Monthly Archives: August 2013
Campaigner launches film telling dementia carers ‘it’s okay to ask’ for help
Date of article: 16-Aug-13
Article By: Laura McCardle, News Editor
A dedicated campaigner has launched a short film encouraging people who care for someone with dementia to ask for help.
Tommy Whitelaw with his mother Joan
Tommy Whitelaw put together ‘It’s okay to ask’ in order to reach out to carers in Glasgow and raise awareness of vital support services available in the city.
He has first-hand experience of the difficulties people face when they care for a loved one with the condition, having spent several years caring for his mother Joan after she was diagnosed with vascular dementia until she passed away in September last year.
In the film Mr Whitelaw says: “Caring for Mum was a full time occupation. It was the toughest experience of my life. For the first five years I did this almost entirely alone – yes we had friends, neighbours and family but slowly loneliness and isolation took their place, leaving us both struggling to cope.
“It wasn’t until I reached absolute crisis that I found myself on the phone asking for help. It’s okay to ask. It’s not something we are always taught to do, we are very private people keeping private matters to ourselves but the truth is, without help it can just become unbearable.”
Other carers who have found themselves in similar situations to Mr Whitelaw also share their experiences in the film, which was commissioned by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow City Council social work services, Alzheimer’s Scotland and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE.
South Lanarkshire: Countdown to Caring Callers going live
Countdown to Caring Callers going live
Aug 14 2013 by Lynda Nicol, East Kilbride News
Whether you’re an older person living alone in South Lanarkshire or you know of a friend or family member who is, help is now at hand.
Good Morning South Lanarkshire, a new telephone contact scheme to offer vital support, is just days from going live.
An enthusiastic group of young telephonists are making final preparations before hitting the phone lines across the region.
The caring callers’ aim is to check that older people throughout the area, especially those at risk of isolation, are safe and well in the mornings.
The pilot scheme, set up by Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire (VASLan), will also support key agencies, carers and families by acting as an early warning system if there are any issues.
Social work practice with carers ‘lacks clarity and consistency’
Carers’ assessments uncommon and seldom used to inform service users’ support plans, finds government-funded research.
Social work practice with carers “lacks clarity and consistency”, resulting in carers’ needs not being assessed or informing service users’ support plans, research has found.
Though carers were involved in all stages of the personal budgets process for service users, separate assessments of their needs were uncommon and seldom conducted before service user support was planned, found the York University study on carers and personalisation. Researchers based their findings on a survey of 16 councils, in-depth research in three of these and interviews with carers and service users.
Carers’ role valued but assessed narrowly
Carers were commonly involved in supporting service users who had cognitive or communication impairments during assessment and this role was valued by service users and practitioners alike.
Managers and practitioners said carers were routinely asked about their willingness to continue providing support at this stage, aided by prompts on service users’ assessments forms, and some practitioners used these to ask carers about their own support needs.
