Skip to main content

The Latest Bulletin

Music and dementia

Music and dementia

Presently, there is no pharmacological cure for dementia, though research is ongoing in many areas. Music has a valuable role to play in enhancing quality of life for people living with the syndrome, and their carers. It has the power to bring people together in the here and now, providing a way to stay connected with loved ones and carers through shared experiences. It can enliven, stimulate and enable people to express themselves creatively beyond words. This involvement enables people to be seen for who they are beyond their diagnosis. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
March 1, 2023
Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Direct concerns to where the power is

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Direct concerns to where the power is

A phenomenon I have come across many times in many organizations is for matters of dissatisfaction to act as a basis for moaning sessions (which do little good) and for the concerns or dissatisfactions not to be channelled in the direction of a person or group who can potentially do something about the problem. There is often a fear that if issues are raised the person(s) raising them will be seen as troublemakers, but it all depends on how the issues are raised. If they are raised in a confrontational approach, don’t be surprised if the response is a defensive one (and some people, of course, will act on the basis that attack is the best form of defence). Raising…
Dr Neil Thompson
February 15, 2023
Advice for helping Ukrainian refugees with Autism

Advice for helping Ukrainian refugees with Autism

Information written by Iryna Sergiyenko Director of Foundation for helping children with autism, Ukraine. Autism is a spectrum condition. You can read about autism here. if you are hosting Ukrainian families with autistic members, there are a few extra difficulties that these families are facing. Please read information for host families hosting autistic refugees if you are a service provider for autistic refugees from Ukraine, please read information for professionals The Red Cross has lots of information about the services and support available to you. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
February 15, 2023
UK Poverty 2023: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK

UK Poverty 2023: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK

We are in the midst of a profound cost of living crisis with huge implications for society. Many of us are having to make difficult choices on what spending we prioritise, but some of us face increasingly bleak choices. None of these should be necessary in a country as wealthy as the UK. UK Poverty 2023 looks at trends in poverty across many of its important characteristics and impacts. The latest official poverty data used in this report was collected between April 2020 and March 2021 (the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic), but 2021/22 and 2022/23 are very different years. By looking across a range of data sources and insights we can build up a more comprehensive picture of…
Dr Neil Thompson
February 15, 2023
The football mascot showing how local politics works

The football mascot showing how local politics works

It came from a place of … what is the worst idea you could possibly have for a theatre show?” says director James Yarker, as he flicks through a heavily annotated 90-page copy of Birmingham city council’s three-year financial plan. His latest production, All Our Money, is a 50-minute exploration of the complexities of council budgets, told with the help of 6,000 gold blocks and a football mascot. “It felt like a topic which impinges on our lives a lot that we know very little about,” says Yarker. “And we have a history of taking complicated stuff and presenting it in an understandable way.” Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
February 15, 2023
Spotlight – How to Survive in Social Work

Spotlight – How to Survive in Social Work

Social work by its very nature is challenging and demanding work. But, in the current social, economic and political climate, it can prove extraordinarily difficult to keep your head above water. Written by two highly experienced social work professionals, this important book explores the significance of that context, offers guidance on how to survive despite it and even to aim for thriving within it. There are no easy answers, but there is much we can do to make sure that we are able to fulfil the potential and value of social work as a force for making our society a humane one without sacrificing our own health and well-being. Available from https://neilthompson.info/shop/ or Amazon
Dr Neil Thompson
January 31, 2023
Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Make it happen – carpe diem

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Make it happen – carpe diem

In today’s busy, pressurized world we can find ourselves with many different demands on our time. As a result of this important things may not get done. We can find ourselves drifting and losing sight of what is important to us. ‘Carpe diem’ – seize the day – is a good principle to guard against that. It can pay huge dividends to step back from time to time, to clarify what matters to use and focus on making happen whatever needs to happen to make sure those important things are given the attention they deserve. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
January 31, 2023