Our projects

Thelma Harvey Memorial Prize

We set up the Thelma Harvey Memorial Prize in 2019 to reward innovation in care and give recognition to those who make a positive difference for people with dementia. Our first prize was was awarded at the annual Hospice UK Conference in 2019.
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Thelma Harvey (pictured seated on left with our supporter, Carol Williams on right) was the founding Chair of the Hope for Home Board of Trustees. She brought her immense personal and professional experience to our development, and to our projects supporting people with dementia and with Parkinson’s Disease at home.

Sadly, after 10 years as Chair, Thelma died in 2018. To recognise Thelma’s fantastic contribution and commitment we set up the Thelma Harvey Memorial Prize in 2019. This award was facilitated by a generous donation to the charity by a close friend of Thelma’s.

The aim of the Prize is to recognise individuals or teams who have made a positive difference by supporting unpaid carers who look after people with dementia in the last phase of life in their family home.
The Prize was first awarded in November 2019. We were delighted to receive three excellent submissions. The judging panel included representatives of Hope for Home and Hospice UK. The panel commended all the submissions on their compassionate support and work with people with dementia and their families.

After careful consideration the Care Improvement and End of Life Care service Carer’s Course, was chosen as the prize winner. The project was led by Emily Pardoe-Billings at St Giles Hospice in Whittington (West Midlands).

You can watch a film of the awards ceremony here:
https://www.hospiceuk.org/what-we-offer/courses-conferences-and-learning-events/conferences/hospice-uk-national-conf/hospice-uk-awards
More details about 2019 Winner

The Carers Course is a four week informal course to support unpaid carers with knowledge about dementia and how to prepare for the future. The programme is run by dementia social workers and other palliative care professionals. The judging panel were particularly pleased that carers were involved in the design of the programme. The team undertook careful evaluation of carers’ learning and feelings about the content, and the carers’ experience of the course informed its ongoing development of materials and curriculum.

At the time of the award, 13 courses involving 71 carers had been run with very positive feedback from all who had attended. Another benefit of the course was that it could be transferable, and other hospices which heard about it at the Hospice UK conference were interested in piloting the course.

Christ Church Gipsy Hill

In December 2017, we founded a Dementia Hub at Christ Church, Gipsy Hill.
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This collaborative venture is a two-year project offering regular support by way of a weekly group for people with dementia and their carers.

In addition, people living at home with dementia are offered companionship and practical support from a trained ‘compassionate neighbour’ – a trained volunteer from a new national project run by St Christopher’s Hospice, Sydenham.

Volunteers are jointly trained by Nicky Rothwell, our professional Coordinator, and by Stephanie Turner, Community Participation Lead from St Christopher’s Hospice.

St Cuthbert's Durham

In February 2017, Hope for Home formed a new partnership with a St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Durham.
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Namaste is a Hindu word meaning 'to honour the spirit within' – something that becomes increasingly difficult for the person with dementia to express as their condition progresses.

Namaste Care is one way to continue to connect with the person's likes, interests and life experiences to really honour the essence of who they are.

Our Trustees had been working with their (then) Admiral Nurse, Sharron Tolman, since Sharron attended our Namaste Masterclass in June 2016.

This masterclass, funded by Hope for Home, inspired Sharron to introduce Namaste care for people with dementia at home in her local area. Two of our Trustees worked with Sharron and her colleagues writing bids and project plans to secure funding for this project. Following successful bids to various Trust funds, funding was secured and this work, replicating our project with St Joseph’s, continues now.

In March 2018 we heard the fantastic news that our partner, St Cuthbert’s Hospice in Durham, had received a promise of new funds to continue their Namaste Care project, providing support for people with dementia and their unpaid carers at home in her local area.

Two of our Trustees have been working with members of St Cuthbert’s to get this project started.

This project replicates our project with St Joseph's Hospice.

Hospice UK

In June 2015, we partnered with Hospice UK in publishing a substantial and comprehensive report about hospice-enabled dementia care.
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Beginning with a year-long funding project in 2013, we set about to identify areas of excellence in dementia care delivered by hospices in the UK.

Our report, Hospice Enabled Dementia Care: the first steps, was a guide to help hospices establish care for people with dementia, their families and carers.

It includes an executive toolkit to help those hospice leaders who might wish to develop new services for people with dementia and their carers, listing examples of current good practice so that people interested in replicating services elsewhere may have a point of reference.

St Joseph's Hackney

Our first project, begun in 2014, delivered Namaste care at home for people with advanced dementia using trained volunteers in partnership with St Joseph's Hospice in Hackney.
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Namaste is a Hindu word meaning ‘to honour the spirit within’ – something that becomes increasingly difficult for the person with dementia to express as their condition progresses.

Namaste Care is one way to continue to connect with the person's likes, interests and life experiences to really honour the essence of who they are.

Inspired by the work of Professor Joyce Simard (now a Patron), we used trained volunteers in the London Borough of Newham to give hand massages, to gently comb a person's, to deliver aromatherapy, to provide reminiscence and to offer special treats.

These processes contributed to ensuring quality of life.

Our work providing support for family carers of people with advanced dementia in their own family home, had never been attempted before because the notion of using trained volunteers to deliver Namaste to people with advanced dementia living at home seemed too risky a notion.

Our partnership with St Joseph's has been extremely fruitful and positive in every way.

We are proud to say that when our original funding ended St Joseph's readily took up the challenge to continue the scheme, which continues to be resoundingly successful.

This success has been very apparent to the local community, with word spreading rapidly about the positive impact of our work.

It was expanded into the neighbouring London Boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets and continues now funded by the NHS.