Carers
We shall never shy away from doing our best to support those neglected areas in every community in which hidden carers are left struggling to cope in isolation.
What is Caring with Confidence?
If you are looking after a friend or relative, the Caring with Confidence programme can help you to make a positive difference to your life and that of the person you care for. For more information, click here.
Caring Matters issue 5
Omega has released the latest issue of our newsletter. It contains important information on the future of Caring with Confidence and Omega's support to carers. To view/download a copy in PDF format, click here.
Solihull carers celebrate milestone
Carers attending free Caring with Confidence support sessions in Solihull marked what, for many of them, will be the final session in the programme. The 'Caring and Me' session held at the Holiday Inn in Solihull during Carers' Week on Monday June 14th 2010 featured a buffet lunch and performance by St Alphege School choir. The local businesses below generously donated the following prizes for a free raffle:
- 10 inch Caring with Confidence cake - Dipyum Cakes, 1A Alfred Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, B11 4PB, 0121 772 4505
- Bouquet of flowers - Pam's Florist, 259 Lyndon Road, Solihull, B92 7QP, 0121 661 8805
- Box of confectionery - Sweets From Heaven, 9 Mill Lane Arcade, Touchwood, Solihull, B91 3GS, 0121 713 2150
- Gift hamper - Omega
Omega launches lunch club for Shropshire carers
Click the button to find out more...
Carer's Emergency Card
Omega has created a free wallet-size card for carers to carry with them. In the event that the carer is suddenly taken ill or has an accident, anyone who finds this card will be directed to get in touch with the carer's emergency contact person. This card is available to carers attending Omega Caring with Confidence sessions or you can place orders by emailing carers@omega.uk.net or call 01743 245 088.
Gifts from our supporters
Omega aims to make its Caring with Confidence sessions as welcoming as possible. In addition to the friendly, informal approach adopted by our session facilitators, carers will also receive a free gift - often including generous donations from local businesses. We thank the following for their much appreciated contributions:
Special thanks to Telford Shopping Centre for donating £200 towards Caring with Confidence raffle prizes.
Prizes to Dudley carers and the companies who supplied them:
Jars of sweets - JJ's Confectionary, Stourbridge
Azalea plant gift bag - Flower Basket, Stourbridge
Prizes to Solihull carers and the companies who supplied them:
Toiletries gift set - Boots, Solihull
Luxury food hamper - DCSL Software, Farnborough
Christmas cake and box of chocolate truffles - Any Occasion Cakes, Solihull
Christmas hamper - Omega staff and supporters
Prizes to Shrewsbury carers and the companies who supplied them:
Signed Leicester City Football Club Shirt - Andy Waters and Technical Services Football Club
Attache case - Shropshire New & Used Furniture
Fine wine hamper - Tanners Wines
Wristwatch - Margaret Clitheroe, Omega
Christmas hamper and box of luxury chocolates - Omega staff and supporters
Emergency respite scheme launched for Shropshire carers
Shropshire Council is running a service to support carers who are temporarily unable to look after the person they care for, by providing emergency respite care for up to 48 hours (or for 72 hours over a weekend or bank holiday). For more information about the service click here.
Telford and Wrekin are currently commissioning an Emergency Carer Response Service which will provide free support up to 72 hours. This service will be made available during 2010. In the meantime if a carer is suddenly unable to perform their usual caring duties, they can call the Access Team on 01952 381 280, and Social Services may be able to assist them.
Carers One Off Direct Payment
The Carers One Off Direct Payment is a grant towards services identified by a carer as part of their Carers Assessment. For further information on this service, provided by Shropshire Council, click here.
Interview with Ivan Warren and Professor Keri Thomas from Radio Shropshire May 12 2009
Ivan Warren was good enough to share his thoughts on the need for Caring with Confidence with listeners of BBC Radio Shropshire’s Breakfast programme on May 12. Here are a few more of his thoughts on what it means to be a carer and how the Caring with Confidence programme will help thousands of carers.
What is your experience of caring?
"My wife and I cared for my mother-in-law for many years. When we started caring for her, health and social care told us they’d support us all the way. In reality there was very little help and support. But we were lucky. My wife was a nurse and I worked on the ambulances so we had the practical experience to help us cope. Initially there was some respite care on offer but after a while that was withdrawn. If we hadn’t had our professional experience to fall back on it would have been very hard indeed."
How can Caring with Confidence help?
"The most important things as a carer are to feel supported and to be aware of all the help and support that is available. As I said, my wife and I were lucky; because of the jobs we did we knew what to do and where to go if we needed help. But for most people it can be a very isolating experience. I think that if Caring with Confidence can help people learn about what help is out there and how to find it and make people feel supported then that will be great."
What particular aspects of Caring with Confidence could have helped you?
"Last year my wife and I were on holiday in Tenerife when unfortunately she was hit by a taxi and died. It was the worst experience of my life. Coming home was very hard and when I looked for some support it was very hard to find. One bereavement group said I’d have to wait a couple of months before I could speak to someone. I thought to myself, well I’ll be fine in a couple of months. Of course I wasn’t. Fairly soon after that, I found myself phoning the Samaritans – I didn’t know who else to turn to. I was lucky because I found a local bereavement group by chance and they have been a tremendous help. So the bereavement sessions of the programme would have been a enormously useful for me. You need people to lean on and practical advice like who to call."
Mary Cummings – Bolton, Lancashire One family to have benefitted from Caring with Confidence are the Cummings from Bolton, Lancashire. Mary, a retired special education teacher and her husband Bernard live with their son David, 41 who has cerebral palsy. David is also registered blind and has a range of learning difficulties due to his condition. Mary said: “David uses a wheelchair and has no independent mobility. We use a hoist to help move him between his chair and his bed and his cerebral palsy means his limbs can get very stiff so we help him during mealtimes and I’m up two or three times in the night to unlock his legs.” Although Mary is an experienced carer, she admits that it can sometimes become quite overwhelming and has been surprised that she has taken so much from attending Caring with Confidence sessions run through the Bolton branch of Crossroads Care. “We love David very much but caring can create negative feelings and I sometimes feel very guilty about our situation” added Mary. “The Caring with Confidence programme has given me some great ways of coping with stress – they’re only simple exercises but really useful. It’s also made me stop feeling so guilty and I now understand how to convert negative feelings and emotions into positive ones.” Not only has Mary taken away new skills, she’s taken a great deal from the companionship of the other carers who have attended the programme. Mary said: “Hearing other people’s experiences of caring has really helped me. We’ve all really enjoyed the sessions and there has been a lot of laughter alongside the more serious side of what we’re doing. It’s been a fantastic release for me.”
Profile of a Caring with Confidence Facilitator – Sue Dagger
How did you hear about Caring with Confidence?
"I sometimes travel to work on the same train as Tom Memery (Omega Development Director) and we got talking. He described Caring with Confidence and it immediately appealed to me, so he suggested I apply for the job as a facilitator.
Why did you want to become a facilitator?
My background is as a mental health nurse in prisons (Sue is currently clinical nurse manager at HMP Shrewsbury) and I’ve never forgotten why I went into the job. I love working with people, listening to people and giving them the opportunity to communicate with me. Being a manager gives me fewer opportunities to do that. Also I am a long distance carer for my mother so I know a little bit about what it’s like."
How do you become a facilitator?
"I applied for the job and was interviewed by two members of the Omega CwC Steering Committee and then they sent me for three days training. I’ve been on a lot of training courses but I’d have to say this would be in my top five courses. The facilitators were excellent. The focus was really on making us become confident as facilitators, both on our own and with someone else. We had to prove we could get people involved, listen and handle disagreements as well as understand the issues. We were monitored all the time and had a number of one-to-one feedback sessions with the trainers. It was hard work but very enjoyable and I learned a lot.
What do you think makes a good facilitator?
I think the most important qualities you need are honesty and flexibility. You also have to be able to work well with a group of people but also make everyone feel as though you are treating them as an individual and respecting their needs. I see my role as a facilitator as being a catalyst – to encourage discussion. You also need to be able to imagine what it would be like in the shoes of the carers, but not mistake empathy for sympathy."
What do you hope Caring with Confidence will achieve?
"Carers have been saving the country millions for so long and it’s fantastic that this has finally been realised and carers are going to get something back. Success will vary enormously from carer to carer. People’s goals will be very different but we’ll know if they’ve got something out of it because they will tell other carers who I hope in turn will then tell more carers."
Valuing Carers – calculating the value of unpaid care
This report updates the estimate of the value of unpaid care published by Carers UK in 2002 in ‘Without Us…? - Calculating the value of carers’ support’. Based on data available for the first time at local as well as at national level, and on comprehensive information about the time carers devote to supporting those who need their help, the report reveals just how crucial carers are to the health and social care system and to the UK’s economy.
To view the full report, click here.
