The Blue Book
A summary of activities and support for older people and people living with dementia
Welcome
We’re delighted to welcome you to our website and share with you the latest editions of The Blue Book! We hope you find them to be useful and informative.
Passionate about supporting older people and those living with dementia, we launched this booklet in 2017 to provide a tangible summary of activities and support available in Northumberland. Its creation and production has always been a family project. Each year, it is updated and shared across the community.
We distributed over 30,000 copies of the Northumberland and North Yorkshire edition in 2023 - making a total of over 60,000+ copies to date! We’re pleased to have reached so many people and to be able to highlight all the wonderful support and activities available.
It’s our goal to support as many people as possible, so in 2022, we included the whole of Northumberland, North Yorkshire and have plans to expand further! Please do share our details with anyone who may benefit from a copy.
If you have any questions or feedback, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!
With best wishes
Adele Kinsella and The Blue Book Team
A snapshot of our statistics
300+
activities and organisations included
30,000+
copies distributed in 2023
60,000+
copies distributed to date
“This is a wonderful resource for older people living in Northumberland. It provides a great source of information for older people, including those with dementia, which will help them engage fully with their communities. I only wish we had an equivalent resource my patients!”
Dr Charlotte Allan, Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
“Fabulous resource to support older people and their family / carers in remaining independent and active. Positive feedback received from numerous carers trying to find appropriate social interaction for their loved ones. Thank you!!”
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
“Many of the information booklets have now been given out by staff from the West Northumberland Memory Service and the Older Adults Community Treatment Team, both of which are based in the Fairnington Centre at Hexham General Hospital. These Teams offer assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for older adults living within the West of Tynedale who are experiencing concerns around their mental health, following referrals from their GPs or other clinical teams.
Nurses from the Teams have reported on how well they have been received, especially by carers, who can often struggle to find appropriate places to take their loved ones when seeking meaningful social interactions. They also provide a valuable resource to carers when looking for contacts across Tynedale, who might be able to offer support and advice on non-medical dementia related concerns, as well as more general support to older adults.”