Hello Everyone – Doing something new is a great way to enhance your wellbeing.

Firstly, I would like to thank the carers who have emailed me with insights into why they cannot attend sometimes and why a hybrid approach would help and increase attendance. I would add that if your caring role is a little intense, busy for a period of time then maybe think about adding your name to an activity and wait to when things are easier for you, because as you know there are always new and exciting activities monthly, if you see something you cannot attend but would you would like, email me as I can always repeat workshops – so email me tony@ccth.org.uk with suggestions for activities, talk in your groups about what you might like to do and if there is enough of you willing to attend, I promise I will look into it.

This leads me nicely into what is coming up for October and we have over seventy activities planned – firstly check out the calendar https://ccth.org.uk/new/calendar/?month=10&yr=2022 as there are descriptions for each event.

I would really like carers to get behind this activity and come and join as this month we have been gifted a wonderful series of African Dance lessons resulting in a final show to celebrate Black History Month 2022. A former carer called Patrice, as a thank you to the Carers Centre for the support we provided, is providing this wonderful opportunity for carers to come learn dance, celebrate Black History, and have an opportunity for us all to connect with each other and reinforce the incredible diversity we have in the world of caring and carers.

The dance classes are for all abilities, you can even do it sitting down.

I would like to personally say thank you to Patrice and I encourage carers to come and learn something new, get involved and the final show is for all carers and their families to attend.

What a wonderful wellbeing opportunity this is, and I hope to see some amazing dancing, you might even get me up and moving.

Photography Course for Carers.

Due to popular demand, we are having another Photography course with our wonderful artistic partner CREATE.

It is a nine-week course starting on Thursday 13^th October and we will be learning techniques for better photography, exploring local places and taking pictures and we end with an exhibition of your work where you will be able to invite family.

We are also going to Kensington Palace to the Royal Photography Exhibition on Thursday 6^th October as a learning trip for carers signing up for the photography course.

Email tony@ccth.org.uk for a place as they are limited

Advanced Care Planning

Due to the interesting and successful presentation from the Community Health Services Tower Hamlets at recent Carers Forum, carers requested a further workshop with more detail on Advanced Care Planning.

Advance care planning offers people the opportunity to plan their future care and support, including medical treatment, while they have the capacity to do so.

Not everyone will want to make an advance care plan, but it may be especially relevant for:

People at risk of losing mental capacity – for example, through progressive illness.
People whose mental capacity varies at different times – for example, through mental illness.

Tuesday 11^th October – 2pm to 3pm

Email Audrey@cth.org.uk to reserve your place

Creative Writing Workshop

Tuesday 18^th October @ 11am to 1pm

Are you a budding writing? Could you be the new Tolkien?

We are having a workshop on creative writing with a writer from Macmillan who is going to explore writing as a form of therapy and how writing can help with imagination, mental and emotional respite. If this is for you then please reserve your place.

Don’t forget the SIX BEST DOCTORS IN THE WORLD ARE rest, nutrition, exercise, sunlight, self confidence, family & friends!

Next Week’s Activities

Always Check out the https://ccth.org.uk/new/calendar/ for fun, activities, workshops and treatments

Stoptober is back!

Local stop smoking advisors were on hand at Whitechapel Idea Store this past Tuesday, 27 September launching our Stoptober campaign. Our free local stop smoking service provides friendly advice on the best ways to quit, along with free nicotine replacement therapy such as e-cigarettes, vapes, gum or lozenges.

Start your quitting journey today with Quit Right Tower Hamlets on 020 7882 8230, or book an appointment.

Book now >

Kinship Care Week (3-7 October)

Kinship Care Week celebrates the amazing role that kinship carers play in children’s lives and our society. We want to say a big thank you to all the kinship carers in the Tower Hamlets community.

Kinship carers are family and friends who come forward to care for children who have entered care. It’s estimated that around half of kinship carers are grandparents, but many other relatives including older siblings, aunts, uncles, as well as family friends and neighbours.

Get support >

Apply for help with winter fuel costs

Residents living in cold, poorly insulated homes can apply for grants worth up to £25,000 to make their homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run.

The grants between £5,000 and £25,000 are available from the Mayor of London’s £43million Warmer Homes programme.

Who will get an autumn booster?

Another Covid vaccine dose will be offered to:

adults aged 50 and over
people aged five to 49 with health conditions which put them at higher risk – including pregnant women
care home staff
frontline health and social care workers
carers aged 16 to 49
household contacts of people with weakened immune systems

Originally only healthy people aged over 65 were due to be offered another booster, but the programme was expanded in response to the spread of Omicron.

The government has said that care home residents and housebound people in England will start getting the booster from 5 September.

A wider rollout will follow on 12 September, which will prioritise the oldest and most vulnerable.

The free flu jab is also being offered to more eligible groups this autumn, and some people will be offered it at the same time as their Covid booster.

Which vaccine will people be offered?

The NHS says Moderna’s new “bivalent” vaccine will be used for autumn boosters, “subject to sufficient supply”.

The UK is the first country to approve the dual vaccine.

However, health officials say people should take whichever booster they are offered, as all vaccines provide protection against becoming severely ill or dying from Covid.

Pfizer is also tweaking its Covid vaccine to better target Omicron.

Previous boosters were a single dose of either Pfizer or Moderna – regardless of which vaccine you received previously.

Anyone who could not have Pfizer or Moderna for medical reasons was offered a booster dose of AstraZeneca.

First and second vaccine doses are either AstraZeneca or (for under-40s) Pfizer or Moderna.

Which children can get jabbed?

All five to 11-year-olds in the UK can have two doses of a reduced-strength Covid vaccine, 12 weeks apart.

In addition:

all 12 to 15-year-olds are offered two doses of Pfizer
all 16 and 17-year-olds can have a booster, three months after their second jab
12 to 15-year-olds in an at-risk group, or who live with someone with a weakened immune system, can have a booster

How do I book my Covid vaccine?

You can book jabs online, or by phoning 119.

You can also go to a walk-in clinic, although not all centres offer jabs to under-12s, and some have closed since the initial vaccination push.

How long after Covid can I have a booster?

You should wait four weeks after a positive test, even if you had no symptoms.

Under-18s who are not at higher risk from Covid should wait 12 weeks.

You should not have the booster if you have a severe illness or high fever. However, both Pfizer and Moderna say you do not need to delay for a mild fever or a cold.

The vaccines do not infect you with Covid and cannot cause positive results on a Covid test.

What are the side effects?

The most common side effects include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea.

They are part of the body’s normal immune response to vaccines and tend to resolve within a day or two.

Flu vaccine

Flu vaccination is safe and effective. It’s offered every year through the NHS to help protect people at risk of getting seriously ill from flu.

The best time to have your flu vaccine is in the autumn or early winter before flu starts spreading. But you can get your vaccine later.

Flu vaccine and coronavirus (COVID-19)

Flu vaccination is important because:

while flu is unpleasant for most people, it can be dangerous and even life threatening for some people, particularly those with certain health conditions
more people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the COVID-19 pandemic
if you get flu and COVID-19 at the same time, research shows you’re more likely to be seriously ill.

Who can have the flu vaccine?

The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to adults who:

are 65 and over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2023)
have certain health conditions
are pregnant
are in long-stay residential care
receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
live with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
are frontline health workers
are social care workers who cannot get the vaccine through an occupational health scheme at work

Starting from mid-October, people aged 50 years old or over (including those who will be 50 years old by 31 March 2023) can have a free NHS flu vaccine. This is so at-risk groups can be offered vaccination first.

If you’re in this age group and have a long-term health condition that puts you at risk from flu, you do not have to wait until mid-October.

Where to get the flu vaccine

You can have the NHS flu vaccine at:

your GP surgery
a pharmacy offering the service – if you’re aged 18 or over
some maternity services if you’re pregnant

Sometimes, you might be offered the flu vaccine at a hospital appointment.

If you have a flu vaccine at any NHS service except your GP surgery, you do not have to tell the surgery to update your records. This will be done for you. If you’ve been given a flu vaccine privately, or through an occupational health scheme, you can tell your GP surgery if you would like it added to your NHS record

Find a pharmacy that offers NHS flu vaccination

When you have some minutes spare, you want to stay cool and listen to my soothing voice….

Listen to the Carers Ignite PODCAST – New One Coming Soon

Why not listen to The Carers Centre Podcast – This is our first podcast and we are pleased with it. A couple of carers approached me to ask if we could broaden our social media and develop a podcast for carers, made by carers and supported by the centre. We approached Graham our Chief Exec and he was all for it and gave the green light and thanks to Chandrika and her producer skills and the wonderful Lloyd who is the co-host with myself we developed our first podcast.

We discuss being a male carer, barriers to men seeking support, carers wellbeing while having a laugh and fun. We will be producing further podcasts and welcome stories/themes and guests to email me tony@ccth.org.uk

https://ccth.org.uk/new/information/carers-ignite/

Launch of Somali National Helpline 0800 6102020

Better Safe Communities are pleased to inform you of the launch of the first historic Somali National Helpline, sponsored by the local businesses up and down the country and in regards to poor service provisions of UK public services for Somali communities nationally.

The Helpline was founded by Khadra Hersi, a student of London Met University. It is aimed at the Somali community, helping with language barriers, immigration, and mental health issues due to war in their country. The Somali National Helpline are a service that uses professionals to support people overcome issues they are facing. They exist to support individuals with language matters, mental health issues, and beneficiaries to solve their problems. They also provide translating and interpreting services. They are here to support and advocate for many problems faced within the Somali community such as young adults suffering from knife crime, and elderly people who feel isolated and lonely due to language barriers.

Why do you need a Lasting Power of Attorney?

Does the person you look after making their own decisions but want help managing their money? Maybe they can make their own decisions now but want an arrangement in case they can’t in the future. Without a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) your family may need to go to Court. This can cause lots of hassle, delay, and expense.

There are 2 types of Lasting Power of Attorney; finances & property matters and decisions about health and care.

Why should you do it now?

1 in 3 of us will suffer dementia
Many of us will retain mental capacity, but will physically struggle to manage our affairs at some point in our life
Being married or asking your chosen person to act for you is not enough – you need to legally give them the power to help you
If you leave making your Power of Attorney until you need it, it will be too late.

Carers Centre Partners

The Carers Centre Tower Hamlets is pleased to work in partnership with respected Law firms to provide carers with affordable support with LPA.

Jones Whyte are a Glasgow based multi award winning Solicitor firm and the reigning Law Firm of the Year 2021

They prepare thousands of Powers of Attorney every year
Have partnerships with many major national charities
They offer competitive Power of Attorney fees £349 + vat

Carers Centre staff can refer you, or you can contact them yourself on 0330 175 1234 or email appointments@joneswhyte.co.uk

You can find our more about Jones Whyte here Power of Attorney – Solicitors Glasgow | Jones Whyte Law

Duncan Lewis Solicitors – “We believe in access to justice for the most vulnerable in society and do everything we can to ensure legal advice and support is available for those who need it most”.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors are a national firm with offices locally.

They prepare thousands of Powers of Attorney every year
They are available for face-to-face appointments at their local office (1 Kingsland High Street, Dalston, Hackney, London, E8 2JS) or surgeries at the Carers Centre if requested
They offer competitive Power of Attorney fees £350 + vat

Carers Centre staff can refer you, contact us on 0207 790 1765 or at enquiries@ccth.org.uk

You can find out more about Duncan Lewis here https://www.duncanlewis.co.uk

Most solicitor firms support with LPA and carers are under no obligation to use either firm listed above and are free to seek support from any firm they choose.

What is I do not want to pay for support with LPA?

We also provide workshops and information for those who want to set up an LPA themselves, many people set up LPA without legal support. You can check our Calendar or give us a call for updates on our latest workshops.

You can also see the information links below for information.

Different ways to manage someone’s affairs 

Make, register or end LPA

Call us on 0207 790 1765 or email enquiries@ccth.org.uk to find out more about LPA.

A carers guide to home fire safety

A new video resource has been launched on the London Fire Brigade website to help carers learn how to keep people that receive care safe from fire.

Sadly, around one third of those here who die or are severely injured by fire are in receipt of some form of care or support. If you are a formal (domiciliary care worker, support worker or clinician) or informal carer (family member, friend or neighbour) and are caring for someone in their own home, this new resource will help you identify fire risks and show you what you can do to reduce them. There is also more information available on the website around fire safety and prevention.

Watch the video >

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.

Get in touch

The Carers Centre
21 Brayford Square
London, E1 0SG

020 7790 1765

enquiries@ccth.org.uk

Opening hours

Monday - Friday – 9.30am – 5pm
Saturday and Sunday – Closed

30th September 2022