It’s all change for the Befriending team at Engage with Age. We say thank you to Eileen McQuillan who covered Sarah’s maternity leave, and wish Hannah Lockhart good luck as she goes for her maternity leave. It’s a welcome back to Sarah Gordon who returns, and welcome to Sharyn Ruseckas who is covering Hannah’s maternity leave.
The Befriending Officer role is job shared between Sarah and Sharyn, and they can be reached telephone 07423 702721 or email befriending@engagewithage.org.uk
The Greater Belfast Seniors Forum (G6) has written to Department for Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd, urging him to keep the 60+ SmartPass.
While the NI Assembly was suspended the Department for Infrastructure carried out a consultation on possible cost-saving changes to the 60+ SmartPass scheme. Over 20,000 people responded with overwhelming response to keep the 60+ SmartPass.
Now that the NI Assembly has resumed, G6 Chairperson Rita Murray wrote to Minister O’Dowd stating: “ There are no positive aspects to withdrawing the 60+ SmartPass. The negative impacts far out-weigh short-term benefit. The stark choices for older people these days is to choose between: Heat, Eat or Meet. Please enable older people to support our economy and their own health.”
Minister O’Dowd has replied saying: “While my intention is to retain the concession for the 60-64 group, decisions on future eligibility for concessionary fares must be affordable within the budget made available to the Department.”
To stay up to date with latest development, follow Engage with Age on its Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/EngageWithAgeBelfast/
Engage with Age’s PAL Project is opening another new group, this time to support people living with dementia and their carers. Carers Cafes have started springing up to provide support for people who are carers of people living with dementia. There are carers cafes in East, South, North and West Belfast.
One issue that has arisen is that carers are sometimes unable to attend as they haven’t been able to get supervision of the person they care for while the carer is attending the café.
Engage with Age has teamed up with EBCDA and now offers the Open Doors Café which takes place alongside the Carers Café. While carers go in to one room for respite and support, their loved one goes into a different room in the same venue to participate in fun activities such as crafts, music and conversation. This means that both carers and those they look after can both enjoy some “me time”.
The first Open Doors Café is taking place on Tuesday 19th March 2024 between 10.30am and 12noon in Walkway Community Centre, 1-9 Finvoy Street, Belfast BT5 5DH.
Booking is important to we know haw many people to expect, so to book in call Paul on 07437 174793.
It’s time to get your glad rags and your dancing shoes on. The Slipped Disco™ is back! Join DJ Groover and DJ Rhythm Bandit for a Spring disco with the best music from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
7.30-9.30pm, Monday 19th February 2024
At the Oh Yeah Centre, 15-21 Gordon Street, Belfast BT1 2LG
For tickets call Engage with Age on 028 9073 5696
Or book online at: https://slippeddiscofeb2024.eventbrite.co.uk
Admission free but booking is essential.
Can you spare as little as one hour a week to help brighten the lives of
older lonely people in Belfast?
Engage with Age is seeking volunteers to help run its PAL Project
activity groups and telephone befriending.
The “PAL” in the PAL Project stands for People Addressing Loneliness.
The project provides company and friendship for older people who have
experienced loneliness and isolation. The project has activity groups
that meet every week, and telephone befriending for older people who
want some company over the phone.
Volunteering with Engage with Age is a really easy and satisfying way to
improve the lives of older people. All volunteers are supported by staff
and the time commitment can be as little as one hour per week.
Pictured are Peter Newman and Alan Dawson, both volunteers. Alan
says: “Why not give volunteering a go. In my case I help organise a
walking group. We have a walk, have a talk, have a cuppa and make
new friends. I get a lot out of giving a bit of my time on a weekly basis.
What’s not to like!”
To apply to become a group activities volunteer click here:
https://www.communityni.org/job/group-activities-volunteer
To apply to become a volunteer telephone befriender click here:
https://www.communityni.org/job/volunteer-telephone-befriender-0
The deadline for application is 29th February 2024.
If you would like to speak to someone about these roles, telephone
Engage with Age on 028 9073 5696.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy
Christmas and a peaceful new year. We can’t believe it’s already that
time of year again, and would like to thank everyone who has got
involved in our work over the last year, our staff team and also the board
of trustees. It has been a really enjoyable year and here’s to another
one in 2024. Merry Christmas from all at Engage with Age.
Engage with Age is delighted to welcome new staff to its team to work
on the PAL Project.
Joining Engage with Age are (pictured left to right), Sarah Gordon, Paul
Hendry, and Hannah Lockart. Sarah and Hannah are job sharing and
will be running the PAL Project Befriending Scheme. Hannah starts in
November, while Sarah will join Engage with Age in March 2024, until
which time her part of the role will be carried out by Eileen McQuillan.
Paul is running the PAL Project Activity Groups and made a start at the
end of October.
For further information on our new team check out our staff team page
on this website at: https://engagewithage.org.uk/about-us/our-people/
It’s back, it’s spooky and it’s groovy!
Join us at the Spooky Slipped Disco, 7.30pm Monday 30th October 2023
at the Oh Yeah Centre.
Enjoy the best hits from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, played by DJ Groover
and DJ Rhythm Bandit. Admission is free though booking is
recommended as the event often sells out.
There will be prizes for best fancy dress (fancy dress is optional), there
is a full bar, and the event runs from 7.30-9.30pm.
To book online click this link:
https://TheSpookySlippedDiscoOct2023.eventbrite.co.uk
or you can call Engage with Age on 028 9073 5696.
Positive Ageing Month is back and it offers a wide range of activities for
older people across Belfast. A project of Belfast City Council’s Age
Friendly Belfast programme, Positive Ageing Month has advice
sessions, excursions, film screenings and social events. The ever
popular “Be Prepared” event is back, as is the Older People’s
Convention.
Engage with Age is delivering 12 different events for Positive Ageing
Month including “MOT” sessions for older people’s groups, the
“Remember I Forget” exhibition at 2 Royal Avenue throughout the
month, online dementia training, and The “Spooky” Slipped Disco™.
For more information on Positive Ageing Month log on to:
https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/community/children-youth-and-
seniors/seniors/age-friendly
For information on Engage with Age’s activities follow us on Facebook
on https://www.facebook.com/EngageWithAgeBelfast
Engage with Age is recruiting trustees to join its board. Can you spare
some time to help us improve lives for older people in Belfast?
Engage with Age seeks to empower older people to lead happy, healthy,
independent, and more connected lives. As a registered charity, Engage
with Age has a board of trustees that is responsible for making sure the
charity provides good benefits to the community. The Trustees’ work
includes helping to develop a strategy for the organisation and
supporting and seeing that this strategy is delivered.
Engage with Age also seeks to recruit a new Treasurer on its board of
trustees.
Trustees with Engage with Age meet five times per year to support the
charity’s ongoing work. Trustees also meet as members of sub-
committees working on finance, governance, and operations. The
Trustee role is voluntary though reasonable out of pocket expenses are
paid.
To find out more, get a Trustee information pack and apply, please log
on as follows:
Trustee applications: https://www.communityni.org/job/trustee-engage-
age-voluntary-role
Treasurer applications: https://www.communityni.org/job/treasurer-
trustee-engage-age-voluntary-role
Engage with Age can accept referrals of individual older people aged 50+ who are at risk of loneliness and social isolation, inviting them to participate in group activities. Engage with Age offers one-to-one telephone befriending support for individual older people but does not currently provide in person visits to individual older people. To make a referral please complete the on-line Referral Form and submit or alternatively please print off a copy of the PDF Referral Form and send it to us. See also the Referral Criteria for details of who can be referred.
Referral Form Referral Criteria