Our response to covid

Support through Coronavirus

Throughout the pandemic Tibbs Dementia Foundation radically transformed its support and service provision to continue to provide a wide range of accessible and relevant services and activities for people affected by dementia and their families. As restrictions slowly began to lift we embraced a new hybrid style of working combining the face to face services and activities that are valued by so many with the digital learning and new skills we’ve all learnt through lockdown so that we can reach and support more people in ever more accessible and meaningful ways. we have established a new timetable which we hope will enable all to feel connected and supported as part of our valuing and dynamic community. Our current zoom services are outlined on our Service Timetable page.

Through the pandemic we have received a great deal of support enabling us to continue to deliver our valued work. We are grateful for the following funding:

BEDFORDSHIRE CORONOVIRUS EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND managed by Bedfordshire and Luton Community Fund (BLCF)
Anglian Water Positive Difference Fund
NET Coronavirus Programme (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Independent Age
Harpur Trust
The COOP
Gale Family Trust

Stride out for Memory 2020

This year we Strode out in a Different way. Instead of our usual walk as a community, raising awareness and funds together we invited people to walk in their family or friendship bubbles over the weekend of 19th and 20th September.

We Strode, strolled, skipped and stomped walked far and wide, proudly wearing our Tibbs colours and raising awareness, funds and hope for a better world with dementia.  Priory park, Bedford park, Mowsbury park. The Northampton Wetlands, the Golden Cap in Lyme Regis, Castle Ashby. Hampshire, Greenwich, The Embankment, Clapham woods. Willington, 8 mile circular walk from Southwold to Dunwich, Grenada. The Norfolk Coastal Path, Stagsden, Ingleborough Park, North Yorks, Dunwich Forest, Suffolk.

Between us we raised the fantastic total of £2,200 to support our ongoing work enabling us to continue supporting people to continue to live as well as possible as part of a vibrant and welcoming community.

Huge thanks for the continuing support of Bedford Modern School who produced the wonderful collage of pictures and video from the event showing that although we can’t walk together we remain a strong and dynamic community, Striding apart, together.

Stride out for Memory 2020

Click to enlarge

The Gallery

Through Covid 19 we’ve quickly and creatively adapted continuing to support each other as a dynamic, welcoming and caring community. Although we’ve been apart we’ve retained our sense of togetherness , our resilience and spirit has shone through. Here are a few things we’ve been doing to stay curious and connected.

The Zoom Poetry Group

Through Covid 19 we’ve quickly and creatively adapted continuing to support each other as a dynamic, welcoming and caring community. Although we’ve been apart we’ve retained our sense of togetherness , our resilience and spirit has shone through. Here are a few things we’ve been doing to stay curious and connected.

The zoom poetry group is a new interest special interest group reflecting the renewed interest in poetry and how during lockdown seemed to help us find a way to express and find meaning in different and challenging times.

‘How to lift lockdown’ was written by Brian it’s about lockdown, it’s quirky, it mentions everyone in the Poetry Group and it reflects the bond of friendship and support that has grown between us.

How to Lift Lockdown Gloom by Bruan Allin

There once was a Teacher of English
Whose students were ancient and fiendish:
She led them each week
And urged them to speak
Of rhymes from the best of the British.

Their meetings were all held by Zoom
And relieved the Lockdown’s grim gloom;
As Brian was not literate
And Lesley an expatriate
Cliff sent him and the rest to their doom.

The research which was needed took weeks
And required hours of internet tweaks:
The hero was Chris
Whose choice was never amiss
And now we’re technology geeks.

The renown of these Google superia
Was profound amongst Tibbs intelligentsia;
They set a fine pace
And led all in the race
To reject all the Lockdown hysteria.

Elva suffered obvious frustration
And Alison thought we discredited the nation
But Robert and Tony –
Both learned, not phony –
Caused Sarah to burst with elation.

‘Sisyphus’ we feel reflects the resilience we are all needing to find and the hope for better things. It also touches on a classic myth many will know.

Sisyphus

The world is heavy.

We carry the weight of our futures while struggling through the present.

I push my stone up a mountain for three days.

Parking ticket.

I wake up at the bottom of the hill and push again.

Maybe I break a sweat this time.

The paper I spent two weeks on floats by.

C-

The air feels hotter.

The mountain looks taller from the bottom this time.

An angry tear falls on my cheek.

I push again,

but I get a call from my mother.

Grandma’s sick.

I roll back down the mountain with my stone.

My knees are bleeding now, but I start again.

I pay the ticket. I study harder.

I drive back home.

Though I shake and my body is bruised I push my stone again.

A shooting nearby

I push

A melted glacier

I push

He called me a n—-

I push

I’m weary

I push

I push, and I fall, and I brush myself off, and I push.

It pains me to fall,

but I persist.

If I never push, I’ll never see the top,

and I can only imagine the beautiful view when I make it.

The blood stains and scars won’t matter when something wonderful stands before me.

‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree, reflects the range of choices made each week. Our theme was Peace and reflects the need for all of us to try to find moments of peace and calm to protect our mental and emotional well being.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a-glimmer, and noon’s a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

William Butler Yeats 1865-1939

Cognitive Stimulation therapy group (CST)

Through lockdown we adapted our Cognitive Stimulation therapy group (CST) and now enjoy these sessions on zoom. We work through our orientation sheet together, sing, enjoy a physical activity and then discuss the topic of the week. This could range from Childhood memories to Afternoon tea. Whatever we do we always have fun and share plenty of laughter together.

Downloads

Childhood memories
Afternoon tea
Orientation