๐Ÿงผโœจ Personal Hygiene Training โœจ๐Ÿงผ

Yesterday, we enjoyed attending an informative and engaging training session on Personal Hygiene. ๐Ÿ›๐Ÿชฅ๐Ÿ‘• A big thank you to Ffion for delivering such an excellent presentation! ๐ŸŒŸ๐Ÿ‘ Everyone who attended learned a great deal about the importance of maintaining good personal hygiene and how it helps to keep us healthy, comfortable, and confident. During the session, Ffion explained why it is important to clean our bodies and clothes regularly. She also went into detail about how to care for different parts of our bodies, including:

๐Ÿฆท Keeping our teeth clean by brushing regularly.
๐Ÿ’‡ Looking after our hair by washing and grooming it.
๐Ÿ’… Keeping our nails clean and trimmed.
๐Ÿ‘‚ Cleaning our ears safely.
๐Ÿงด Taking good care of our skin by washing regularly and keeping it healthy.

Following the presentation, everyone took part in a fun Personal Hygiene Quiz. ๐Ÿ“๐ŸŽ‰ The quiz included questions based on everything we had learned during the session. Congratulations to everyone who took part! Every single participant achieved a fantastic 20 out of 20 score! ๐Ÿ†๐Ÿ’ฏ This shows just how much everyone listened, learned, and remembered from the training.

๐ŸšŒ Travel Confidence Training

Today we had a fantastic Travel Confidence training session with our members, delivered by Marid and Kurtis from Innovate Trust. ๐Ÿ˜Š๐ŸšŒ A special thank you to Marid and Kurtis from Innovate Trust for their support and guidance during the session. ๐Ÿ™

We started planning our bus trip to Pontypridd on 29th September. ๐Ÿ—“๏ธ๐ŸšŒ Members talked about what they need to do before travelling and how planning ahead can help them feel more confident. Members then completed a feedback form about their own experiences of travelling by bus. ๐Ÿ“ We talked about:

๐Ÿ‘ What we like about travelling by bus
๐Ÿ‘Ž What we don’t like
๐Ÿ˜Š Good experiences
๐Ÿ˜Ÿ Bad experiences
๐ŸšŒ How we feel when using buses
๐ŸŒ Travelling and the Environment

We also talked about the best ways to travel that are better for the environment. ๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŒ We discussed how using public transport, walking and sharing journeys can help reduce pollution. We talked about why it is important to give yourself plenty of time to get ready for a journey. โฐ Members learned about:

๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Planning your route before you leave
๐Ÿ“ฑ Using Maps or Google Maps
๐Ÿ  Knowing the address and postcode of where you are going
๐ŸšŒ Checking the bus times
๐Ÿš† Checking train times
๐ŸŽซ Remembering your bus pass
๐Ÿ’ท Taking money if you need it
๐Ÿงก Remembering your orange wallet
โฐ Leaving plenty of time so you don’t feel rushed

The session helped members think about how good planning can make travelling easier and less stressful. It also helped members build confidence and prepare for our Pontypridd trip. ๐ŸšŒ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ˜Š We are looking forward to putting our travel skills into practice on 29th September!

๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽค Music Session Report ๐ŸŽค๐ŸŽถ

What a fantastic music session we had today! ๐ŸŒŸ It was wonderful to see so many of our talented members singing a mix of much-loved old favourites and debuting songs we’ve never had at music before. ๐ŸŽต๐Ÿ’™

Our performers were brilliant:

๐ŸŽค Ffion and Amy had everyone singing along to “Something Inside So Strong” by Labi Siffre โ€“ a truly uplifting performance! ๐Ÿ™Œ
๐ŸŽฌ Rhys entertained us with a song from one of the Ernest films.
โค๏ธ๏ธ Anthony performed the beautiful “On the Wings of Love” by Jeffrey Osborne.
๐Ÿ๏ธ Helen gave an energetic and fun rendition of “Cool Rider” from Grease 2, which had everyone smiling!
๐ŸŽธ Kyle impressed us with the Eagles classic “Hotel California”.
๐Ÿ˜Š Curtis rounded things off with the feel-good anthem “I Love My Life” by Robbie Williams.

A huge thank you goes to Ffion and Amy for running another brilliant session ๐Ÿ‘, Christy for preparing our delicious pizzas ๐Ÿ•, and Cheryl for giving everyone such a warm welcome ๐Ÿค—. Thanks also to everyone else who helps make these sessions such a success each week. ๐Ÿ’™

Our music group is so much more than singingโ€”it’s a place where people can showcase their talents ๐ŸŽค, build confidence ๐ŸŒŸ, catch up with friends โ˜•, enjoy a cuppa and a chat ๐Ÿซ–, and simply have fun together. โค๏ธ๏ธ

It was lovely to hear some of the feedback from our members:

๐Ÿ’ฌ Diane said, “This group is amazing.”
๐Ÿ’ฌ Elizabeth said she loves talking to her friends.
๐Ÿ’ฌ Helen said she had a great time.

Thank you to everyone who came along and made today another memorable session. We can’t wait to do it all again next time! ๐ŸŽถ๐Ÿฅณ๐Ÿ’™

๐Ÿ”๐ŸŸ Reconnect Through Cookery ๐Ÿฅ—โค๏ธ

What a fantastic cookery session we had on Friday! ๐Ÿ˜‹ We enjoyed delicious chicken burgers and fries, with a lovely fresh salad prepared by our members. ๐Ÿฅ—๐Ÿ”๐ŸŸ Everyone got involved and it was absolutely delicious!

A huge thank you to:

๐Ÿ’š Zoe and Cheryl for all your help.
๐Ÿง  Amy for a fantastic quiz, with a few extra questions added by Rees! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ‘
๐ŸŽ‰ Sian for doing bingo.
๐Ÿ  Peter, our caretaker, for setting up the hall for us.

We couldn’t do it without all the amazing people who help make our sessions so special. โค๏ธ Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend everyone! ๐ŸŒž๐ŸŽ‰ Enjoy yourselves and stay safe. โค๏ธ Weโ€™ll see you all Wednesday for Reconnect Through Music! ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽค๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ•บ

Health and Social Care Experiences and Future Improvements

This morning, All Wales People First held a Zoom meeting to hear what people with learning disabilities think about Health and Social Care in Wales. Members of the Senedd want to know what is working well and what needs to change, and All Wales People First is collecting people’s views and will send them to the Senedd to help improve Health and Social Care services. People shared their own experiences and talked about what they think needs to improve. The main issues people talked about were:

๐Ÿฉบ Annual health checks are very important, and everyone should be supported to have one.
๐Ÿง  There are not enough mental health services for people with learning disabilities.
๐Ÿ‘ฉ Women’s healthcare needs to be better.
๐Ÿ” Some people with learning disabilities are not diagnosed properly or are not listened to.
๐Ÿ“‹ People do not always get the follow-up support they need after a diagnosis or treatment.
๐Ÿฆท It can be very difficult to find an NHS dentist.
๐Ÿค Some people felt their social worker was not giving them the support they needed.
๐Ÿ“ Many people have to travel too far for appointments because services are not available close to home.
โณ Waiting times for appointments and treatment are too long.
๐Ÿ’ฌ Better communication is needed between professionals and the people they support.
๐Ÿ‘ฅ More support workers

At the end of the meeting, everyone was asked to take part in a poll. Members were asked to rank which Health and Social Care issues they thought were the most important.
The options were:

โณ Waiting lists
๐Ÿฆท Access to NHS dentists
๐Ÿค Not enough social workers
๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Different services available in different parts of Wales
๐Ÿ’ป Digital systems and personal data
๐Ÿฉบ Preventative care, such as annual health checks
๐Ÿฅ Hospitals being too far away
๐Ÿ’™ Health professionals not understanding people with learning disabilities

โญ The top priorities chosen by members were:
Health professionals understanding people with learning disabilities.
Preventative care, including annual health checks.
Hospitals and healthcare services being closer to where people live.

It was great to hear everyone’s lived experiences and ideas, and All Wales People First will collect all the feedback from these meetings and send it to the Senedd. Our hope is that the Senedd will listen to the feedback we provide, and make changes to improve Health and Social Care services for people with learning disabilities across Wales ๐Ÿ’™

๐ŸŽต Reconnect Through Music Session Report ๐ŸŽค๐ŸŽถ

A huge thank you to everyone who attended today’s Reconnect Through Music session! ๐Ÿ’™ We had a fantastic morning filled with music, laughter, friendship, and plenty of feel-good vibes. Our talented members treated us to an incredible 26 special vocal performances, making it one of our most enjoyable sessions yet. ๐ŸŒŸ Some of the standout performances included:

๐ŸŽค Ffion โ€“ Enchanted by Taylor Swift
๐Ÿ”ฅ Anthony โ€“ Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
๐Ÿš— Rees โ€“ Life Is a Highway by Tom Cochrane
๐ŸŒŸ Katrina (our newest member!) โ€“ Hopelessly Devoted to You from Grease
๐ŸŽถ Sean โ€“ China Girl by David Bowie
๐Ÿ’ฃ Chris โ€“ Sex Bomb by Tom Jones

A massive well done to Amy and Ffion, who successfully ran their very first music session! ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ‰ You both did a brilliant job, and we’re so proud of you. Thank you for all your hard work and enthusiasm โ€” you made the session a great success! ๐Ÿ’–

A special thank you also goes to:
๐Ÿก Pete, our caretaker, for getting everything set up before the session.
๐Ÿฅช Christy for preparing another delicious lunch that everyone enjoyed.
๐Ÿ“ Cheryl for welcoming everyone and taking care of all the all-important paperwork.

Most of all, thank you to every single person who came along. Whether you got up to sing your heart out ๐ŸŽค, cheered on others ๐Ÿ‘, caught up with friends ๐Ÿค, or simply enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere, you helped make the session so special. We can’t wait to do it all again soon! ๐ŸŽต๐Ÿ’™

โœˆ๏ธ Travel Confidence Training ๐ŸšŒ

A big thank you to Kurtis and Mared from Innovate Trust for another fantastic Travel Confidence Training session with our members today! ๐Ÿ’™ Today we learned about:

๐Ÿ“™ Wallets โ€“ a simple way to let transport staff know that someone may need extra help or support when travelling.
๐ŸšŒ The difference between a bus and a coach โ€“ and how to recognise which one we need!
โš–๏ธ Our legal rights when using public transport โ€“ knowing our rights helps us feel safer and more confident.
๐Ÿค Having assistants and getting the right support โ€“ everyone should be able to travel as independently and safely as possible.

Travel training is all about building confidence, independence and skills so people can enjoy getting out and about in their communities. ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ’ช We are looking forward to seeing everyone next week, when we will be joined by British Transport Police for a special presentation! ๐Ÿ‘ฎโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿš† Thank you again Kurtis and Mared for making the session fun, accessible and informative! โค๏ธ

๐Ÿฝ๏ธ๐Ÿ’š Reconnect Through Cookery ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฝ๏ธ

What a delicious day we had on Friday! ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿฅ— Our amazing members got stuck in preparing a lovely fresh salad with ๐Ÿ… tomatoes, ๐Ÿฅฌ lettuce, spring onions, ๐Ÿฅ’ cucumber and ๐Ÿซ‘ peppers. We also boiled and peeled the eggs ๐Ÿฅš and cooked some delicious Welsh baby potatoes ๐Ÿฅ”.

Everything was put together with ham and coleslaw, and it was absolutely delicious! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ‘ And of course, we couldnโ€™t finish the day without some yummy ice cream! ๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿ˜‹ A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped in the kitchen today โ€” you all did a fantastic job! We couldnโ€™t do it without all of you! ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ™Œ

๐ŸŽ‰ Thank you Sarah for keeping everyone entertained with bingo!
๐Ÿง  Thank you Amy for our brilliant quiz!
๐Ÿงฝ Thank you Anthony for helping to clean the hall afterwards.
๐Ÿ’š And as always, a massive thank you to Cheryl for all her help and support.
๐Ÿ  Thank you to Peter, our wonderful caretaker, for setting up the hall for us.

๐Ÿ“ธ TRAC Photo Shoot at USW Treforest! ๐ŸŒŸ

Yesterday afternoon, Ffion, Amy and Gethin took part in a photo shoot at USW Treforest as proud TRAC members. ๐Ÿ’™ Their photos will help promote Learning Disability Nursing on social media and the university website. ๐ŸŽ‰ We can’t wait to see the finished photos! ๐Ÿ“ทโœจ A big thank you to Stacey for inviting us.

๐Ÿ’™ Learning Disability Nurses are so important. They help people with learning disabilities get the right care, feel listened to, stay healthy, and be treated with dignity and respect. They make a real difference every day. ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿค Well done, Ffion, Amy and Gethin! We are very proud of you all! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ’™

๐ŸŽถ Reconnect Through Music ๐ŸŽค๐ŸŽ‰

A huge thank you to all our wonderful members who joined us for yesterday’s Reconnect Through Music session! ๐Ÿ’™ It was another fantastic morning filled with great company, plenty of laughter, and, of course, an incredible variety of music from across the decades and many different genres. ๐ŸŽตโœจ

Some of the fantastic performances we enjoyed included:

๐ŸŽค Anthony โ€“ “Agadoo”
๐ŸŽค Amy โ€“ “Call Me When You’re Sober” by Evanescence
๐ŸŽค Andre & Ffion โ€“ “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease
๐ŸŽค Tilly โ€“ “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
๐ŸŽค Sean โ€“ “Bat Out of Hell” by Meat Loaf
๐ŸŽค Wayne โ€“ “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA

There were so many brilliant performances that we simply don’t have space to mention them all, but every single one helped make the session special. ๐ŸŒŸ A special thank you goes to everyone who helped make the session run so smoothly:

๐Ÿ’™ Cheryl and Ffion for welcoming everyone and keeping the register.
๐ŸŒญ Christy for preparing the delicious hot dogs.
๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Amy for introducing our performers on the microphone.
๐Ÿ™Œ And everyone else who helped before, during, and after the session.
These sessions simply wouldn’t happen without your kindness, hard work, and continued support. Thank you all! โค๏ธ๏ธ

Feedback we received:
๐Ÿ˜Š Andrew: “I enjoyed making new friends.”
๐Ÿค Connor: “I like that the sessions are so inclusive.”
๐Ÿ’™ Hywel: “I enjoyed talking with friends.”
โญ Anthony: “The session was amazing.”
๐ŸŒญ Christopher Davies: “My favourite part of the session was the hot dogs!”

Thank you once again to everyone who came along and helped create such a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere. We can’t wait to see you all again for another Reconnect Through Music session in two weeks’ time ๐Ÿ™Œ โค๏ธ