Category Archives: family

Hidden Cash Twitter campaign arrives in UK

May 31, 2014   Carers, family, Featured Article

An anonymous Twitter account is hiding envelopes of money around Britain and Tweeting clues to thousands of people

Harry McKeown is one of the lucky recipients Photo: TWITTER

10:29AM BST 31 May 2014

The Hidden Cash Twitter campaign, which has seen an anonymous benefactor hide money in envelopes in America, has spread to the UK.

An account – called @HiddenCash_UK – was set up on Tuesday.

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Identifying and supporting informal carers

April 6, 2014   bereavement, Carers, family, Older care, Scotland

Carers need to be encouraged to see themselves as carers

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Young carer

Image credit: Produnis

In this guest post, Dr Emma Carduff and Dr Anne Finucane, co-authors on a new paper published today in BMC Family Practice explain why it’s important to support the carers of people approaching the end of their lives.

Approx. 10% of the UK population have an unpaid caring role for a family member or friend. Many of these carers make a significant contribution to supporting people who are approaching the end of their lives.  With increasing numbers of older and frailer people in the population, informal carers will play a vital role in caring for family members as health deteriorates and end of life approaches. In particular, care from informal carers, who are generally family members, is essential for those who wish to be cared for in their own home.

Carers can experience poor physical and psychosocial wellbeing, yet they remain largely unsupported by health and social services. It is essential that carers are supported both to  maintain their own health and wellbeing and to care for their family member or friend. However, before they can be supported, carers need to be identified.

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Will eldercare be as common as childcare?

February 26, 2014   Carers, family, Older care

By Andrew Bomford BBC Radio 4’s PM programme

A number of major employers are offering “eldercare” – help with looking after older relatives. Will this soon be as common as providing help with childcare?

Just before Christmas 2012 Deborah Gemmell realised she was a carer.

Deborah’s 82-year-old mother, Pauline Cuthbert – “feisty, independent – she has a better social life than I do” – fell and broke her nose. The accident shook Pauline’s confidence. She wouldn’t leave her house in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in case she fell again.

Deborah, who lived a two-hour drive away, would have to take time off work to accompany Pauline to hospital appointments. She had a back-up plan – an eldercare package offered by her employer, giving up to 20 days assistance a year from a registered carer who could take her mother to her clinic.

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