SHARED LIVES AND DEMENTIA EVENT THURSDAY 9TH MAY The FINAL end of project event with Shared Lives South West and Innovations in Dementia Thursday 9th May 2013 McDonald Burlington Hotel, New Street, Birmingham   A national event about Shared Lives as a support service for people with dementia.  The aim of the day is to [...]

What does Shared Lives South West? How do I make a referral? How does Shared Lives South West monitor placements?   Over the next month you’ll be able to find out the answers to these and any other questions you might have about Shared Lives South West. We’re holding two drop in sessions for Care [...]

Shared Lives South West has won a prestigious award in the Great South West Care Awards for 2012.  The award was announced on 16th November at a gala event in Bristol, presided over by the comedian Dom Joly.  This award event, part of the Great British Care Awards, was one of a series of regional [...]

13 to 21 October will mark the first annual Shared Lives Week and there are events running across the region to celebrate the best kept secret in adult social care; come and join us! Shared Lives is a unique type of social care, where one household shares their lives, families, home, interests and experience with [...]

A regional joint event with Shared Lives South West and Innovations in Dementia Tuesday November 27th, 10.30 a.m. to 3.00 pm Ramada Bristol City Hotel, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, BS1 6NJ The aim of the day is to increase awareness and stimulate interest in using Shared Lives to support people with dementia across the South West [...]

I’m helping Shared Lives South West to raise money whenever I shop online – could you do the same? It’s very simple – just visit http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/sharedlivessw/ to register and shop with over 2000 well known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, eBay and many more. Whenever I buy something, the retailer makes a donation to Shared [...]

One of our service users and their Shared Lives carer was recently featured in the Guardian newspaper in the Family Section. Lisa is a young mother and Dawn Jago, a carer with Shared Lives South West was able to support her during her pregnancy and with her new baby. Lisa and baby Tia have now [...]

Following a recent advertising campaign in Torbay, Gareth Bevan was excited to see an enormous picture of himself on one of our banners, which just so happened to be attached to railings right opposite his house in Paignton. Shared Lives carer, Jo Reynolds said “Gareth is delighted with his most recent fame!”.  Jane Bell, chief [...]

Leanne Easterling is 31 years old and has a severe learning disability and autism. She has always been very artistic and loves making things. The adult day care centre that she attends in Penzance has always encouraged her art work and she has sold many paintings and items of pottery. In recent years she has [...]

Shared Lives South West has been shortlisted as a national finalist in the National Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement Awards 2012/13.  These awards recognise success and partnership in Government procurement, and Shared Lives South West is a finalist in the GO Best Service Award – Small Businesses/Third Sector. We were shortlisted after we made [...]

New film now available. Our new film, made for us by Biggerhouse FIlms, is now available for viewing on our website.  The film follows Pat and Roger Criddle and Kay Rhodes, a Shared Lives carer with Shared Lives South West.  Pat carers for Roger, who has dementia and now uses our Shared Lives service to [...]

During 2012, Shared Lives South West will be continuing to develop its work on Shared Lives and dementia. Our new short film – Pat and Roger’s story – NOW OUT! Made for us by Biggerhouse Film, it features Pat and her husband Roger, who has dementia.  Roger has regular breaks through Shared Lives South West [...]

Shared Lives South West would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and very joyous and prosperous New Year. Our offices will be closed from Saturday  24th December until Wednesday 28th December.  The office will be open on the 28th, 29th and 30th of December.  The office will close for New Year from Saturday 30th [...]

Shared Lives South West and its chief executive, Jane Bell are the subject of the Herald Express Big Interview today! This is a regular feature in the now weekly newspaper where someone who lives and works in the area is profiled. The interview coincides with the awareness campaign that Shared Lives South West is leading [...]

Shared Lives South West will be at the Learning Disability Today conference and exhibition in November, showcasing our films about Shared Lives.  The conference is at the Business Design Centre in Islington on November 29th. Shared Lives South West is running a stand with Shared Lives Plus, the national organisation for Shared Lives and small community services [...]

Shared Lives South West is seeking 2-3 additional trustees to join its board.  The organisation has more than doubled in size since 2004 when it was set up, and has plans to do so again over the next three years.  The board therefore needs strengthening in both numbers and skills to help it through this [...]

Shared Lives South West will be featured tomorrow on BBC Radio Devon at about 7.10 am on the Breakfast Show and during news bulletins on Palm FM during the day.  This is due to the launch of an awareness campaign funded by the Department of Health in the South West, which kicks off with our [...]

If you would like to know more about Shared Lives in Torbay, please come along to a public meeting in Torbay, to be held in the new Paignton Library and Information Centre on Great Western Road.  There will be a chance to talk to staff and other Shared Lives carers and to view some new fims [...]

Shared Lives in the south west region is getting a boost, with support from the Department of Health in the South West. The Department of Health is supporting the expansion of Shared Lives schemes across the South West region working with Shared Lives South West.  By raising awareness and increasing capacity the Department hopes that [...]

Shared Lives South West has been celebrating another milestone, having now exceeded 200 Shared Lives carer households. Jane Bell, chief executive commented: “we have been steadily increasing the capacity of the service over the years, and this is a great milestone achievement for the organisation.  When the organisation was set up in 2004 we had [...]

The wonderful new DVD from Shared Lives South West is now available to purchase and to view on the new Shared Lives South West website.  Made for us by Jump Cuts/Bigger House Films, the DVD features six films about Shared Lives and how Shared Lives works for five different households. Filmed on location in Devon, [...]

Shared Lives South West celebrated another successful year with its Shared Lives carers, the people who live and stay with them, staff, volunteers and supporters at a packed Annual Scheme meeting at the Trethorne Leisure Park near Launceston.  Held on Thursday 29th September, in glorious sunshine, over 130 people came from all across Devon and Cornwall to [...]

Shared Lives South West has launched its new website today!  Packed full of information, the website aims to give service users, prospective Shared Lives carers and family carers all the information they need about Shared Lives South West and Shared Lives services all in one place. The website also features Shared Lives TV, which shows [...]