Tag: Carers Week

Caring for young carers

vocal1

The introduction of a Young Carer’s Allowance to give young people extra financial support will be considered by the Scottish Government, Scottish Ministers have confirmed during Carers Week. Under UK Government guidelines only 250 people in Scotland under the age of 18 receive Carer’s Allowance. Continue reading Caring for young carers

Don’t Look Down: Carers Champion’s leap of faith for charity!

Good luck, Norman – May the Forth be with you!

FRB_01

Carers’ Champion Councillor Norman Work is scaling new heights for charity as part of National Carers Week. The abseil from the side of the Forth Bridge tomorrow will raise funds for VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian), and will also mark the start of events taking place across Edinburgh to celebrate the awareness week.

Othere events include a city-wide art trail across the city featuring installations created by the Edinburgh Young Carers Project, wine tasting on a barge, song writing, arts therapy and a pamper session.

There are an estimated 65,000 unpaid carers in Edinburgh who play a crucial role in the provision of care to people who would not be able to remain at home and in their own communities safely, independently and with dignity without them.

The theme of this year’s Carers Week, which runs from June 8th until the14th, is focusing on building Carer Friendly Communities. These are communities which support carers to look after the person that they care for well, while recognising that they are individuals with needs of their own.

Councillor Work said: “This week is all about saying thanks to carers for their timeless and selfless work, and for providing an absolutely vital service to the community.

“Our job is to “care for the carers” by making sure they access much-needed help and support, whether it’s financial advice or respite for them.

“The Capital Coalition set up a Carers’ Champion to achieve this and will continue to help them through the implementation of the Joint Carers’ Strategy we developed with NHS Lothian and stakeholders.”

The Abseil has been organised by the Rotary Club of South Queensferry, and you can help support the event by sponsoring those who are taking part – visit the JustGiving website. In addition to the thrill of descending 165ft from the Forth Rail Bridge at South Queensferry, participants will receive a commemorative certificate and t-shirt.

You can sponsor Councillor Work by accessing his JustGiving page,

https://www.justgiving.com/Norman-Work5/

and details of this week’s events can be found on the VOCAL website.

CarersWeekLogo

City carers champion: ‘vital that carers are looked after’

carers_week

Edinburgh’s first ‘Carers Champion’ Councillor Norman Work marked his inaugural year in the role by setting out the capital’s priorities for supporting people who give unpaid care to family or friends.

Councillor Work launched the City of Edinburgh Council’s Joint Carers Strategy 2014-17 during an event to celebrate national Carers Week.

The Strategy, developed in partnership with NHS Lothian, the voluntary sector and carers, sets out priorities and outcomes for how their valuable work will be supported over the next three years.

It focuses on six priorities:

  • identifying carers;
  • information and advice;
  • health and wellbeing for carers;
  • short breaks and respite;
  • young adult carers;
  • personalised support for carers.

With around 37,859 carers looking after loved ones in Edinburgh, the estimated cost of providing replacement care in the capital is valued at around £771m a year.

Speaking at a celebration event for unpaid carers at the City Chambers, Cllr Work said: “These people do an extraordinary job of looking after a loved one and I cannot over-emphasise how much we value what they do.

“Many do not think of themselves as carers, and often fail to access the services and advice which is available to them through the Council, charities and relevant organisations.

“It is vital that carers, who can be of any age, are looked after, as there is a risk that their health and wellbeing can also suffer because of the stress and pressure caused by their role. The Joint Carer’s Strategy sets out how we plan to do this by building on our existing work.”

Pictured: (l-r) June Anderson, Zahira Hassan, Cllr Norman Work, Sarah Gundry, Calum Gundry amd  Jeanette Scott.

Care in crisis: charities issue wake-up call

carer

All across Scotland a huge but invisible army is caring for increasing numbers of older, ill or disabled loved ones, new research has revealed. The report highlights a crisis of carers struggling without support and huge gaps in national understanding of growing social issue.

Research published to mark Carers Week 2014 (9 – 15 June) reveals worrying public ignorance of the rising call on families to provide unpaid care.

The reality is that 6.5 million people in the UK – 657,000 in Scotland – are already caring for a family member or close friend who is frail or facing long-term illness or disability.

The Carers Week/You Gov poll shows that adults of all ages drastically underestimate the issue, with only a tiny fraction (11%) of Scottish adults correctly stating the true scale of unpaid, family care.

And while numbers across the UK are predicted to rise to 9 million by 2037, most adults don’t think caring will happen to them. Only around a third of adults in Scotland who are currently not carers (35%) believe it likely they will become carers in the future, the survey found.

Speaking on behalf of the nine charities behind Carers Week 2014, Simon Hodgson, Director of Carers Scotland said: “The reality is that all of us, at some point in our lives, will either be carers or need the help of carers. This survey is a wake-up call, clearly and alarmingly showing that as a society we need a much wider understanding of the realities of caring.”

The survey also asked what would be of greatest concern if a loved one did come to need care

Scotland’s Top 3 Caring Worries are revealed as:

1 Money worries – Being unable to cope financially
2 Emotional strain – Finding it too stressful/upsetting
3 I wouldn’t know how – Not having the experience or skills to be a carer

The views of current carers gathered through the same poll, reveal carers across the country are struggling behind closed doors without adequate help. Worryingly, over half (53%) of carers polled across the UK said they were not receiving enough support. Their experiences included:

“My brother cares full time for both my parents. My father’s 91 and unable to walk without assistance. My mother’s 86, has severe dementia and needs help 24/7. I help at weekends and one evening a week. My brother’s spoken to the doctor about care for my mother and was told the dementia nurse has a full case load. He’s contacted a charity who have agreed to help for two hours per week.”

“My daughter has spina bifida and is a full time wheelchair user….. At 60, it can be hard for me to push a manual wheelchair plus carry shopping up a hill. …”

“I have been looking after my disabled wife for 13 years. … I work part time and my physical health is not great and sometimes I feel like I am cracking up.”

Simon Hodgson added:“We need to understand what carers are doing day in and day out, the impact caring can have – and the difference we as individuals and organisations can make. That is why during Carers Week we are calling on the public and professionals across the UK to reach out to carers in their local communities.”

www.carersweek.org