Tag Archives: carersweek

Social care and health professionals should do more to support family carers

June 13, 2013   Carers, carersweek, Social care

The UK’s 6.5m unpaid carers play a vital role, yet too often their contribution is ignored or misunderstood

Professionals are uniquely placed to recognise the role carers perform. They can help them with local support and services.

Unpaid carers are vitally important partners in supporting people to live independently. If we accept this, then it naturally follows that social care and health professionals have a fundamental role in helping carers to recognise how important their work is.

This year, Skills for Care, of which I am chief executive, is delighted to be supporting Carers Week (10-16 June), the theme of which is Prepared to Care? Over the course of this week we are working with social care and health professionals to see how they can pro-actively support the UK’s 6.5 million carers.

Social care and health professionals might not always fully understand the central role of the carer or, worse still, ignore it. We know that sometimes professionals don’t listen to what they are saying or may even see the carer as interfering and not acting in the best interests of the service user. But by embracing the role of the carer and helping them to understand their role we can avoid adversarial situations that can arise between professionals and carers. It makes much more sense to recognise people in a caring role as a major partner in the delivery of a person’s support and to support the carer also.

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Carers are being let down by Government, says report

June 10, 2013   Carers, carersweek, Older care, ukcuts

 

 

Carers are being “woefully let down” when they start out and are often left with no help in their first few years in the role, research out today says.
Emily Dugan Author Biography

Monday 10 June 2013

Three quarters of carers say they were left unprepared for their caring role and eight in ten were not aware of the support available, according to a study by ten major national charities. The research into 2,100 British carers was commissioned by charities including Age UK, Carers Trust, Carers UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, to mark today’s start of Carers Week.

There are around 6.5 million carers in the UK and the charities are calling for the Government, GPs and health and social care professionals to ensure that more support is given to carers from when they first start taking on care responsibilities.

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Taking a break can have a huge impact both on carers and those they care for

June 9, 2013   Carers, carersweek, disability, Norfolk

SANDRINGHAM: Could you get on your bike for Park House?

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Published on 09/06/2013 10:00

Organisers of a charity cycling event being held at Sandringham later this month have said they are pleased with the increasing rate of entries.

More than 200 riders have already signed up to take part in the Cycle Together Sandringham event, which takes place on Sunday, June 23 and will support the work done to provide respite breaks for disabled people at the Park House Hotel on the estate.

And, to mark this week’s National Carers Week, three regular visitors to the hotel have spoken of how important the property is to them.

Jackie Thoday, from Litcham, said: “I regularly stay at Park House to give my husband, who is my carer, a break. He knows I will be looked after with a high level of care from dedicated staff and I go home refreshed.”

Viv Barrett travels all the way from Leighton Buzzard to take advantage of the hotel’s facilities.

She said: “It gives me a holiday with the reassurance of knowing that I am safe, and will be well looked after by good care staff.

“The accommodation is very nice and, as I need to be hoisted the room is fully equipped, including an electric hoist. I cannot fault the care team.”

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