Tag Archives: disability
Who cares about the carers? New manual is available
- Six million Brits work as a carer for an ill family member
- A further 6,000 people take on the job as a carer every day
- To aid them a Carer’s Manual has been released to help set them up
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When a loved one needs help, perhaps during illness or long-term incapacity, stepping in to help is an instinct. Six million Britons are carers to an adult, and every day a further 6,000 take on that huge responsibility.
But where do carers find the help and advice they need when the often complex network of health and welfare services can be daunting?
To support them, the British Medical Association has released a Carer’s Manual. Here, in the first of three extracts from it, we explore the initial steps to becoming a carer…
The Red Cross cares for the family carer
Caring for carers
Many people rely on carers to make everyday things possible – from having a bath to putting food in the fridge. In fact, the 2011 census found there were 5.8 million unpaid carers in England and Wales. But what happens when carers are hit by a crisis themselves?
In Wrexham the British Red Cross is giving carers vital help so they can look after themselves and the people they support. The scheme is run in partnership with charity Wrexham Carers, and funded by Wrexham Council.
Aberdeen firm unveils wheelchair-friendly cars
AN Aberdeen-based car club today launched the UK’s first wheelchair adapted vehicle for street hires by the public.
The new service, launched by Aberdeen’s Co-Wheels car club, will provide a car, accessible to wheelchair users, that can be hired by their carers or family on a pay-as-you-go basis.
A club spokeswoman explained: “The new service will remove the need to own such a vehicle for what maybe infrequent use. Many elderly people confined to wheelchairs are unable to get out from their care homes simply because they and their family do not have access to such a vehicle.
