As a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Touchstone is committed to improving the lives of LGBT people both in the workplace and wider community. Which is why we want to pass on these practical tips about how best to celebrate Black History Month from Stonewall’s Josh Willacy. Black History Month has been celebrated every October in the UK for over 35 years. We know that LGBT people who are black, Asian or minority
Here at Touchstone, we like to eat cake! So celebrating Bi-Visibility Day on 23rd September will be a great opportunity to also eat our favourite food. Another reason to support Bi-Visibility Day is that whilst the profile of Gay, Lesbian and Trans people is at last on the up, the visibility of the Bi community is much less so. Bi-Visibility or Bisexuality Day is the brainchild of three American bisexual
To mark World Alzheimer's Day (21st September), Ripaljeet Kaur has provided this case study of one of the clients supported by Touchstone's BME Dementia Service Mrs B was referred into the service by another organisation. She lives with her daughter-in-law, who is her full time carer, as well as her son and grandson. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2005 and never accessed any support since then. She is very
Touchstone's Community Development Service has produced this video to explain the work of the Migrant Access Point project, empowering community members to improve access for their communities to services in Leeds. Migrant Access Point Project in 4 minutes from Touchstone on Vimeo.
Vanysha Sahota from Touchstone's Community Development Service wrote this article to mark International Friendship Day - and to talk about the role of friendship in personal and family life. When I think about the word ‘friend’, images of certain people take over my mind along with memories of good and bad times. Many people who have passed through my life, I have called my friends, from nursery and primary
Listen to Dr Sewa Singh Kalsi and his wife Hardeep Kaur Kalsi and their experiences of what it is like living with dementia. Video by West Yorkshire Police.
This video from Leeds Involving People features June from Rothwell talking about her life with dementia, with illustrations of how groups in Leeds, including Touchstone, are working to become dementia friendly.
This piece was originally published as a guest blog on the Bayford Foundation's website in July 2014. However the tips from our Positive Care Programme staff are just as relevant this year. The schools are breaking up and children’s excitement is mounting at having 6 whole weeks without school. But what about the parents? For some the summer holidays can be stressful, exhausting – and expensive. Have a plan of
The following is a written collaboration by one of our High Intensity CBT therapists Debbie R and a client who has recently completed treatment with Touchstone IAPT. Relapse prevention is a vital part of the therapeutic process. It serves many functions but one of the most important is to provide clients' with a powerful tool to reflect on themselves and their experiences in the months and years to come post-treatment. This
Experiencing depression or low-mood is very common. The World Health Organisation estimates that in a given year, one in four of us will experience it. With such figures in mind it is becoming more and more important to know what we can do to fight back against low-mood or depression and protect our wellbeing. In this article, Geraldine M, who is a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner for Touchstone IAPT, talks about how to