to stimulate and engage with people living with dementia.

The regular weekly activities not only improve the well-being of those living with dementia but also offer respite to their carers who also attend these organised sessions. Additionally, some of the funds are being used to help create a 2022 Christmas card designed by someone with dementia which will be sold to raise funds for the charity.

People with dementia can often, in the later stages of their disease, have a limited ability to have rational thought. Some are no longer able to speak or walk unaided, and many have problems recalling recent events. However, the part of the brain which controls their emotional memory is less impacted and so stimulating the brain with music from their youth or performing simple tasks like painting by numbers can have transformative effects on quality of life.

Painting has been found to be particularly valuable in helping people living with dementia to communicate in a non-verbal way; when verbal communication is more difficult or has been lost. Research also suggests that listening to music or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioural benefits. Music has the power to relieve stress and reduce anxiety, agitation and depression, but also to be uplifting and joyous.

Susie Kelly, Volunteer and Activities Co-ordinator at Dementia Jersey said: “We are delighted to have received this grant from Jersey Community Foundation to enable us to offer these weekly art and music therapy activities. Musical memories are often preserved in dementia when other types of memories are lost and painting and drawing allow for the power of imagination which can make people living with dementia to feel more connected to the world and those around them. We have had an incredibly positive response to the activities so far and are looking forward to continuing to provide these facilities to deliver real and noticeable benefits to all those who attend.”

 Anna Terry, CEO of the Jersey Community Foundation added, The CI lottery proceeds are there to benefit the whole of our island community. We are delighted with the way that Jersey Dementia is using the arts to help people living with dementia to express themselves and stimulate their minds as well as providing an enjoyable and safe space for them and their carers.”

Citizens Advice Jersey launches a new website

Citizens Advice Jersey has today launched its new website, created by marketing and digital agency, The Refinery. The previous site had served Citizens Advice Jersey and their clients well for 25 years, with its most recent full update being in 2015.

 

Citizens Advice Jersey provides independent, confidential and impartial advice that Islanders need for the problems they face. They champion the rights of individuals and promote equality and justice for all.

 

The Refinery were proud to be selected to work with a local charity after a tendering process of local organisations. Funding was gratefully received from the Government’s Fiscal Stimulus Fund and all was used locally before the year end 2021.

 

The new website has been specially designed with high accessibility, so as many Islanders as possible have access to the vast amount of free information and guidance that the charity can supply. It is an example of modern web design; visually attractive, intuitive and a great resource for the whole community.

 

The new, future-proofed website works seamlessly across multiple devices. The content management system has been updated with enhanced search facilities and streamlined editing.

 

Claire Mulcahy, CEO of Citizens Advice Jersey said: “Our existing website had become outdated and we were struggling to ensure that the content was up to date. We have worked closely with The Refinery to ensure that the new website works for everyone, whether they require the information in a different language or are visually or physically impaired. Some of our clients can come to our office or use the phone to seek help, but many people want to look up information on our website, something that has been especially highlighted by COVID-19. We are confident that it is now much easier for our clients to find the initial information that they need, and we are then available to further assist when necessary.”

 

Alaistair Jerrom-Smith, Technical Director at The Refinery added: “We have made sure that the website for Citizens Advice Jersey has been designed from the ground up to be both highly secure and accessible, conforming to level Double-A of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. Content management is also particularly important with over 700 pages of information that need to be maintained, so we have used a system that can be self-managed and updated so that staff and volunteers are able to quickly find and update any information with the added benefit of using a platform that can be cost-effectively developed for future functionality.”

 

Deputy Susie Pinel, Minister for Treasury and Resources, said: “I am pleased that the funding we provided is being used to launch a much needed website for Citizens Advice Jersey. I am sure many Islanders will benefit from having information and guidance easily accessible, now more than ever.”