Hello Everyone

Due to the amazing success of our Imagination and The Borrowers project last year we are meeting up again and want new and existing carers to join us to discuss the direction and future of this project that looks at how carers can pass on their wisdom about caring and being a carer – so come at 11am on Thursday 3rd February for some fun and creativity. 

increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness. reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. improved management of conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes. stronger bones and improved balance.

Come and join the group and have some fun.

This Weeks Activities

REMINDER – YOU CAN CHECK THE CCTH CALENDAR – 

If you want to know what activities are on each day at the centre then check out the CCTH Calendar – https://ccth.org.uk/new/calendar/?cid=mc-03c4653fb809aa02e303ae7a3bb5520a&month=9&yr=2021

Then email me tony@cth.org.uk to book your place.

Thinking of returning to work?  Get yourself on this helpful workshops…

Carers UK have launched a new survey on cost of living crisis.

To better understand how carers are managing their finances, and how they anticipate their financial situations changing over the next year, we have launched a new survey to build a picture of the impact of the increases in cost of living on carers and the people they care for.

We know from our State of Caring 2021 survey that many carers were extremely worried about their finances and how they are going to manage over the year. We are also very concerned that price increases and increases in energy bills may have put carers’ finances under even more pressure. We were already campaigning for better financial support for carers, but we want to use carers’ recent experiences to campaign for urgent support.

You can access the survey here: surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VTY7VC8

The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and will close on 10 February. We are so grateful to each and every person who takes the time to complete the survey,

Carers UK have launched new resources for carers about Disability-Related Expenditure.

If you care for someone with a disability or a medical condition, there may be extra costs involved in helping them manage this. These are called disability-related expenses (DRE)*. Carers can claim help from their Local Authority regarding their DRE, but this is not always known about or widely shared, and it can be complex to submit a claim.

That’s why, to help carers better understand what disability-related benefits are, including whether they are entitled to support, and how to make a claim, Carers UK have recently launched some new resources. 

Please share these resources with any carers or carers’ networks that you are in contact with to make sure that all carers are receiving the support they need. This is particularly important currently, as we’ve heard from carers that bills for care are going up and we’ve done this work to help carers understand how they can look at the care bills for the person they care for.

You can find out more here.

*The Care Act statutory guidance in England states that local authorities must leave carers with enough money ‘to pay for necessary disability-related expenditure  to meet needs which are not being met by the local authority’. For example, if a carer is receiving a certain benefit (i.e. Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance), when carrying out a financial review, the local authority should check whether adequate money is left over after their general needs are met to cover any other additional DRE they have.

We have our next ‘Wild Talk’ coming up on Wed 9th Feb on free radicals and balancing your hormones (flyer attached). 

It’s open to all women, is via zoom and booking via eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/250307084227

‘Wild Connect’* mutual support group is also now running in person at the lovely Burcham Street Centre, E14 as well as via zoom. 

Please do give me a shout if you’d like any more information and do send over anything you’d like us to share

(*session doesn’t run on the weeks we hold the ‘Wild Talk’ session)

There’s still time to apply for paid work experience

Our Kickstart scheme has successfully provided job opportunities to young people across the borough giving them six months paid work experience to improve their chances of finding a permanent job.

We still have 200 vacancies remaining with the scheme closing on Monday 28 February.

Find a role >

Check out a new free course that has just been launched that focuses on carer wellbeing. It is called ‘Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role’ and has been kindly endorsed by the Carers Trust. The course is 6 hours in length and learners can achieve a ‘badge’ on completion of the end quiz, and this can be added on a CV to evidence their learning/continuous professional development. We hope that it will be helpful to those working with carers, including carer centre staff, those supporting carers less formally and importantly carers themselves!

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/physical-activity-health-and-wellbeing-the-caring-role/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab

Did You Know we have a weekly Shared Reading Group?

How does it work?

A group of carers, one of them a trained Reader Leader, reads a great novel, short story or poem aloud. We stop and talk about what we have read. There is no need for carers to read aloud or speak – it’s fine to just listen. The idea is to create a space where people feel at ease.

Reading the literature aloud in real-time, means that everyone is involved in a shared, live experience. Carers are encouraged by the Reader Leader to respond personally, sharing feelings, thoughts and memories provoked by the reading.

Everyone experiences the text in their own way, but the literature provides a shared language that can help us to understand ourselves – and others – better.

It can even help with your ESOL needs.

If this is for you then email tony@ccth.org.uk

WALKING ALONE? REMEMBER THESE 10 TIPS

1) Plan Your Route

Make sure you plan your route ahead of time. If you are walking in an area you are not familiar with, this can help keep you from getting lost. You will be able to walk with confidence. If you do get lost, don’t wander aimlessly, find a gas station, supermarket, or fast-food restaurant where you can ask for directions.

2) Make Sure Someone Else Knows Your Plans

Don’t go out when it is dark without telling someone, even if you are just taking the dogs out for a walk around your neighbourhood or walking home from a friend’s house nearby. It may seem paranoid, but in fact, knowing someone knows where you are can be reassuring and help you feel safe. If you fall and hurt yourself or run into trouble, and someone knows where you are, they can send help if you don’t arrive at your destination on time.

3) Always Carry Your Phone with You

Always carry your phone, but not for music or to make social calls as your walk. Your phone can be a lifeline if you see something suspicious or worse if something happens to you. Download a safety app on your phone, so you’ll be able to discreetly alert the authorities if you feel threatened or see something suspicious.

4) Avoid Suspicious People and Areas

Areas that are dark, deserted, or out-of-the-way, such as an alley or a parking lot, can be riskier than a well-lit area full of people. Stick to busy, lighted paths, to minimize the risks. Also, walk mainly in familiar places where you are known. That way, if you feel like a suspicious person is following you, you can always duck into a store you know or knock on a neighbour’s door. Avoid empty streets and pathways with thick shrubbery.

5) Keep Your Hands Free

Except for a flashlight and one of the items discussed below, keep your hands free. If you are carrying anything, put it all in one bag or backpack. This will make it easier for you to react if you notice someone following you. In a dangerous situation, carrying too many bags can keep you from moving as quickly as you can if your hands are free or if you only have one bag.

6) Carry a Non-Violent Deterrent

In addition to a flashlight, carry a non-violent deterrent such as a whistle, mace, or pepper spray. A whistle will help you alert others and call them to aid you if something is wrong. The loud noise may put off attackers, and they’ll move on to find someone else. Mace or pepper spray can give you enough time to evade a potential attacker, and in a pinch, a flashlight can be used as a weapon. Make sure you know how to use the mace or pepper spray to get its full effect.

7) Wear Reflective Clothing to Prevent Accidents

When it comes to personal safety, it’s not just about suspicious people. Areas with low visibility can be prone to accidents. Reflective clothing allows bikers and cars to see you as you walk along. A flashlight or headlight can also help drivers see you if there are dark stretches of road on your route.

8) Take a Self-Defence Class

When fighting off something as an assault, the element of surprise can work in your favour. If you regularly walk alone, take a self-defence class. You don’t have to become a black belt. In fact, it’s probably better to learn something like Krav Maga, which has been popular for self-defence. The idea is to disable your attacker enough for you to get to safety, and a class focused on self-defence will help give you those survival skills.

9) Remove Any Distractions

Keep your phone in your hand in case you need to hit the panic button on your safety app, but don’t let it distract you. When walking alone at night for exercise, music can be motivating and energizing but also distracting. You may not hear someone driving or walking up behind you. Avoid wearing headphones or talking on your phone as you walk.

10) Trust Your Gut

When walking alone at night, trust your gut. If you feel like an area or situation may be dangerous, don’t wait around to find out. Stop and scan your surroundings if you think someone is following you. If you are being followed, walk as quickly as you can to a well-lit public place. You can wait until you feel safe, or call a friend, a taxi, or an Uber to help you get safely get home at night.

Following these personal safety tips will help keep you stay safe when walking alone. Always be aware of where you are and alert to suspicious activity.

REMINDER TO CARERS

If you still need PPE for you and your loved one then Tower Hamlets are still providing PPE for Carers.

Collection and delivery is on Wednesday only from Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, E14 2BG. Carers can call or email Ayeda directly 0n 07366977103 or ayeda@ccth.org.uk to order.