Category Archives: disability

Carers sought for ‘rewarding’ respite scheme

November 11, 2012   Carers, disability

The Shared Lives scheme, run by West Sussex County Council

Shared Lives carer, Jane Baskerville, with Richard Brooks and dogs Lucy and LarryShared Lives carer, Jane Baskerville, with Richard Brooks and dogs Lucy and Larry

Published on Sunday 11 November 2012 13:00

The Shared Lives scheme, run by West Sussex County Council, already has 73 carers providing care for 115 adults, but now the council wants to expand it. Under the initiative, adults who would normally live in residential care stay in a family environment with the carers.

Under the initiative, adults who would normally live in residential care stay in a family environment with the carers.

These respite placements can be short or long-term.

It is hoped the scheme could eventually be expanded to provide placements for the elderly, vulnerable mothers and babies and young offenders.

Martin and Jane Baskerville, of Brooklyn Avenue, Worthing, have been carers for 14 years and are keen believers in the approach, which they say tends to be of more benefit than living in larger care homes.

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£5.4 million volunteering fund to benefit charities

November 9, 2012   Carers, charities, disability, DOH
November 9, 2012

Health and Social Care charities are to benefit from an injection of £5.4 million to support local health and care programmes, Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb announced today.

Through the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund, 13 organisations bid for funding and were chosen for outstanding achievement.  They have been awarded money which will help to support projects in local communities.  Some of these organisations are:

  • StreetGames – supports young disadvantaged women who need support to develop a healthy and more active lifestyle.
  • Breast Cancer Care –supports people coming to the end of treatment for breast cancer and will encourage them to become physically active in a supportive environment.
  • The Carers’ Resource – supports carers and those in need of care and support.  Working with and through volunteers it will prevent low level mental health issues and improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life for carers and those in need.
  • Signhealth – will train and support Deaf sign-language volunteers who will work to improve the quality of Deaf patients’ experience of health and care services; and gain skills, knowledge and experience in the process.
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Would the integration of health and social care promote independent living?

November 8, 2012   Carers, disability, DOH, Independent living

Medical intervention is appropriate for people who are sick, but not normally for people who are well – whether they are disabled or not

 

Independent living depends on the availability of funds and other resources, including peer support from disabled people’s organisations, to enable disabled people to participate in society as equal.

Norman Lamb has been the care services minister at the Department of Health for just a few weeks, and it seems that the integration of health and social care services is one of his key interests and policy aims.

But there appears to be scant consideration, by Norman Lamb, Dan Poulter or indeed the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, of whether such integration would actually deliver independent living for working age disabled adults – or, for that matter, for older disabled adults.

The pioneers of independent living, back in the 1970s and 80s, did not consider independent living support to have much in common with health services.

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