carers – Page 10 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Positive Pathways: training for carers

PASDA training for family carers of adults with autism

There are still some places left on this training – it has been run previously and there has been very positive feedback from the families who went through the training – but deadline for applications is THIS SUNDAY.

PP flyer

Applications have opened for Positive Pathways; positive behaviour training for family carers of adults with Autism (with or without a learning disability) who are living in Edinburgh and East Lothian.

This training will consist of 4 half-day training sessions held at Number 6 which will run every 2 weeks during an 8 week period. As well as the training sessions, carers will also receive 4 intensive 1:1 sessions. There will also be follow up sessions in October 2016.

A copy of the application form is attached – carers should complete this electronically and email to Pasda, but if this is an issue for carers Pasda will also accept handwritten applications.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 6 September and training starts the w/beginning Monday 5 October.

Anyone interested should contact PASDA directly: telephone 0131 475 2416 or email info@pasda.org.uk.

Visit www.pasda.org.uk to complete an application form.

PP application form

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

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

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.

New service offers care information for all in Scotand

PEOPLE throughout Scotland who are looking for quality-assured information about care are being reminded to use the improved Care Information Scotland service.

Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health Jamie Hepburn urged people to turn to the online and telephone resource for all their care information needs at Scottish Care’s National Care at Home and Housing Support Conference in Glasgow today.

He said: “Back in 2010, when Care Information Scotland was first launched, it was the first site of its kind in Scotland, offering a single point of contact for care information for older people.

“The service has now expanded to provide accessible, quality information to not just older people but to all carers, those being cared for and care support services across Scotland.

“This re-designed service provides a central point to help guide people through the maze of resources and to ensure they have access to comprehensive, accurate and up to date information, either for themselves, a relative or a friend. I would encourage everyone to visit this website to find out more.”

NHS 24 – which manages the service – has worked in partnership with the Scottish Government and a wide range of organisations including Age Scotland, the Carers Trust and Shared Care to ensure the re-designed website and telephone service meets the needs of carers and those being cared for.

NHS 24 Head of Health Information Services, Lynne Huckerby, said: “This fresh new service now offers features such as web chat, direct links to social care across local councils and the ability to share content and information.

“The service is designed to complement service provision in local areas and provides advice and signposting information a range of topics, allowing people to make informed decisions. This service will be a useful resource for those finding themselves in a caring role for the first time.”

Carers Trust Scotland has been one of many organisations involved in the expansion of the service.Florence Burke, Carers Trust Director for Scotland, said: “We were pleased to be involved in the development of Care Information Scotland, using our experience of supporting carers and carers’ services across the country.

“The website has a wealth of information for people who are starting out in a caring role, as well as being a good reference tool for people who have been caring for some time.

“For carers, having access to relevant information at a time that suits them can be valuable in helping them to navigate the demands of caring.”

The Care Information Scotland helpline is available on 0800 011 3200 between 8am and 10pm seven days a week.

The online service is available at www.careinfoscotland.scot and includes video content, webchat and BrowseAloud, a speech and reading support tool which can also translate material into different languages.

North West Carers are on the move!

North West Carers are moving home next week. The local organisation won’t be moving too far, however – the Carers are ‘flitting’ from Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre down to the Prentice Centre in Granton Mains.

Manager Angela Dias said: “We are moving to new premises on Wednesday (18 March). Our new address is: The Prentice Centre, 1 Granton Mains Avenue,
EH4 4GA. Our email addresses and website address will remain the same as now, as will our telephone number.

“We would expect communications to be working as normal, however please bear with us if there are complications with our telephone and email systems within the first few days. We will put a mobile number on our website on Wednesday which will provide a default communication system in the unlikely case of any unforeseen difficulties.”

www.nwcarers.org.uk
angela@nwcarers.org.uk

Good listeners sought by Edinburgh-based helpline

GOOD LISTENERS SOUGHT BY EDINBURGH-BASED HELPLINE

An Edinburgh based helpline for stressed parents and carers is looking for volunteer call takers. ParentLine Scotland took more than 4000 calls from anxious mums, dads and carers from across the country last year.

The charity offers a helpline, email and web-chat service, for anyone caring for or concerned about a child. It is run by CHILDREN 1^ST which works to ensure every child and young person in Scotland has a happy, healthy, safe and secure childhood.

Helpline Manager Jill Cook said: “Our volunteers make an enormous difference to the lives of mums, dads, carers, and professionals just by being there to listen and reassure. It’s a vital service and we ensure they’re ready for the role with 40 hours of high quality training. They also have back-up from a supervisor.”

Volunteers at ParentLine Scotland give a minimum commitment to a year after training. The charity says it’s looking for caring, non-judgemental people who are interested in the wellbeing of children and young people. Calls can be about all sorts of issues from bullying to separating families, teenage behaviour and toddlers tantrums.

Volunteer Janin Pohl (40) said: “Whatever people call with we take it seriously, it’s not trivial. In that time they are valued. You don’t often find out how things go but at the time you have that sense that there is now a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.”

The next volunteer training course starts on 31 January. To find out more contact parentlinescotland@children1st.org.uk

ParentLine Scotland is open 365 days a year on 08000 28 22 33. You can also get in touch by web-chat at www.children1st.org.uk/parentlineor by email parentlinescotland@children1st.org.uk

Volunteer Profile

Janin Pohl (40) from Edinburgh has been a ParentLine Scotland volunteer for three and a half years. She was born in Germany and travelled before settling in Edinburgh seven years ago. She is trained in counselling and shiatsu massage. Janin is blind.

How did you get involved?

“When I saw the advert for ParentLine Scotland I came at it from the perspective of a child. There are so many things that aren’t talked about in families. They’re swept under the carpet or people never say how they are feeling and I thought maybe it’s like that for adults too. Plus I’d done counselling training and this was a way I could use my skills. I’d been volunteering from home and I thought it would be good to go to an office with a team and a supervisor and be with people.”

Why do you think ParentLine can help even when friends and family can’t?

“You can decide when you want to talk and the caller is in control. They can say things they would never say at home. Some people do have support but find it easier to talk to a stranger who will not judge them or their situation.”

How do you cope with calls that are upsetting?

“If I have a difficult call the most important thing is to acknowledge how it is making me feel. If I feel sad then I am sad. If I need to I can get support from the supervisor and we can talk about it.”

What would you say to someone considering volunteering?

“I’d say it’s always good to give something a try. You don’t need to have a family of your own. As someone from outside of the family you have perspective. It’s about being there with them accompanying the person in what they are going through.”

Tough times but North West Carers are back on track

‘change is part of the provision of social care’

North West Carers Centre has had it’s share of difficulties over the last year: without a manager and facing a funding crisis, there were times when the voluntary board and staff must have thought about throwing in the towel. Thankfully they remained loyal to the project, however, and their recent annual general meeting heard that the Carers Centre is still very much alive and kicking!

Chairperson Ian Huggan told the meeting, held in Muirhouse Millennium Centre: “it has been a particularly difficult year for the Board and staff of North West Carers. We spent most of the year without a Manager while coping with a difficult financial position. We are especially grateful to our main funder, the City of Edinburgh Council, for their support not only financially but also from the commissioners during this time.”

During the course of the year the project has been strengthened by the addition of committed new directors, who have worked with the existing Board and staff team to keep the project afloat. The project also received a much-need boost with the arrival of experienced manager Angela Dias (pictured above with Ian) in July.

The North West Carers Centre is now moving forward again at last, but challenges remain: as always in the voluntary sector, funding is one concern and adapting to changing demands on your service – often with reduced budgets – is another.

“When the Scottish Government seeks cuts in expenditure from local authorities voluntary organisations feel the result of any cuts in the funding of our services,” Ian Huggan said. “I remember the chairperson of a voluntary organisation asking me ten years ago: ‘when will all this change stop?’ My answer then is the same as now: change is part of the provision of social care. Don’t expect things to be the same year in, year out.”

He went on: “North West Carers is acutely aware of some changes that will come from outside but we must also look at the way we work and deliver services. Looking for threats and opportunities is the name of the game”.

The Board continues to look for new funding streams and has developed a series of plans to address change, detailing clear outcomes and targets, but in a time of change one thing remains constant: the determination to provide a service that Carers want and need.

Mr Huggan, who stepped down as chairman at the meeting, concluded: “Carers are at the heart of our service and the Board and staff will be working hard in the coming year to improve communication with, and participation of, Carers in all that we do. We need to ask you what you want from us and endeavour to meet your needs.”

Sing out at St Serf’s

THE SINGING GROUP
FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA & THEIR CARER(S)
(Formerly known as Singing for the Brain)

Our group has been running since June 2010, meeting at 2.30pm on the first and third Thursday of each month. We currently meet at Inverleith St Serf’s Church Hall on Clark Road, Edinburgh

The group is for people with dementia, and their carers, who still live at home in the community. Research has indicated that people with dementia leave singing groups ‘on a high’ and this positive mood can last for some time after each session. This is also good for the well being of the carer.

The group come together to sing with emphasis on enjoyment and fun. Volunteers are on hand but those with dementia should be accompanied. There is no charge for attending the Singing Sessions, but a donation for refreshments is appreciated.

The group meet for coffee and conversation first, giving people a chance to socialise. Support is also available from volunteers and other families. When singing begins, we sit in a circle ensuring that everyone is equal and not identified by their illness. We then sing along together for around
45 minutes, led by ‘music volunteers’.

The group was started by a small number of individuals who were inspired by the “Singing for the Brain” groups running in England.

For further information, please contact: Sheila Hardie 551 1229, Kate Walker 554 4940, Diana Kerr 552 3857 or Pam Robertson 553 7239.

Circle: care to sing?

CIRCLE launching new kinship choir for carers

West Pilton-based family support charity Circle has won Big Lottery funding to establish a choir for kinship carers in the city. Kinship carers are relatives or friends who have stepped forward to care for children in their families whose parents are not able to care for them.

The choir will be led by musical director Kirsty Baird of the successful Edinburgh based Sing in the City group of choirs. Kirsty and her Sing in the City team are experts in their field and know how to put even the most nervous first time singers at ease. Kirsty believes everyone has a song in them and is confident of always getting the best sound out of all voices.

Circle’s Chief Executive Liz Dahl welcomes the launch of the choir. She said: “We know from our work with families that the commitment and sacrifice of kinship carers is giving thousands of children in Scotland the security of belonging to a family, when their own parents can’t care for them. We are really pleased that the Big Lottery has helped fund the choir and look forward to welcoming any and all kinship carers along.”

The aim of the choir is to promote wellbeing, relieve stress, provide a fun activity, and hopefully create a performing choir which can raise the profile of kinship care and provide entertainment for everyone involved.

The choir will bring together local kinship carers in a relaxed, fun environment where they can sing to their hearts content without having their children tell them to pipe down! The choir runs on a Tuesday morning, so suits carers with children in nursery or at school. Circle welcomes all kinship carers and is happy for carers to bring along a chum at first if they don’t want to come on their own.

Kirsty Baird, Sing in the City’s Director, is enthusiastic about the new venture. She said: “Sing in the City choirs are successful because they are fun, and they provide people from all walks of life in Edinburgh with the opportunity to sing together, to make new friends, and to have a special time just for them away from work and family cares at least once a week. We are really excited to be involved in this new choir for a very special group of carers”.

Fun, free and open to all carers, the first meeting is on Tuesday 9 September at 10am.

Seagrove Centre Open Day

At North Edinburgh Dementia Care’s Seagrove Centre we provide fun and stimulating activities for our members and a wee break for their carers.

We aim to help people stay as well as they can for as long as they can which may help avoid the need for them to move into a care home.

We are having an open day to raise an awareness of the centre and to demonstrate the work we that we do with local people with dementia.

I would like to invite you along on Monday 8 September from 2 – 3pm to meet the staff and some of our members to have a chat and enjoy a tea/coffee and biscuits.

Janette McIntosh

Manager

NEDC Info

For further information visit www.nedc.org.uk

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

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.