A KNITTING group from Chester has now made a whopping 5,000 cannula sleeves to help hospital patients with dementia.

Set up in May 2016 by hospice volunteer worker and singer Sharon Holdstock, Handmade For Dementia began meeting at The Piper pub in Hoole to make the ‘twiddle’ items.

The idea is that dementia patients in hospital play with the twiddles on the sleeve, rather than the cannula in their arm. This keeps them occupied and helps doctors and nurses do their jobs.

Now the group has contributors from across the country and supplies sleeves to more than 60 hospitals across, including the Countess of Chester and Wrexham Maelor.

Chester and District Standard:

Sharon Holdstock with some of the cannula sleeves and other 'twiddle' items aimed at helping dementia patients.

To date it has donated 5,000 Dementia Cannula Sleeves and went on to win the first ever ‘Trailblazing’ award at the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friendly Awards ceremony in November last year.

Sharon said she was delighted with the group’s success and highlighted the positive effects it has had on the volunteers, as well as the patients.

“We have a university student who has said they have helped her relax whilst undertaking her studies, a lady who has recently become a widow and a lady recovering from cancer has said just how much making our DCS have helped them, by helping others,” she said.

“We’re over the moon with the success we've had.”

Figures suggest the group’s sleeves could save the NHS thousands as it costs between £3 and £20 every time a patient pulls a cannula out.

The sleeves were originally trialled at the Countess of Chester Hospital where clinicians reported they made a huge difference.

Chester and District Standard:

Some of the Dementia Cannula Sleeves made by the group.

Dementia Specialist Nurse Jennifer Polvani-Jones previously told The Standard: “We can’t thank Sharon and her fellow knitters enough for the hours and hours of comfort they have provided for our patients.

“Being in hospital can be distressing for anyone, but that is particularly true for someone who is living with dementia. All knitted twiddle items can provide a comforting distraction and the sleeves also make it less likely for patients to remove their cannulas if they become distressed, which affects their treatment.

“It’s fantastic that Handmade for Dementia volunteer so much of their free time to make hospital stays that bit more comfortable for patients living with dementia.”

There is a Facebook group with 4,300 members where knitters from all over the UK can join and volunteer to knit the sleeves for their local hospital.

There are guidelines on how to make them safely and all sleeves are approved before they are delivered to the hospitals. Thousands more knitters are required all over the UK.

For more information or to join, visit www.facebook.com/groups/HandmadeForDementia/ Follow them on Twitter at @HfdnwUkOfficial

People can also drop in at The Piper on Mondays between 1pm and 3.30pm, apart from Bank Holidays.

The group provides all the wool and Dementia Cannula Sleeve pattern, however people need their own 6.5mm knitting needles.

There is a big charity quiz and music night for Handmade for Dementia at The Piper on Tuesday, April 9, when Sharon will be belting out a host of hit songs.