Tag: carers

Sing out at St Serf’s

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

StSerfsOur 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

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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

happyAt 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

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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.

New play at North Edinburgh Arts this weekend – Couldn’t Care Less!

Press Release – Couldn’t Care Less Sept 2013.

Couldn’t Care Less, a new play examining the ups and downs of caring for someone with dementia, is opening this Friday and Saturday at the North Edinburgh Arts Centre. 

The play explores the lives of Elspeth, a former dancer who develops Alzheimer’s, and her daughter Lilly who finds her life disappearing as she gives it all up to care for her mother. It’s a dark, surreal, funny and moving play and speaks not only to those with experiences of caring and being cared for, but also the general public as our society faces up to the looming challenge of caring for older people.
 A video trailer for the show is also available on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n1f7u4MgBI and the
 
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Putting carers top of the agenda

Carers in the capital will have the chance to have their say on how support services should be developed in Edinburgh at a series of events – one of which takes place at North Edinburgh Arts this Friday at 2pm.

The current strategy, Towards 2012 – An Action Plan for Carers, is being reviewed by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Community Health Partnership so a new plan can be introduced next year. As part of the consultation process both organisations are keen to hear how carers feel services can be improved and developed.

The aim of the sessions is to share ideas and thoughts about current carer services, meet other people who are carers for a relative or friend and find out what support there is for carers in Edinburgh. The importance of the Council supporting carers in the city has been emphasised by the recent appointment of Councillor Norman Work (pictured below) as Care Champion. Cllr Work said: “The Capital Coalition pledged to listen to and reflect the public’s views in developing and delivering efficient and effective services. We recognise that we need to continue to build on how we provide support to carers and the people they care for. It is vital that carers tell us their views on what we achieved or what still could be improved in the future. Has it made a difference to their lives? What should the priorities for carers’ support be over the next five years? How can we improve services?

“These drop in sessions are a great way for carers to tell us their views and develop ways for them to become more involved in planning how carer support will be provided in the future. I would urge anyone who is a carer to come along to one of these events and tell us what needs to be done.”

As well as Friday’s event at North Edinburgh Arts Centre, the following sessions are also planned:

26 November: 1.30pm – 3.30pm; Out of the Blue – 36 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh

28 November: 7pm – 9pm; The Haven – 25B Burgess Road, South Queensferry

4 December: 11am – 1pm; Wester Hailes Education Centre – 5 Murrayburn Drive, Edinburgh

7 December: 10.30am – 12.30pm; Libertus – 20 Gracemount Drive, Edinburgh

10 December: 1.30pm – 3.30pm; Portobello Library – 14 Rosefield Avenue, Edinburgh.

You have until 31 December to make your views known

Who cares? North Edinburgh Arts to host carers event

The Edinburgh Carers Team is hosting a series of events for carers across the city to review the service – and one of the ‘Carers Supporting Carers’ events will be held at North Edinburgh Arts next week.

The City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Community Health Partnership is reviewing the joint strategic action plan on support for carers, and they want to know what carers think:

‘Towards 2012′ was the joint strategic action plan for Edinburgh from 2007 – 2012. Has it made a difference to the lives of carers?

What should the priorities for carer support be for the next five years?

These events are one way to feed in your views, and are also part of a project to develop ways for carers to get more involved in planning the types of carer support that will be provided in the future.  Come along to find out more.

The events offer the opportunity to:

  • Meet others who are carers for a relative or friend
  • Come for tea, cake and complementary therapies
  • Share your ideas and thoughts about services for carers
  • Hear ways for carers to shape services
  • Find out what support there is for carers in Edinburgh.

The local event takes place at North Edinburgh Arts Centre

on Friday 23 November from 2 – 4pm.

To book your place or to find out more contact:

Nina Anker Petersen, Outside the Box, Unit 23, 150 Brand St, Glasgow G51 1DH

Tel: 0141 419 0451                 Email: nina@otbds.org

flyer for carers events november 2012

 

North West Carers move south!

North West Carers Centre has moved from it’s Muirhouse Crescent base to a new home in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre. Their Muirhouse offices were bigger than the project needed, so when an opportunity to cross the great Ferry Road divide into Drylaw came up, it was ideal. Manager Sarah Mavor and her team moved in on 9 July.

Sarah (pictured above left) said: “We were happy in Muirhouse but the office was really too big for us, so the move to Drylaw was a sensible one. Many of the people we work with come from the Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership area too. It’s been a good move and we’re all enjoying the change of scene. Things are going well.”

While North West Carers Centre address has changed – it’s now Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, 67b Groathill Road North, EH4 2SA – the telephone number and email addresses remain the same – that’s 315 3130 and email resource@nwcarers.org.uk

Services provided are unaffected too – North West Carers provide information, advice and respite and run support groups for young and adult carers, and  also runs a Dementia Support Group, a Carers Afternoon Together and a Young Carers Group.

The North West Carers team are pictured just after the organisation’s annual general meeting on 25 July.