SHINING A LIGHT DOWN LIFE’S MEMORY TRAIL

Ty Golau is a shining light in the lives of Carmarthenshire’s older peope who have slight memory problems, Alzheimer’s or dementia type illnesses.

The inspiring project that has been running six years brings joy and happiness to the client users stimulated by the fun packed memory jogging sessions.

The Ty Golau or “House of Light” project running in Llanelli and Kidwelly, once weekly, is attracting more than 45 to the combined sessions – and there is room for more.

Activities include reminiscence therapy, reality orientation, quizzes, music and movement, sing-a-alongs, indoor gardening, ice cream making, life story work and so much more including refreshments and cakes.

The full-of-energy and fun volunteer staff who are all self funded work in line with Welsh Government National Action Plan for Wales and National Service Framework for Older People.

They welcome personal enquiries and receive direct referrals from local health boards and other partner organisations like the Alzheimer’s society.

But they a looking for more referrals from council and privately run residential homes. Carers and family members can attend and enjoy the sessions as much as the visiting client users . Or the clients can be left in capable professional hands to allow carers a morning’s respite.

Carmarthenshire  council executive board member for Social Care and Health, Cllr. Jane Tremlett, praised the volunteers at the Antioch Centre in Llanelli for providing “true care in the community”.

She said, “Ty Golau never fails to impress me with their specialist care which provides interesting and stimulating activities for people with dementia.  There is always much joy, laughter, interaction and fun.  I always look forward to my visits.”

Occupational therapist, Janet Lewis, who manages and inspired Ty Golau, said the health and wellbeing facility for the fifty-plus had taken over her life and home.

Her husband, the Rev Brian Lewis, has created an extension on her home to store the many memory jogging artifacts she has accumulated for her varies weekly sessions ranging from schooldays to holidays and wartime memories.

The most recent at Llanelli focussed on “back to schooldays” that had clients talking about everything from the cane, having to wear the dunce’s cap, inkwells and nib pens and school diners and custard drowned desserts to screeching chalk on blackboards.

Kidwelly’s last session clients were entertained to Scottish themed morning and clients enjoyed samples of haggis and a “sniff” of whiskey

Mrs Lewis is encouraging domiciliary carers or residential home carers or managers to contact her for more information if they want to attend either the Kidwelly or Llanelli sessions held respectively on Wednesdays and Thursdays on 01554-890896.

All the sessions are interlaced with sing-a-longs from the Ty Golau song book packed with all the old songs most clients recall off by heart from “Run Rabbit” to Vera Lynne’s “Blue Birds Over the White Cliffs of Dover.”