Friends Raising Oodles of Money in (good) Company, more commonly known as FROLICs, held their annual ‘Summer Jazz In The Barn’ at Iden on Saturday, September 15. A large audience was welcomed with a Pimms on arrival, had a delicious Ploughman’s supper and listened to the four piece Benenden Jazz Band and their excellent singer. It was a really fun evening in a beautiful setting.
Money raised from this event will be donated to Dementia UK and Demelza House Children’s Hospice. This article is about the main charity that FROLIC was supporting on the night, and especially the role of the Admiral Nurse in the care of dementia.
Dementia UK are raising funds for Admiral Nurses, who are continually trained, developed and supported by this organisation. Each nurse service is operated in partnership with the public sector or other charities. Living with dementia is a really tough job, both for sufferer and carer, and at times is intensely lonely. Admiral Nurses support families and assist the inevitable problem solving needed. Practical solutions and expert guidance can be hard to find, and they are there to help.
Dementia UK has training and development programmes specifically aimed to ensure these nurses are as up to date as possible in research of and education about dementia. They are working hard to enable more people to have access to this service. There are now five nurses across Kent and it is hoped to fund another for East Sussex shortly. To understand more, go to their website.
You can also help in the fight against dementia by registering your interest at the National Institute for Health Research website. The national website will connect you to the latest research.
To briefly touch on the other charity supported, moving from mainly older people to children. Demelza Hospice Care for children provides care and support to more than 650 families across Kent, South East London and East Sussex. It is all about living a full life, whatever the time span, more information can be found on their website.
Thanks go to FROLIC for organising such a joyful and entertaining event for good causes and to the barn’s owners for allowing it to be used in this way. Watch out for next year’s tickets!
Image Credits: Gillian Roder .