Hello Everyone – Learning to step back and breathe…
This week has been a long one, had many ups and downs and at times difficult.
As you know I was supposed to see my parents last Saturday but due to heavy traffic, I could not leave my village, so I promised to pop by on Tuesday evening on my way home. Earlier in the day, my Dad had called in tears, which is becoming more frequent as he was exasperated, due to not being able to help my Mum, or as he put it being useless because he could not solve a problem for my Mum.
Cut a long story short, whenever, they have a fire alarm test at the nursing home, the bedroom doors shut automatically as they should to help protect the residents until the fire brigade come and all is well. However, my Mum gets very anxious and claustrophobic and needs the door to be opened once it is possible but in a timely way. Unfortunately, it was fats enough, she then rings Dad and he is helpless to act. No matter how you explain it is for her safety she cannot cope with it. I think with a few things going a little wrong in the last week or so, this has culminated and she feels down, loss of power and is miserable.
This did not help when I was unable to keep my promise and visit Tuesday night as I was working late but it did upset me when she stated that I had let her down. Thanks to Graham, I left early the next day got to see her, my Sister and helped my Dad in the process, gently reminded my Mum that I try to do everything they both want and they both agreed.
Becoming a carers has helped me take a step back, learn to take a deep breathe and then respond to difficult and emotional issues. I honestly think that I am more adept at this than ever before, because I really need to be. I have made a complaint about the nursing home and I am waiting to have a meeting. I am still waiting to see my Mum’s care plan, I am still waiting to be asked if I can provide information, insight so that my Mum is treated with dignity and is understood.
Don’t get me wrong, as I have mentioned before most of the staff are amazing, caring and look after my Mum brilliantly but I do feel that the issues are due to lack of staff, poor service level agreements with contractors, basically cutting corners with finance.
I will definitely need to take a deep breathe at the meeting I have asked for. So, I have seen this many times with carers when supporting them at meetings and I have always admired the composure and grace carers have with people and services that are not fulfilling their obligation. I do feel I have/had some great teachers, mentors with the carers in Tower Hamlets and thanks for preparing me when I need these skills the most.
Don’t forget the SIX BEST DOCTORS IN THE WORLD ARE rest, diet, exercise, sunlight, self confidence, family & friends!
Important Numbers:
Domestic Violence Duty Line: 020 7364 4986 between 9am – 5pm.Victim Support: 020 7364 2448/7957
Tower Hamlets Connect/Adult Social Care : 0300 303 6070
We are Recruiting
Do you want to be part of a friendly and supportive team where you can support unpaid carers to know and access their rights and entitlements?
Do you have skills that can help a diverse community of carers to understand think about themselves, identify their needs and enable them to access the support they need?
You will be supported, line managed, and supervised by Mohammad, the Advocacy Team Manager, and you can contribute to the direction and aims of the Carers Centre Tower Hamlets.
Please inform us if you need any reasonable adjustment when undertaking this recruitment process.
This role could be possible as a part-time option
If this sounds like you then please apply on Charity Jobs with a CV and your supporting statement
https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/carers-centre-tower-hamlets/carers-support-advocate/845940?tsId=6
Closing date is the 20th AUGUST 2022.
Next Week’s Activities
Always Check out the https://ccth.org.uk/new/calendar/ for fun, activities, workshops and treatments
Next week – Peer support group for carers of someone with Autism, Learning Disability, Physical Disability and/or behaviours that challenge. 11am to 1pm – Workshop on Safeguarding you and your loved ones
Following on, I wanted to do another shout to carers that we have a new group starting in September and already I have some carers who have joined but there are some places left if you fancy learning something new….
Open University Study Group
Learning is a great way to aid your wellbeing and the benefits are considerable. As part of partnership with Open University we have helped develop a Learning Guide for Carers, this guide is a tool to help carers access courses to suit all needs, likes and directions and now as part of our second stage, we are going to develop a study group, where you will be support by Tony. You will receive group and individual support, regular check ins and learn as a group but your learning is individual.
If this sounds like something that interests you then email tony@ccth.org.uk for a place, as places are limited.
We will start the study group in September
Report a missing Cost of Living Payment
From Monday 1 August any DWP customer who is eligible for the £650 Cost of Living Payment but hasn’t received their first payment of £326 can let DWP know via an online form on the Cost of Living Payments webpage. By answering some simple questions, their information will be emailed to our colleagues who will look into their case and then respond to the customer.
Any customers without digital access are encouraged to ask friends or family to complete the form on their behalf, or they can speak to our contact centre colleagues who can complete the form for them. Customers are advised to check their eligibility first using the Cost of Living Payment webpage.
What is Healthy Living for people with type 2 diabetes?
Healthy Living is a free online NHS service for people living with type 2 diabetes. It provides knowledge and information that will support you to manage your condition.
It includes:
- information about type 2 diabetes and its treatments;
- advice on emotional and mental wellbeing;
- advice with adopting and maintaining healthy behaviours with food and exercise.
Click here to find out more – https://www.healthyliving.nhs.uk/?twclid=25fshdeos936zzz5u1pw8vv1da
We hope you may help us to identify research participants to our study “Forward with Dementia: co-creating Social Care supports”.
Forward with Dementia is a personalised online guide to help people with dementia, their families, and professionals providing support, to access the right information after a diagnosis. It is free to use and available on any device: https://www.forwardwithdementia.org/en/
The guide was produced with and for people living with dementia, those who care about them and healthcare professionals. We are now developing the guide to include resources and information for social care and care home workers.
We are inviting people living with dementia and caregivers to take part in individual qualitative interviews and join us in small group online workshops. We would love to hear what the important information areas to include on the website are, so that we can better support people following a dementia diagnosis. We aim to be inclusive, and we welcome the views of those who are not online or who lack digital confidence, and members of ‘seldom heard’ groups/communities.
When you have some minutes spare, you want to stay cool and listen to my soothing voice….
Listen to the Carers Ignite PODCAST
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/
State of caring of survey – please click link and complete
Carers UK are delighted to launch our State of Caring 2022 survey this week, and we would be really grateful for your help in encouraging carers to take part. All the information we get from carers helps us to build a picture of what caring is like at the moment and we are keen to hear from as many different carers as possible.
https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/state-of-caring-survey-2022
The annual State of Caring survey is the UK’s most comprehensive research into the lives and experience of carers. We want to understand carers’ priorities for the future and what support they need to help recover from the pandemic, and to create a positive legacy for the future. We will use the evidence to continue to campaign for carers to get better support. We know that our evidence has helped shaped Government policy and has helped commissioners and service delivery organisations look at practice.
Last year, we used carers’ collective voice and evidence to secure new rights for carers in the Health and Social Care Act 2022 in England, to campaign for cost of living increases in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, to provide evidence of the need for a right to Carer’s Leave and other support within the workplace, and to campaign for breaks and funding for social care – and there’s still much more to do!
| 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
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.
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Monday - Friday – 9.30am – 5pm
Saturday and Sunday – Closed
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