The Lewy Body Society

Try Our Brand New Web Site

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:08:08 +0000

http://lewybody.org launches next week (Feb 23rd)

June Brown plays Family Fortunes Saturday Feb 25 on ITV1

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:00:42 +0000

On Saturday 25th February at 6.00pm on ITV1, our patron June Brown and Family (Louise, Sophie, Bill and Hannah) are playing ALL STAR FAMILY FORTUNES for a prize of £30,000. The quiz show donates the prize money to the winning family’s nominated charity. We are delighted and grateful that June and her family have nominated the Lewybody Society along with the Michael Elliot Trust (of which June is also a patron) to receive their prize money. We wish them all the best for the 25th.

DEMENTIA AWARENESS DAY – 15th Sept 2012

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:18:01 +0000

The Lewy Body Society is delighted to have been selected as the Charity to benefit from this year’s Dementia Awareness Day or D.A.D day. Lewy Body Dementia is the second largest class of dementia known but it is not widely understood, even within the medical profession. Being chosen as the focus charity for ‘DAD’ will help raise our profile further.
Please help by organising an event any time between now and Sept 15th (The Big day). Sponsored “ANYTHINGS” are always welcomed. A just giving page will be set up soon to make sure that every penny donated will go straight to the Lewy Body Society. We will add more news as it becomes available.

Lewy Body Society and Parkinsons UK Appointment

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:47:33 +0000

We are delighted to announce that a Senior Engagement and Partnerships Officer has been appointed to work jointly between the Lewy Body Society and Parkinson’s UK commencing at the end of February 2012. More details will follow soon. There has been an excellent response to the Society funded research grant advertisement and a decision about the successful recipient(s) will be made by expert reviewers in the next few weeks. This means that we will be continuing to fund the highest quality research into DLB. We are also pleased to tell you that the Government have invested in a specialist research unit focussed on Lewy body dementias. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne and funded to the tune of £1million per year over the next four years, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Unit in Lewy Body Dementias will serve as a centre to support national and international research collaborations. A primary aim of BRUs is to conduct research which has direct impact on patient treatment and care in the shortest possible time. For more see NIHR and Newcastle University Medical Research

Sarah Mothershaw runs Brighton Half Marathon 2012

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:45:32 +0000

Sarah Mothershaw is running in the Brighton Half Marathon 2012 on Sunday 19th February 2012. She is raising money in memory of Michael Winson for the Lewybody Society. Please support Sarah at her Just Giving Page.

New project with Parkinsons UK

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:24:42 +0000

The Lewy Body Society is supporting an innovation grant under the Parkinson’s UK award scheme. For more information use this link.

Christmas Office Dates

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:32:57 +0000

Our office will close at 1pm on Friday 23rd December and reopen at 9am on Wednesday 4th January, 2012.

Over Streams and Squirrel Woods by Alys Williams

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:34:24 +0000

Jenny Thomas wanted to write about a person who has a disease which slowly destroys the ability to communicate or recognise anyone, causes the loss of bodily functions, forces dependency and dehumanises the sufferer – as Lewy body dementia did to her mother. So during the six years that they struggled with the disease, Jenny wrote a diary, which is now a published paperback – Over Streams and Squirrel Woods’ by Alys Williams £8.82 on Amazon or £4.58 as a Kindle e book. Jenny says that she would love to have has this book to read at the time, and hopethat it helps others. All profits will go to the Alzheimers Society.

More and more people are now being diagnosed with DLB – how does it feel if you know that it is happening to you?

“Some sufferers have said that it enriches awareness and acts as a prism through which life is viewed differently. I could see that fantasy and reality merged in my Mum’s mind and often wondered if she had an alternative world where her insecurities and fears manifested themselves as monsters and where she was powerful, resourceful and a leader, in contrast to her claustrophobic, trapped and deteriorating reality. Hopefully the human brain can still be creative and powerful even when it is damaged by plaques and tangles.

I have imagined her thoughts based on what she said to me and from what I observed and have described factually and honestly the journey we took together. Recording my experience of her illness, treatment and life in two nursing homes made me question what constitutes identity, self and the soul and be appalled by the way we treat our elderly, corralling and containing them and be shocked by our lack of effort to communicate with those with dementia.”

‘Over Streams and Squirrel Woods’ explores what can happen when reality becomes too painful, and the disconnection between people when they see and hear differently from one another. It is about boundless love, frustration, guilt and the inexorable inevitability of aging.

“This is a valuable addition to the dementia literature, rewriting our expectation of what those with dementia can think.” John Suchet.

Jim Runs the Dublin Marathon 2012

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:44:19 +0000

Jim McIntosh plans to run the Dublin Marathon on October 29 2012 and wants you to support him in memory of his Dad, Douglas McIntosh, who died in July 2009 after suffering from Lewy Body Dementia for 12+ months. Jim’s … Continue reading →

Alex and his Aunt raise £1400

admin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:43:16 +0000

On September 18th 2011, Alex Haydock ran the Great North Run to raise money for the Lewy Body Society. His aunt Susan Hill joined his fundraising activity and between them both they now hope to raise a total of £1400 for the society. This is a terrific effort and the society is grateful to them both.

Alex’s Granddad suffers from Lewy Body Dementia.