| Annual Report 2009 |
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. Christian Council on Ageing
Annual Report 2009
Registered Charity Number 289463
THE AIMS OF CHRISTIAN COUNCIL ON AGEING
The Council believe that it is essential to see older people as a resource, both in their churches and in the community; and not simply as potential recipients of care. This belief underlies the following specific aims:
To explore the Christian potential and vocation in later years and to nurture the continuing development of personal faith and growth
Membership of the Council is open to any individual who professes to faith in Jesus Christ - the intention is to be as inclusive and ecumenical as possible.
CONTENTS
· Chairs report
· Dementia Group Report
Chairperson's report
The attached reports of the various activities of CCOA during 2009 give an indication of what has been happening and I feel that I need to break with convention and write about the future, rather than highlight what has already been said in other reports about the past year.
The year was saddened by the death in June 2009 of Mannes Tidmarsh who was a driving force behind the founding of CCOA and an inspirational influence on its work until the time of his death. It is also with deep regret that I record the death of Paula Francomb in April 2010. Paula, like Mannes, was a founder member and indefatigable worker for CCOA. The wise counsel of both Mannes and Paula will be missed, particularly at a time when there is a need to re-focus CCOA and find a revitalised role in serving and representing older Christians in the circumstances of the present day.
The Executive Committee has been much concerned in recent months with how the profile of CCOA might be raised and how we might best develop the founding purposes of the organisation. There are now a number of other charitable bodies with aims that overlap those of CCOA but, like us, struggle with limited resources. The Executive Committee feel that we must look to co-operation and joint working wherever possible to maximise the impact of the respective finite resources. To this end, I have begun meeting with the like-minded organisations to discover what they do and where mutually beneficial joint working might be possible. At the end of this fact finding process with the individual bodies, it is planned to have a gathering of all of them so that plans for co-operation and joint ventures can be explored and firmed up.
The Executive Committee recognises that CCOA has strengths - the Dementia Group, the Research Group, the publications programme,(existing and planned) and plus - but is also concerned that we have other objectives and strategies in place. To this end we have produced a document which will be circulated before the AGM, so that those present can express their opinions and feed in their ideas. I would urge as many members as possible to attend the AGM, on 23rd. June 2010 at the Central United Reformed Church, Sheffield, to take the opportunity to share thoughts and also hear Dr. Mike Lowis present the results of CCOA's research into Older People - lifestyle, attitudes and faith. I would like to thank my fellow trustees for the work they have undertaking during 2009 and the commitment they have shown to securing a purposeful future for CCOA.
May God prosper the work we do under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Jo Kennedy
Membership Report
Sadly, yet again the number in membership has dropped.
When there is a reason given it is usually that finances are stretched or that the focus of a member's interest has changed. It is hoped that the move towards organising small conferences around the country will help to stimulate an interest in other potential members.
Sue Kennedy
Publications
SalesSales in 2009 were down on 2008, from 463 to 363, almost certainly because there were 2 less bookstall events. An advert was placed in ‘plus' (Winter 09) asking for volunteers to run bookstalls in their area but to date there have been no expressions of interest. There were 15 sales through the website, 17 through other means, mainly post, and 6 bookstalls. Overall £799 was taken and £392 spent - £407 in the bank.
PublicationsThere has been work on a number of possible publications and one, Dying and death by Gerry Burke, is now available. The other possible publications Committee have been considering include a book of poetry on old age, a book of prayers for specific occasions of significance in old age, and a replacement title for Dementia: a Christian perspective.
They have also considered other areas where a publication might be useful, including caring, celebrating old age, and an action plan for churches and the elderly.
‘plus' From August 2009 it was necessary to change the printing arrangements for the magazine as Helping Hands was no longer able to provide the service at a low enough cost. The work was transferred to Imprint Services, Northallerton who have the added advantage of being local to the Publications Secretary. The process has become much quicker as copy is reproduced exactly as sent - any mistakes are therefore down to the Publications Secretary!
It has been agreed that the current edition of ‘plus' will be sold at cost price but only to members requiring extra copies. Back copies will be free to members and limited numbers will be used as publicity items at book stalls labelled as free samples.
As any editor knows it is difficult to constantly produce enough suitable material for the magazine and the editorial team would welcome feedback. It is hoped to have a short time for this at the Annual General Meeting.
PublicityThe general information leaflet has been brought up to date and is now in use.
The website has received 16,071 hits since March 2007 and still generates enquiries and around half of sales. While it is up to date for the most part it would benefit from having someone to have an overall responsibility for this task.
Sue Kennedy
CCOA Research Working Group Annual Report for 2009
The Group was very sad to lose one of its founder members, the late Mannes Tidmarsh, but was pleased to welcome Rev'd Rob Merchant as replacement. In addition to the writer, the other Group members are Rev'd Albert Jewell and Rev'd Michael Jackson
The main activity during the year was to continue the on-going study into the coping mechanisms used by older people, and factors that can impact on life satisfaction (or "optimal ageing" as some researchers like to call it). Now in its fourth phase, this work continues to be done in collaboration with The University of Northampton. There are several advantages with this arrangement, including having access to the university's library and data bases, the availability of powerful computer programmes for statistical analyses, and the vetting of research proposals by the university's Ethics Committee. Additionally, it enhances credibility when submitting articles to academic journals.
Reports on previous phases of the project have appeared in the pages of "plus". Phase 3 found that the stresses of a person's pre-retirement occupation can carry over into retirement and have an adverse impact on life satisfaction and self-assessed health. Considerate employers can help to avoid this by letting an employee take on less stressful but nonetheless equally valuable roles such as training, developing and mentoring junior staff, and consultancy in their final year or two before retirement. Appropriate retirement training courses that address this issue can also help. One academic paper on the third phase results has already been published and others are under review.
Phase 4 is now in progress, and we were delighted that so many CCOA members responded to the invitation published in "plus" to participate in the postal questionnaire. In total, including non-members, 102 useable forms were returned for analysis. For this study we were particularly interested in investigating how spiritual
and religious beliefs can help provide meaning in life, and how faith can impact on thoughts about death and the afterlife.
We also asked questions on a broader range of coping strategies, and on interest and participation in the arts as these have been shown to have a positive impact on life satisfaction. The results are currently being analysed and will be summarised in "plus" when available.
The Research Group is keen to centre their efforts on issues that are specifically relevant to the aims of CCOA and its members. We would welcome ideas, thoughts and comments, as well as criticisms, so please do feel free to contact any member of the Group or the Executive if you wish have a say. The writer will have the privilege of addressing the 2010 AGM on 23rd June, and will not only present some of the research findings but will invite discussion on the future role of the Research Group. We would welcome your presence and your contribution at this event.
Dr Mike Lowis, (Chair, Research Working Group)
Current Issues Group This is really a ‘virtual group' enabling the co-ordinator to consult with appropriate persons by phone or email about public issues that arise. The past year has been dominated by the Dementia Strategy which has been dealt with by the Dementia Group. It is likely that consultation will be necessary once the new government makes firm proposals about resourcing future care of older people.
Albert Jewell (Co-ordinator)
DEMENTIA GROUP
Historically, the Group arose from the CCOA Dementia Project in Newcastle in which for some years Laraine Moffitt was employed as project worker. It has continued in existence to provide a forum and support group for individuals who are involved in dementia care or have an interest in this important subject. It comprises some 20 members and usually about a dozen get together for its twice yearly meetings in York. Our most recent involvement has been in making submissions to the government's National Dementia Strategy and the Nuffield Council's consultation on ethical issues. Our contribution has involved an emphasis upon holistic person-centred care which gives due place to religious and spiritual needs and requires appropriate training for care workers. We are currently monitoring the outcome of these reports and have greatly benefited from the presence of Dr Daphne Wallace who is a member of the national Dementia Strategy reference group. Our meetings usually involve focus discussions which this year have comprised a presentation by Dr Clive Baldwin about the work of the Bradford Dementia Group and the showing of the Caritas Social Action Network's video ‘Its still me, Lord ...' . We recommended to the Executive Committee making a contribution of £250 towards the publication of a short innovative series of Bible study/prayer booklets published by Scripture Union in consultation with ourselves. The Secretary is in process of editing a Jessica Kingsley book on ‘Spirituality and Personhood in Dementia' in which eight present or former members of the Group are making contributions The Dementia Newsletter continues to be produced twice a year and is distributed to around 200 people, mostly by email attachment which saves CCOA a great deal of money. Albert Jewell (Secretary)
CHRISTIAN COUNCIL ON AGEING, MERSEYSIDE BRANCH ANNUAL REPORT, 2009 The branch has followed the pattern of other years, holding two meetings during the year, and seeking to make others in churches and caring institutions aware of the work of CCOA, and, more importantly, of the spiritual needs of older people and the opportunities that are available for them. Our AGM in April was addressed by Jane Otterson, Chaplain of the Mayfields Methodist Home, Ellesmere Port, for people with dementia. Jane spoke about her work, and more generally about the needs and opportunities for work with people with dementia. It was a very stimulating talk, and a very good attendance of our members and others benefitted considerably from her ideas, empathy and encouragement. Our October conference was, for various reasons, poorly attended. This was particularly unfortunate, since the topic: the importance of spiritual care in nursing older people, was an important one, and our two speakers were very good. Sheila Dunbar, Senior Lecturer in Nursing at Liverpool John Moores University, gave an overview of the issues, including recent government policy papers. She was followed by Jane Cripps, who gave a fascinating account of the Parish Nursing scheme in America and Britain, with a lot of illustration from her own work. This was a really exciting session, raising a lot of new issues for all of us, and people left determined to explore how these ideas could be developed further in their own work. We remain frustrated by the difficulties of getting more people involved in local CCOA work. It is quite clear that many churches are active in supporting their own older members, and other older people in their areas, but they are working in isolation, and could benefit from CCOA's work in publicising ideas for developing this work. Yet time and again we come across people who have never heard CCOA. At one level, we clearly need to improve our own publicity methods, but it is also regrettable that denominations show little interest in this field, compared, for example, with work with young people. The Committee has continued to be hard working and enthusiastic, and I would offer my thanks to them for all their support. Although it happened after the year of this report, it would be wrong to conclude without mentioning the death of Paula Francombe on Easter Day, 2010. Paula was a founder member of CCOA nationally, and remained one of its most active members. Her enthusiasm at both national and local level was infectious, and although she was latterly limited by severe arthritis, she never allowed it to stop her work, or to slow down her enthusiasm and cheerfulness. Paula exemplified everything that CCOA stands for, and we will miss her terribly, while at the same time giving thanks for her wonderful life. John Lansley, Secretary, April 2010.
PATRONS Rev Martyn Atkins Rev'd Jonathan Edwards Rev'd Esme Beswick, MBE Commissioner John Matear, SA Rev'd Roberta Rominger Rev'd Mark Fisher Rt Rev'd Christopher Herbert
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Vice-president Mrs Elizabeth Harbottle Chair Mr Jo Kennedy Vice-chairs Canon Michael Butler Revd Albert Jewell Secretary Mrs Christine Hodgson (in attendance) Hon Treasurer Sister Maureen Murphy Members Capt. Doreen Bland Mrs Joyce Bullen Mr Tony Flynn Rev Graham Hawley Mrs Mary Kessler Rev John Lansley Rev Kathleen Lees Dr Michael Lowis Rev Rob Merchant Mrs Janet Parker
GENERAL ENQUIRIES MEMBERSHIP Christine Hodgson Mrs Sue Kennedy 6 The Ridgeway "Stoneway"Hornby Road Market Harborough Appleton Leics. LE16 7HQ Northallerton DL6 2AF Tel - 0845 604 7366 E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
PUBLICATIONS DEMENTIA GROUP Mr & Mrs J Kennedy Rev Margaret Goodall "Stoneway"Hornby Road 24 The Chequers Appleton Castlethorpe Northallerton Milton Keynes DL6 2AF MK9 7HG
LOCAL CONTACTS Merseyside Revd. John Lansley East Anglia Canon Michael Butler
CCOA Publications
'Being Rather Than Doing' David Wainwright £1.50
‘Dementia and spirituality: an introductory reading list - 2004' £2.00
‘Dementia and spirituality: an annotated bibliography - 2004' £3.00
'Dementia - A Christian Perspective' (Revised Edition) Alison Froggat and Eileen Shamy £2.00
'Dementia, Ethics and the Glory of God' Malcolm Goldsmith £2.00
‘Dying and death' - Gerry Burke £2.50
'Frequently Asked Questions on Spirituality and Religion ' Jo Airey, Gaynor Hammond, Pam Kent and Laraine Moffitt £1.00
'The Great Pilgrimage of Discovery' Jeffrey Harris £0.50
'Is Anyone There' - Video or DVD £15.00 ( inc transcript, notes, 'Guidelines for worship and prayer' and' Spiritual needs' workshop notes)
‘Jubilee milestones' Paula Francombe, Jo Kennedy and Mannes Tidmarsh £3.00
'Learning Through Losses' Elizabeth Harbottle £1.50
'Light of Faith' George Appleton £2.00
Newcastle Dementia Project 'Practice Guide' Laraine Moffitt £6.00
'Religious Practice and People with Dementia' Brian Allen £3.50
'Residential Care, A Christian Perspective' Alison Johnson £2.50
'Resuscitation: Whose Decision?' Peter Drury, Tony Flynn and Kevin T Kelly £3.00
Spirituality of ageing Archbishop Anthony Bloom £2.00
Thoughts for meditation - one £3.00
Thoughts for meditation - two £3.00
Visiting older people - Canon Michael Butler(ed) £1.50
Vocation to retirement - Mannes Tidmarsh £1.00
What next? A meditation on the four last things - Fr Anthony Hodgetts £1.50
Worship in residential care - Canon Michael Butler(ed) £2.50
(All prices include postage and packing - cheques made payable to CCOA please)
Available from: CCOA Publications. Stoneway, Hornby Road, Appleton Wiske, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL6 2AF Or: http://www.ccoa.org.uk/
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