Wokingham Borough Connect
 An appetite for change
Last week we held the second of two workshops to look at how we can make Direct Payments the best they can possibly be for you. We had a mix of residents who have used Direct Payments, care providers, council officers and voluntary organisations who support people with Direct Payments.
We worked together to come up with ideas to tackle the issues we had uncovered in our first meeting. We did this by thinking about what is already happening that we can build on, what community solutions might exist, and how we could be more innovative.
What happens now?
At the end of the day, we turned our ideas into action plans, so we can see how to make change happen as quickly as possible. We are going to take these ideas to our Social Care Future Core Group for support and will be able to share an update soon about the changes you can expect to see as a result of this project.
What did residents who were part of the project think about their experience?
Residents who attended said “This has been a friendly, open, good humoured and honest conversation”, “You can feel this is a subject close to people’s hearts. I don’t feel like I’m fighting the system anymore”, and “It has been good to have the time to think about things in a different way”.
 Language matters – let’s rewrite social care
Social Care Future is working nationally to build strong public and political support for change. They want to change the public story about social care, about the lives of those of us who draw on its support today, and the valuable role it could play in improving all of our lives in future.
“We did not believe that we would be able to make progress on securing the future we wanted without changing the ways social care is talked about and thought about: as a broken system in crisis that ‘looked after vulnerable people that cannot look after themselves.’ By changing how we talk, we can build public support for investment and change.” Social Care Future
We agree change is needed and it made us curious.
What are the words you think we need to change to describe social care? Have you heard social care jargon used that’s confusing? Are there labels or phrases that make you go hmmmm? Please let us know by sending your word or words to us at getinvolved@wokingham.gov.uk, because we want to start some work locally to change the language we use.
If this is a topic you are interested in, check out Bryony Shannon’s fabulous blog, ‘Rewriting Social Care’
 Helping you make plans for the future
Residential and nursing care provides one choice for people who find that living in their own home is no longer the best and safest option for them.
Our ambition is to create comfortable and welcoming places where people can spend their later years securely and contently, surrounded by the people and things they love, in a community where everyone looks out for each other, doing the things that matter to them.
As part of this we purchased a residential home in September 2023. Since then there have been lots of positive changes and the home has been renamed as Bluebell House Residential and Nursing Care. The building is being updated, with the refurbishment set to make it a more dementia-friendly and welcoming environment.
As we prepare some information for residents to help them decide if Bluebell House is the right place for them, we’d like your thoughts on what we should include. What would you want to see or read to help you make a decision? Whose opinions influence you when you are making a choice like this? Please email us your feedback at getinvolved@wokingham.gov.uk.
Support your wellbeing with the Recovery College
Next week (13 to 19 May) is Mental Health Awareness Week. It’s important that you take some time to look after your own health and wellbeing to make sure you stay safe and well.
A great way to do this is to sign up for a course with the Wokingham Recovery College. The Recovery College offers free mental free mental health and wellbeing courses, workshops, and support groups.
Whether you have never accessed support for your wellbeing or you have tried services before, the college aims to help you find something that empowers you to find new ways of responding to difficult experiences. Wokingham Recovery College is a safe space where you can be yourself, free from judgement.
They offer a range of co-produced courses designed to teach skills for self-management of emotional well-being alongside peer support groups. Aiming to provide the knowledge and skills for improving understanding of mental health.
The courses cover a range of well-being related topics. Each course involves taught theory, peer discussion, and activities. A group agreement is in place for all sessions to ensure that everyone feels safe and comfortable.
We would like to thank the Centre for Ageing Better for some of the photos we have used in this newsletter which belong to their free Age-Positive image library.
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