Author Archives: Maureen

‘We have gone back 30 years’ leading carer tells conference

June 15, 2013   Carers, disability, ukcuts

Jean Willson: ‘I dare not let up. I’ve been a pain in the backside of the authorities for 40 years and I intend to continue being so’

 

Published: 14 June, 2013
by PETER GRUNER

THE care worker who recently received Islington’s highest honour, Freedom of the Borough, launched an attack on government cuts she claimed are putting conditions for vulnerable people back 30 years.

Jean Willson OBE, 71, a government adviser for the disabled, warned that thousands of unpaid family carers in the borough are struggling to cope in the current recession, weighed down by benefit cuts and financial burdens.

She spoke out on Wednesday at an event for National Carers Week at Centre 404, for people with learning difficulties and their families, in Camden Road, Holloway.

Ms Willson said: “It’s tough enough for people who have the usual problems. But it is doubly hard for disabled people and their families.”

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Chloe Smith says: Join local carers in ‘Carers Week’ donation morning

June 13, 2013   Carers, carersweek, internet

Chloe Smith says: can you donate old computers? Join local carers in ‘Carers Week’ donation morning

June 12, 2013

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Chloe Smith, Member of Parliament for Norwich North, will on Friday 14th June join a locally-run carers group to call for simple help from the community.

Chloe will be joining “Chill4Us” at a coffee session hosted at Peter Taylor Funeral Directors to show her support and recognition of the hard work of carers.

“Chill4Us” host online chat sessions to reach out to carers who may feel isolated whilst often being confined to their homes whilst looking after their loved one. Chloe has supported her Hellesdon constituent, who runs the group, many times in the past.

Chloe is supporting Chill4Us’ ‘Computers For Carers’ campaign by appealing to local businesses or individuals to show support for local carers by asking for donations of computers and laptops that are no longer needed, so that they can be given to carers who cannot afford computer equipment themselves.

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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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