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Care Matters Winter 2016
For people who look after family members, friends or neighbours
Contact Carers Oxfordshire:
0345 050 7666
www.carersoxfordshire.org.uk
@Oxoncarers Carers Oxfordshire
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Contents
24 Affordable Warmth
25 Parkinson & Library Services
26 Oxfordshire Befriending
Service
27 Fire Service
28 Generation Games
30 Richmond Homes
31 NHS Choices
32 Carers Support Service
33 Valid Dementia
34 Home Support Options
35 Carers Check list
36 Rethink
37 Oxford Health
38 JDP Moving Music
39 rHaus
3 Kay’s Column
4 Consultation and Change
6 Carers Voice and Mick Dillon
CEO
7 ‘Images of Caring’ Winner
and Cheque Presentation
8 Carers Conference 2016
10 Time Out for Carers
12 Carers Support Groups
13 Power of Attorney
14 Carers Courses
16 Cumnor Hill
17 Dignity in Care Awards
18 Get The Picture
20 Parent Carers Voice
21 Carers Wellbeing
22 Eating well as a carer
23 Tracey’s quarterly recipe
Good News!
It’s now cheaper to call our helpline the new number is
0345 050 7666
Calls to this number are charged at local rate
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Kay’s Column
Hello my name is Kay Francis and I have been a part of the Carers Oxfordshire Team for over 2 years. I have a background of working in the Community Health Services as a District Nurse and Community Matron. I am very proud and happy to be the Interim Head of Service for Carers Oxfordshire, leading a fantastic team of hard
working colleagues.
We are absolutely committed to providing the carers of people in Oxfordshire with a high quality service, providing expert support to carers in an ever-changing landscape of cuts and austerity. There may be challenging times ahead as together we go through the consultations and reviews of both the local Carers Strategy and the Day Time Care Services, but we aim to support
you through these changes.
Over the past few months we have continued our close relationship with Sarah Taylor the High Sherriff of Oxfordshire. In September 22 carers had a personal tour of Rycote Manor, gardens and Chapel by the High Sherriff, followed by a wonderful
afternoon of tea and cake. This was followed by a further event on the 5th October, with a private tour and lunch in aid
of Carers Oxfordshire.
Best Wishes Kay Francis Interim Head of Carers Support Carers Oxfordshire
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In our last issue, we urged you to get involved with our Think Again! campaign to protect Attendance Allowance and the local Carers' Consultation. Think Again! Campaign to protect Attendance Allowance Thank you to everyone who contacted us to let us have your views (and lots of you did!), who agreed to be filmed by the Get the Picture team, wrote to your MP or signed the Age UK Open Letter, calling on the Government to think again. We pulled all your views together into a formal response to the Government, and we also wrote to all of Oxfordshire's MPs and met with three of them to express our concerns about these proposals. We expect the outcome of this consultation in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on November 23rd. Oxfordshire Carers' Strategy and Carers' Personal Budgets This consultation was extended to allow carers to consider these proposals in the light of another Oxfordshire County Council consultation on Daytime Support (see below), which many carers feel is likely to have a greater impact on them, because it will affect the amount of respite available and its cost. The Carers' Voice Panel have lead the way on the Carers' Consultation and, as I write this, they are preparing a formal response.
Consultation and Change
Consultation on the County Council’s Daytime Support Review You will probably be aware that, following the savings agreed by Oxfordshire County Council in February 2016, they have been reviewing day services for older people and people with learning disabilities. They sought the views of people using day services and their carers earlier in the year to inform their proposals and they are now consulting on proposals to change the way in which day services are provided, whilst delivering the financial savings already agreed. The Council proposals are: 1. to establish a new Community Support Service, which people can purchase using Personal Budgets or self-fund. This service will target people with higher levels of need and would replace Health and Wellbeing Centres and Learning Disability Daytime Support Services. It would support people with a wide range of needs for daytime support, including older people, people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities and people with dementia. Transport would be integral to the service for people eligible for transport support. There are two different delivery options for the proposed Community Support Service, on which comments are sought: Option A, delivered from 8 dedicated 'multi-functional' buildings across the county or Option B, delivered in local communities and from four small building bases.
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Consultation and Change
2. to provide support for people to live well in the community, through information and advice, council services such as the bookable transport service, The Comet, and voluntary and community sector (VCS) support. Grant funding of £250,000 to support VCS support would replace the current contracts for 46 independent Day Centres for older people, worth over £900,000. Decisions about the future of each of the 46 independent Centres will be made by the community groups and organisations running them and will depend on whether they can find ways of sustaining the Centres without OCC funding. The hope is that many will be able to continue to provide support for older people, though that support might look slightly different.
Timescales This important consultation runs from 1st Nov - 20th Dec and the Council will make their final decision on the proposals on 14th February at a meeting of the Full Council. It is envisaged that the agreed proposals will be in place by 1st September. These are big changes and, as we all try to fathom out what their implications might be, it is an unsettling time for people who rely on day services to provide friendship and stimulating activities and for carers who are dependent on day services for respite, as well as for staff and volunteers. We are encouraging people who use day services, families, staff, volunteers and the wider public to respond to the consultation individually and / or by attending one of the public meetings.
How you can find out more and have your say:
1. Consultation papers, together with the online questionnaire can be found on the County Council website at: https://
www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/daytimesupport
Or you can contact the consultation team to ask for hard copies at: [email protected] or phone 01865 323410
or 07392 318939.
2. Contact Age UK Oxfordshire to tell us what you think:
[email protected] or phone Jan on 07827 235 401
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Carers Voice
Would you like to use your
experiences to:
Have opportunities to give your
views;
Raise awareness of carers’
needs and issues;
Campaign with other carers to improve the quality of life for
carers.
Carers’ Voice is a group of carers and ex-carers who meet regularly, to discuss topics related to the provision of support and health and social care
in Oxfordshire.
The purpose of the Carers’ Voice Panel is to ensure that the voices of carers are heard and that carers can influence the way in which services
are planned, delivered and improved.
You are also welcome to join and opt to give views and receive information via email only, rather than attend meetings. (This is an opportunity to look at the bigger picture, rather than
resolve individual issues).
Please contact :
Telephone 07827 235 401
Mick Dillon Chief Executive
Mick Dillon joined Age UK Oxfordshire and Action for Carers on 21st November as Chief Executive, following Paul Cann’s retirement in October. Mick has been the Chief
Executive of The Disability Resource Centre, Dunstable for 15 years, He is regarded as the local disability expert around independent living and equality in Bedfordshire and surrounding counties. Mick’s unique leadership experience and achievements in providing a voice for those who are not always heard make him an ideal champion for older people and carers in Oxfordshire.
His vision is to reach as many people as possible locally, to hear their concerns and through partnership working, look to improve their lives, reduce loneliness and create better independence and choice for all. As an experienced Chief Executive with a neurological disability, Mick also brings a unique perspective to not only the provision of services to support health and social care, but also an insight into receiving support as an individual. Mick added, “from my own experiences, a small amount of appropriate support can make a huge difference”.
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‘Images of Caring’ Competition Winner
We were delighted by all the entries we received for our Carers Oxfordshire Photo Competition ‘Images of Caring’. We had 20 entries which were displayed at our ‘Caring Matters’ Conference.
All delegates at the event were asked to choose their favourite image. The winner was Natasha Austin Well done to Natasha, such a powerful and beautiful photo
"Because it is important to remember that you are cared for too."
Sarah Taylor High Sheriff of Oxfordshire hands over a cheque for £27,271.69 to Davina Logan Chair of Trustees for Action for Carers
Action for Carers
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Missing out? Know your rights as a carer was the theme of this year’s National Carers Rights Day. To celebrate this we held our annual ‘Caring Matters Conference’ at The Kassam Stadium, Oxford on Friday 25
th
November 2016 and addressed key issues in caring. We were delighted that over 130 delegates attended the day. The event provided valuable information, advice and support to unpaid carers and professionals in Oxfordshire. Sarah Taylor, High Sheriff of Oxfordshire chaired the conference. Sarah has chosen to support carers during her year in office and has significantly raised awareness of carers’ issues during this time. We were a range of speakers including Andrew Smith MP for East Oxford who has had personal experience of caring and its impact it has on families. Caroline Heason, Head of Patient Experience, Oxfordshire University
Hospitals NHS Trust talked about her own experience as a carer, and the carers project at Oxfordshire University Hospital Trust. Kate Terroni, Director of Adult Services OCC introduced herself. Kate takes up her new position in early December. This led us nicely onto Benedict Leigh, Lead Commissioner for Adults, Oxfordshire County Council who presented a talk about the new Carers’ Strategy and Daytime Support Consultation. Deborah Parkhouse, Young Carers Manager for Oxfordshire County Council gave a talk and presentation on Young Adult Carers – ‘getting it right’, and the launch the new resource section on Carers Oxfordshire’s webpage for young Adult carers and student carers. After coffee and a walk around the 32 stands the delegates rejoined in the main hall where Davina Logan Chair of the Board of Trustees for Action for Carers was presented a cheque for the sum of £27,271.69 by Sarah Taylor enabling further support for unpaid carers in Oxfordshire.
Caring Matters Conference
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Caring Matters Conference
This was a day to value the commitment and dedication of unpaid carers and to highlight the often hidden role they undertake.
‘After we finished gasping from receiving such a large cheque’ Angela Etherington, Time to Change South East Coordinator, gave a personal talk about mental health and the stigma that can accompany it. The talk was enti-tled ‘The Impact of Mental Health Discrimination on service users and carers’. Before lunch took place our first expert seminars which included Welfare Benefits, Singing for your Health and Consultation Workshop for carers strategy and Daytime Support review. After lunch our key note speaker Dame Phillippa Russell DBE, Emeritus Chair, Standing Commis-sion on Carers talked about ‘What next for carers? ‘Opportunities and challenges for a new carers Strategy’ and gave an inspirational, compassionate and thought provoking insight into the experiences of carers and how the future may look. Barbara Batty ,Urgent Care Clinical Lead Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Penny Thewlis Deputy Chief Executive of Carers Oxfordshire and Kay Francis Interim Head of Carers Support, along with some of the prominent speaker’s answered questions from the floor before we went to our final round of expert seminars.
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A voluntary support service providing short respite breaks for Carers through a range of options in the home and out in the community. Quality time away from the responsibilities of caring is important for the well-being of both Carers and those being cared for. At Guideposts we appreciate that meaningful time out means different things to different people. As such our Time Out project provides a varied range of opportunities for respite: both in the home and out in the community. From short regular breaks provided by a volunteer visiting a person’s home to ad hoc trips, support groups and a telephone befriending service; we aim to provide something to suit everyone.
“Time Out for Carers” is part of a partnership between Guideposts,
Action for Carers and Rethink. This new alliance which was formed in 2016 brings together three of the
County’s leading supporters of Carers in order to provide the best
possible service to people in Oxfordshire.
One to One Befriending The One to One Befriending option offers companionship for the person being cared for in the comfort of their own home. This allows Carers to have a short break and quality time to themselves. Carers will be given a block of 20 hours of voluntary support to be divided up as they would like. For instance a couple of hours a week on a regular basis or a more intensive period where several hours are required in one go.
Time Out for Carers
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Time Out for Carers
Community Support
Social Groups Our Community Support will feature volunteer led social groups for the cared for person to attend to allow opportunities for friendship and social support. These groups will allow Carers the chance of a short respite break. These groups will be created across the County and will feature various activities. For any questions on Time Out for Carers please contact Volunteer Coordinator Ben Reynolds 07815559479 01993899980 [email protected]
Telephone Befriending This option involves weekly or fortnightly calls from a volunteer offering friendly conversation and a listening ear. Volunteers are there to listen and pass on concerns and while they cannot provide a counselling or advice service they can offer a friendly voice to engage with on the phone. Out and About Our Out and About group sessions are open to both Carers and those being cared for and involve taking part in fun activities. These trips will offer a chance for people to meet with others in similar situations and enjoy a variety of different trips. Examples might include going to the theatre or visiting a Garden Centre.
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Would you like to join a free carers group near you? Please call 01235 424715 to find out details about
the ones near you.
Carterton Carers Support Group 3
rd Thursday of the month
2-4pm The meeting room at Carterton Town Hall, 19 Alvescot Road, Carterton OX18 3JL Contact Anney Harris 07557 430874 Henley Carers Third Tuesday of the month 10.30-12 noon The Christchurch Centre, Reading Rd, Henley on Thames Contact Fiona Macpherson 07557 430873
Sonning Common Carers Group Second Wednesday of the month 2pm to 3.30pm The Fish House, Kennylands Rd, Sonning Common Contact : Fiona Macpherson 07557 430873
Carers Support Groups
Wallingford Carers Support Group 4th Thursday of the month 13.30-15.00 Wallingford Health and Wellbeing Centre, Westgate House, Millington Road, Wallingford OX10 8PE
Contact Merisha Anderson 07557 430882 Witney and District Carers Support Group Last Wednesday of the month 2-4 pm The Garden Room, Congregational Church, 4 Welch Way, Witney OX28 2JF Contact Anney Harris 07557 430874
Woodstock Carers Support Group 1st Wednesday of the month 10.30-12.00 Woodstock Bowls and Tennis Club, Cadogan Park, Woodstock, OX20 1UW
Contact Merisha Anderson 07557 430882
Carers Oxfordshire
Out of Hours Service
In a crisis situation out of hours please
call;
0800 833408
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Thinking about Lasting Power of Attorney?
Did you know that without a legal document such as a Lasting Power of Attorney, the medical professionals have the right to
make all your decisions for you.
A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that gives you the opportunity to appoint someone to express your wishes about you and your health when you cannot do so. Age UK Oxfordshire can help you
complete the process.
We will come to the comfort of your own house and discuss everything you want us to know with no cost to you and no limit on the number of visits. All you need is to have some thoughts about why you want power of attorney and who you would appoint to act
for you.
Although it is a legal document, it is not true that you need a solicitor; indeed, you can create one for yourself quite independently if that is your wish.
We can ensure it is legally binding if you want us to scrutinise it
before you register it.
It is also not true that it will cost you a fortune. Through the Age UK project called My Life, My Decision, we make no charge for our time and advice, so a Lasting Power of Attorney will only cost the registration fee imposed by the government, currently £110, less for a reduced income and free for those on certain means-tested
benefits.
There is a requirement that the Lasting Power of Attorney be signed by others, but this is a simple task when taken slowly. We can guide you through that
process very easily.
All Lasting Powers of Attorney need to be registered through the Office of the Public Guardian in order for them to be effective. We can advise you if you have any doubts about a Lasting Power of
Attorney already created.
If you want to know more about Lasting Power of Attorney or making plans for your future health and care, please contact the project co-ordinator, Penny Beerling, on 07800 813305 or contact the Age UK Oxfordshire
helpline on 0345 4501276.
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Courses for Carers
Wellbeing and Coping Everyday
One session 2.5 hrs
About you
Good and bad Stress, breaking
the cycle
Getting the balance right and
protecting your own wellbeing
Where to get help. Emergency Carers Support Service and
other resources
Didcot Civic Hall, 2nd February
2017 10.00-13.30
Osney Mead, Oxford 9th February
2017 13.00-15.30
Wantage The Beacon Centre 9th
March 2017 13.00-15.30
Witney Congregation Church,13th
March 2017 13.00-15.30
Banbury Ruscote Community
Centre 13th February 2017
10.30-13.30
Coming soon Simple Techniques to reach
deep relaxation
Mindfulness Meditation
Watercolour Landscape
To register your interest or book onto a course please call
01235 520463 or email [email protected]
If there is a course that you think would benefit you or others in their caring role
please let us know
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Courses for Carers
Witney Campus
Massage; hand Reflexology
8th
January 13:00 – 15:00
Berinsfield Adult Learning
Massage; hand reflexology
23rd
January 10:00 – 12:00
Massage; hand and hand
reflexology
Learn some basic exercises and movements for keeping the hands and wrists supple and mobile as well as simple and practical massage movements to use on the hands. You will also be shown some special pressure points on the hands that can be massaged to enhance the effects and also to effect other areas of the body (just as they do with reflexology points on the foot). The beauty of this form of massage is that as well as offering it to others, you can use it on yourself to keep your hands in good shape and to aid relaxation at the end of a busy
day.
Witney Campus
Massage and Aromatherapy
6th
February 10:00 – 12:00
Berinsfield Adult Learning
Massage and Aromatherapy
8th
February 13:00 – 15:00
Massage and aromatherapy
This session will incorporate hand
massage along with other massage
techniques for arms and face. It will
also include the use of a small
number of aromatherapy oils, how
to use them to the best effect and
safely. The course is designed so
that anyone attending who did not
make it to the hand massage ses-
sion will be able to participate fully.
With aromatherapy oils added to
the mix you’ll definitely feel pam-
pered and relaxed at the end of this
session.
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The Dignity in Care Awards have been running since 2012 and were set up by Age UK Oxfordshire to recognise and celebrate local individuals, care services and organisations who have gone the extra
mile in delivering real dignity in care for people in Oxfordshire.
To us, Dignity in Care means seeing and supporting the person, the
whole individual behind the symptoms or care needs.
In our last edition of Care Matters we encouraged you to submit nominations for organisations, care settings, paid staff and volunteers and tell us your stories of outstanding care. The nominations were then reviewed and deliberated over by a panel of judges with a
background and interest in care.
This year we were delighted to have eight award winners across the six categories. The awards ceremony took place on the 16
th November
and were presented by Dr. Bruno Holthof, CEO of Oxford University
Trust. The winners were:
Leadership – Christopher Dunn
A care or support setting or service – Newland House and St. Lukes
Hospital
Care or Support Staff – Magda Kozio and Julie Partlett
Communication – Adam Gabriel
An Unpaid Carer – Elaine Biles
The Dignity in Care Awards Winners
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Oxford residents talk about Attendance Allowance The Get the Picture campaigning project recently spent time interviewing people who benefit greatly from Attendance Allowance in Oxford, to find out how it helps them have a much better quality of life. The films produced were sent to local MPs, put on social media and shared by the Alzheimer’s Society. It is hoped that it might help influence the Government’s proposal to devolve Attendance Allowance and instead keep it nationally managed by the Department of Work and Pensions. So far 14000 people have signed the Age UK petition not to transfer Attendance Allowance to councils. The Government have yet to make a decision. Antony from Oxford has Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s related dementia. Antony and his wife Wini were interviewed by Get the Picture. They talked about how Attendance Allowance helps with Antony’s independence and pays for them to get taxis to the GP and Jazz gigs, use a cleaner and help out with the laundry.
Wini on the benefits of Attendance Allowance: “If we’re out and we have gone by bus somewhere because Antony’s not having too bad a day, then the return journey might be a bit different if Antony’s deteriorated, and we can just think, don’t worry about that and we can just get a cab”. “We do also use the money from the allowance for a cleaner, we have somebody once a week to come in and help us out there. Because everything takes a lot longer when you have somebody with a problem like Parkinson’s”.
Get The Picture
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Get The Picture
Antony on the main benefits of Attendance Allowance: “Well I think it’s independence if you can get there under your own steam, either by taxi or other. You can ring up and you can make an appointment to see the dentist or the doctor and you know that you can get there on time without anybody else being involved”. “My wife and I we’ve always loved the theatre and it helps us to get to and from the local theatre and also jazz as well. It helps with all those aspects there”. “Attendance Allowance if it’s devolved out to the local councils, they will all have different views on what and how they should be paying it; whereas if it’s central you get a common standard for Attendance Allowance throughout the country.”
For more information about the Get the Picture project:
Visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/oxfordshire (Look for us in the news and
campaigns section)
Age UK Oxfordshire Information and Advice
To check that you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to,
including Attendance Allowance, call 0345 450 1276 or email:
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Parent Carers Voice
Parent Carers Voice Oxfordshire is a parent carer forum, a group of parents and carers of Special Educational Needs and disabled children who work with local authorities, education settings, health providers and other providers to make sure the services
they plan and deliver meet the needs of disabled children and families.
We have a steering group of parents who lead our work and listen to the views of other parents in the local area to make sure we know what is important to
them.
The forum represents the views of parents in the local area but does not
advocate for individual families.
If you have a topic you would like our forum to help with or if you are interested in becoming involved please contact Michelle 01235 849470 or
SEN SUPPORT - Did you know?
Children may be supported from within the school’s own resources under SEN
Support without an EHC plan (previously school action or school action plus).
Maintained mainstream schools and mainstream academy schools (including free schools) must ensure that there is a designated SENCO
for the school.
The SENCO must be a qualified teacher.
Schools must tell parents when they identify a child as having Special
Educational Needs and needs extra support.
Schools should record what SEN they have identified a child as having, what outcomes they expect the child to achieve with special educational provision, and what provision is being put in place to reach
those outcomes in a SEN Support record.
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties are special educational
needs.
Schools should meet parents at least 3 times a year to discuss how their
child is progressing.
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Parent Carers Voice
The (designated) teacher is responsible and accountable for the pro-gress and development of pupils with SEN, including where pupils
access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
Schools should trigger an EHC needs assessment where they cannot
meet a child’s needs.
Parents can ask for an EHC needs assessment.
Your local authority must provide information about support and facilities for families, children and young people with SEN and disabilities. The
Oxfordshire Local Offer is here www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/localoffer.
Save money on great days out at castles, zoos, bowling alleys and more.
Max Card is a discount card for families of disabled children and children with additional needs aged 0-17. To register for a free card contact Michelle on 01235
849470 or email: [email protected]
Carers Wellbeing
Protect your own wellbeing you can delay the onset of health problems.
Well-being has a profound bearing on health. Carers are busy and tired; nutrition and physical fitness are often the first things to be neglected.
Carers manage both for themselves and for the person they care for.
Volunteering. When you volunteer it gets you active and meeting new people. To Volunteer email [email protected] or call 01235 849470 .But you also develop your skills and confidence, which in turn increases your employability. There can be huge benefits to your health and
emotional wellbeing. Carers Oxfordshire are looking for people to:
Join our volunteer fundraising group – meeting quarterly & supporting
fundraising events.
Become Blue Badge Champions –
help people to apply for blue badges.
Every year over 2 million
people take on new caring
responsibilities.
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Why is eating well important?
Looking after a friend or a relative can be hugely rewarding, but at times it can also be tiring and stressful. Carers often put their own needs last, amongst the day to day challenges of looking after someone else it can be easy to forget about
your own health needs.
As carers, eating a balanced diet is essential to provide your body with all the nutrients it needs. A balanced diet will keep your body strong and give you enough energy to provide the best care for the person you are
caring for and yourself.
By understanding what a balanced diet looks like and how to fit it into your lifestyle you can look after your
own health and wellbeing.
We all know how important it is to eat well. However, when we’re looking after someone it can be difficult to look after our own health and diet. As a carer, you may find that much of your time and energy will be focused on the needs of the person you care for. As a result, it may be difficult to prepare and eat
healthy balanced meals.
The Importance of Eating Well for Carers
Caring for someone can often mean a busy and demanding lifestyle, with little time to eat balanced meals. Some people may eat too much of certain types of food, resulting in weight gain, whilst others may not eat enough and therefore lose
weight.
During stressful events, such as recent bereavement, work or financial pressures, you may not feel
like eating very much.
You may also experience loss of appetite when suffering from a short-term illness, such as flu, or recovering from an injury because you may feel too sick or weak to
prepare and manage normal food.
If you are on a budget you may find it difficult to buy the foods you need for a healthy, balanced diet. For more information about a balanced diet the NHS Choices website has a wealth of very useful information please visit
www.nhs.uk/livewell
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Hearty lamb stew
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g cubed stewing lamb
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 carrot, thickly sliced
2 leeks, thickly sliced
400ml hot vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp dried rosemary
400g cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Crusty bread or boiled potatoes to serve (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a large casserole pot. Add in the lamb and cook for 5 mins until any liquid has disappeared, then add the onion, carrots and leeks. Cook for 5 mins more, stirring often, until the vegetables are starting to soften Pour over the stock, add the rosemary, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 1 hr. Stir in the beans and cook for 30 mins more, topping up with water if necessary, until the lamb is tender and cooked through.
Serve with some crusty bread or potatoes, if you like.
Tracey’s quarterly recipe
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We all know how challenging it can be for carers to make ends meet. The cost of taking a break from caring to get right away and recharge our batteries, can put us off trying. There is the cost of a care home or care package to be met, as well as our own costs when we go away for a holiday during the break we so much need. The Aylesbury branch of Parkinson’s UK realises this all too well, and so runs a scheme of financial assistance towards meeting the costs of a respite care break. Applicants need to be caring for someone diagnosed with Parkinson’s and be living within approximately 15 miles of Aylesbury. The maximum amount available to a carer is £200 in any one year, and it is not means tested. This grant can be used in a variety of ways, such as to pay for a care agency to provide the carer with a few hours of respite, or to help pay for care at a recognised centre like a care home or day centre. The care must be provided by a registered care provider, and not by a family member or friend on a casual basis. The Aylesbury branch will reimburse the costs on submission of receipts. To make a claim for a grant, please request an application form by phoning 01296 580529. or emailing [email protected]
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Oxfordshire Volunteer Befriending Service offers Carers a regular short break from their caring role. A volunteer will sit with the person being cared for, for 2-3 hours each week or fortnight. Volunteers do not administer medication, do personal care or moving and handling. This is a free service, but Carers can make a donation if they wish.
Elaine Gilbert is the Volunteer Coordinator and can be contacted on: 07801-482408 or [email protected] or [email protected]
Oxfordshire Volunteer Befriending Service
If you would like to receive this quarterly newsletter regularly through the post please sign up through:
www.carersoxfordshire.org.uk 0345 050 7666
If you currently do, but would rather not receive this newsletter, or your circumstances have changed, please let us know by calling:
01235 424 715 or you may email [email protected]
If you would like to feature in future issues please email the Editor: [email protected]
If you are interested in advertising please contact [email protected]
Subscribe to our Newsletter
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Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Safe and Well visits
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service are working to increase fire safety awareness across the health and care sector to help reduce the likelihood of fires in the home. We are working closely with partners such as Trading Standards, Emergency Planning, Age UK and Carers Oxfordshire to ensure that our Safe and Well home visits provide a wide range of support for residents to reduce risks in the home.
What is a Safe and Well visit? A Safe and Well visit combines a Home Safety Check to help reduce fire risk in the home, such as checking and fitting smoke alarms, with advice to support members of the community with their health and wellbeing. During the visit the fire service can offer advice and support, providing simple interventions where they can, to reduce any immediate risk from falls, fire, flood or power cut and we can give advice to protect from scams and doorstep crime. Here’s a short video about Safe and Well visits from the Chief Fire Officers Association https://youtu.be/Ptm6kIJ8zaI Whether you’re a professional working with a vulnerable client, or look after a friend or family member in their home, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service can help by answering your questions and providing support. Request a Safe and Well Visit on line at 365alive.co.uk/safewell. Call 08000 325 999 or email [email protected] if you have any fire safety concerns or questions
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Do you care for someone who has had a fall? Age UK Generation Games has been commissioned by OCCG to provide specific community exercise classes to help prevent falls. These classes aim to be progressive and focus on improving strength, balance, flexibility, mobility and build confidence. They will include tips on getting down and up from the floor using a sequence of moves and floor coping strategies. Participants will be provided written home exercise guidance and advice on staying steady. For more information on classes please contact Generation Games 01235 849403 or
For the full exercise brochure,
please see http://
www.laterlifetraining.co.uk/llt-
home-exercise-booklets/
How Generation Games works Registering with Generation Games is easy to do and is completely free. You can either register online by visiting our Generation Games website, or you can register over the phone by
calling us on 01235 849403.
Once registered you will be able to:
Receive copy of our extremely popular free 'Gentle Exercise at Home' DVD to get you started
Find out which sessions are on near you that you might enjoy
Get a personalised recommendation of what activity might suit you
Log your own personal activity, earn points and receive rewards
Receive regular news, advice and
updates
Generations Game
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Carers can now receive a FREE FLU Vaccine, not only from your GP Practice but
also from your local pharmacy in Oxfordshire.
You do not have to book an appointment as this is a drop in service, just let the
pharmacist assistant know you are a carer when you arrive.
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Emergency Carers Support Service
This is a FREE service which provides emergency care for the cared for in the event their carer has an emergency and is unable
to do so.
The emergency care ranges from 1 to 48 hours depending on need. When someone rings the ECSS on 01865 849562 to activate the service an experienced, trained responder will visit the home in
order to carry out an assessment.
The assessment can take up to
one hour to complete.
Once it is established what care requirements are needed, appropriate care will be put in place for up to 48 hours, (there is provision to extend this to 72 hours if required). If care is needed for a longer period of time, provision will be made as
appropriate.
Signing up is simple, FREE and can
give you peace of mind.
We are very keen for as many carers as possible to join the scheme and take advantage of
this FREE service, which can
provide short-term replacement care in emergency situations for
adult carers of adults.
Already signed up?
Please check that you still have your card and keep it in a visible
place around the home.
If you have lost your card get in
touch to order a replacement.
Online registration process is also available for this service via our website. Go to Advice, then Caring with Confidence, then Emergency
Back Up.
Don’t Delay, Register today! To get more information and sign up to the Emergency Carers
Support Service please call 0345 050 7666 or email
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Valuing Active Life in Dementia
As part of the ‘Valuing Active Life in Dementia’ (VALID) research programme, we are doing a national survey of people who support people living with dementia in the community. Our aim is to better understand all aspects, both positive and negative, of supporting someone living with a diagnosis of dementia.
This will enable us to learn more about how those supporting people with dementia feel about their role and what we can do to best help supporters feel more confident. To help us, we are asking family members, friends or neighbours who support a person living with dementia to complete a survey which will take up to 15 minutes. ‘Support’ means anything from chatting on the phone, to helping with everyday tasks or activities.
To take part in the survey and enter into a £50 M&S voucher prize draw, please go to this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/
RVYJWQN
If you would like a paper copy, please contact Jacki Stansfeld, Researcher at NELFT Foundation Trust.
Tel: 0300 555 1200 ext. 64491
Email: [email protected]
Website: For more information about the VALID research programme please visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/valid
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Home Support Options supports over 200 people over 50 in Oxfordshire with a range of solutions to help maintain independence whilst living at
home.
The service does not offer personal care, instead it’s proud to focus on all the other aspects which can make a positive difference to someone’s life and as everyone is very different, the solutions can be wide ranging. In many cases people find that having a little bit of help to keep their home clean and tidy, making beds and doing the laundry helps them feel more independent and in control with managing their home. In other cases, being able to go to the shops, have a walk out or just enjoy a visit to a garden centre has built people’s confidence and reduced feelings of
loneliness.
‘”I am so pleased you are coming to see me, as I have so much more energy, since you have been coming to help me.” EH – West Oxfordshire
In the majority of cases, we offer the same support worker to people so that a relationship can be developed. Many family carers have told us that having someone else do some of the practical tasks has given them time to focus on their personal relationship with the person and has
helped their own well-being and that has been very much valued.
“Just spoke to my mum who spent afternoon with a home support worker and she really had a great time, so huge thanks to you and the home support worker. Mum sounded excited and happy for first time in ages on a week day, having some great company and being able to go further afield is a huge boost for her so I am delighted”. - Family Carer
The service is now supporting older people who have dementia and we continue to train our staff in having a good overview of dementia and importantly how to find out who the person was before they had demen-
tia so that activities and support is individual tailored to them.
‘Thank you so much for being here; you have made my day today exceptional’ ML – Oxford City
The home support service is available Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm (minimum of 1 hour a week) Hourly Charges: £16.00 weekdays, £18.50 per hour bank holidays For further information, please contact Home
Support Options on; 0333 577 1044
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Carers’ Essentials Checklist
Sign up with Carers Oxfordshire - your one stop shop for this
Quarterly Newsletter ‘Care Matters’
Plan for help in a crisis if something happens to you, make sure you
are registered for the free Emergency Carers Support Service.
Get a carers assessment. This will look at your caring role and you
can request support for the person you care for if you feel its
impacting on your life.
Get support by meeting other carers and sharing information and
experiences: carers groups.
Need to talk face to face to an understanding and helpful Carers
Outreach Worker? Get information about home visits and carers
advice sessions.
Use training opportunities Take an opportunity to do something
for you. Ask about our services free to carers. Call 01235 520463 for
more information.
Make your voice heard, campaign and influence change: Carers
Voice Oxfordshire, for more information call 01235 424715.
For more information about any of the above services
please call 0345 050 7666 or visit
www.carersoxfordshire.org.uk
ALSO:
Get a Benefits check you or the person you care for could be
entitled to Benefits Call Oxfordshire Specialist Advice Service 01865
410660
Look after your own health! See your own GP if your own health is
not good and register as a carer with your surgery.
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Welcome to the Oxfordshire Carers Support Service, which exists to provide support, be it emotional or
practical to family and friends of someone experiencing a mental health condition. Currently we are looking for volunteer befrienders to either befriend other carers or the person experiencing mental health issues. We believe that carers have an invaluable role in the recovery process, and that they should be acknowledged, valued and supported. Quality time away from the responsibilities of caring is important for the wellbeing of both carers and those being cared for. We place people who use our services at the centre of everything we do. We provide high quality services and welcome feedback from people using our service to constantly develop and improve the service on offer. We are a highly experienced team of Senior Mental Health Recovery Workers working across Oxfordshire, specialising in supporting families and friends of people with a mental illness.
The main duties of a befriender volunteer will include: • Providing a befriending service to carers and the cared for • Providing a bespoke service to meet individual’s needs • Focusing on daily living skills attached to recovery and not the illness • Peer support • Building confidence / self- esteem • Accompanying to activities • Provide information on other services available Eligibility:
Must be aged 18 or over
Full DBS check and clearance checks will be carried out before commencement of role
All out of pocket expenses will be
reimbursed
If you would like more information on our Volunteer Befriending service please contact the service directly on 01865 904499 or email [email protected]
Rethink Mental Illness
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Carers Oxfordshire 0345 050 7666
Emergency Duty Team (out of hours service) 0800 833 408
Rethink 01865 904499
Carers Oxfordshire Training & Development Opportunities 01235 520463
Carers Voice Oxfordshire 01235 520440
Time out for Carers 0781 5559479
Dementia Oxfordshire 01865 410210
Oxfordshire Specialist Advice Service 01865 410660
Independent Living Centre 01235 524857
Alzheimer's Society 01235 531 989
Carers UK 0808 808 7777
Guideposts 01235 524857
Headway 01865 326263
Oxfordshire Mind Information Service 01865 247788
Oxfordshire County Council Young Carers Team 01865 323594
The Carers Oxfordshire website has many useful links visit www.carersoxfordshire.org.uk
Carers Oxfordshire is a joint project between Action for Carers (Oxfordshire),Guidepost and Rethink registered charity number: 1149577 and Oxfordshire County Council and both parties will store and process your information in accordance with the requirements of their Data Protection Policies and in
keeping with the Data Protection Act 1998.
