Welcome to the Health BOCS Update, the monthly update on Health and Wellbeing activities at The Brothers of Charity Services in England.
May Promotion
As part of Health BOCS, the Brothers of Charity Services’ health and wellbeing programme, throughout May we promoted, Dementia Awareness Week.
Dementia Awareness Week
Dementia Awareness Week also known as Dementia Action Week, takes place between the 20th and 26th May. During this week, everyone is asked to take actions, both large and small to help make everyday life better for those with dementia; working to create a dementia-friendly UK where those with dementia do not feel excluded.
There are 850,000 people in the UK who are affected by dementia, and it does not just affect the elderly. 40,000 people in the UK under the age of 65 suffer from early onset dementia. It is believed that by 2015 the number of people who have dementia in the UK will have risen to 2 million!
In 2018 it was decided that the name of the week would change to Dementia Action Week in order to recognise the fact that whilst raising awareness of issues surrounding dementia is important, more actions needs to be taken to create the chance in communities that people with dementia want and need.
During the week a range of fundraising events from sports events to bake-offs and quizzes will be taking place across the UK for this amazing cause.
Click here to find out more.
June Promotion
As part of Health BOCS, the Brothers of Charity Services’ health and wellbeing programme, throughout June we will be promoting: Learning Disability Awareness Week; National Volunteer Week; Diabetes Awareness Week and National Carers Week.
National Volunteer Week
Volunteers’ Week is a chance to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK.
It takes place 1-7 June every year and is an opportunity to celebrate volunteering in all its diversity. During the week, hundreds of events and celebrations take place across the country.
Diabetes Awareness Week
Diabetes Week is an annual event to raise awareness of diabetes and funds to support the work of Diabetes UK. This year, Diabetes Week takes place from 10th to 16th June and will aim to increase the public’s understanding of diabetes. This will help to tackle the stigma many people dealing with all types of diabetes feel.
Diabetes is complicated and hard to understand for people who aren’t dealing with the condition, so this week’s aims to help people to know more about diabetes. Not just as a condition, but about how it feels to live with it.
National Carers Week
Carers Week 2019 supports carers to be healthy and connected and highlights the physical and mental strain felt by unpaid carers.
The physical and mental strain of caring “jeopardising” unpaid carers’ ability to care in the future. Lack of sleep, performing care tasks and the impact on their finances names as top stressors by unpaid carers. Eight national charities have come together to call for urgent support for unpaid carers to be Healthy and Connected as new research released at the start of Carers Week reveals the toll that caring can take on many carers’ own health and wellbeing.
Almost three quarters (72%) of carers in the UK said they had suffered mental ill health as a result of caring, while well over half (61%) said their physical health had worsened.
Unless more support is provided, national charities are warning that the UK’s carers won’t be healthy enough to care for loved ones in the future.
Learning Disability Awareness Week
Learning Disability Week 2019 will take place from 17 to 23 June and will be all about sport and inclusion. From 17 to 23 June, we want as many people as possible, with and without a learning disability, to get involved in inclusive sporting activities in their local communities.
