Issue 24 - September 2012 (PDF) - Chipping Norton Times

24
Carers UK working with and for carers
Carers UK are aware that, despite changes in support and legislation, many
of the issues raised in 2011 as being key problems for carers are still
paramount today -
• caring taking over wellbeing— isolation, exhaustion,
and it impacts on your own health
• impact on working and finances (lower income)
• wanting the best for the person you love – a key driver.
• Determination to get things done—feisty: ‘I can’t give up at the first
hurdle’
• Being recognised as a carer and getting support
• People going the extra mile – ‘I don’t want other people to go through
what I did; I want a better deal for them.’
Carers UK are keen to work with local organisations and are
pioneering this with Social Services, Age UK Oxfordshire, NHS and carers—
to ’refresh’ the Carers Strategy and support carers in employment. The
Carers UK Employers for Carers scheme involves blue chip companies such as
Sainsbury’s, British Gas, and BT and are working to join up the national
scheme with local initiatives.
Carers UK campaigns on a very wide range of issues important to carers and
small but important steps forward have been achieved - the right to
assessment, carers allowance, pension rights, flexible working rights and the
Equality Act. Sharon Coleman and her son went to the European Court to
bring about this latter change.
There are some newer issues to address:
• the growing demand for social care
• increasing numbers of older people and carers (the number of carers is
predicted to increase to 9m by 2037) is a huge issue affecting us all - as big
an issue as climate change, though it attracts much less high profile
interest
• ‘sandwich carers’ - parents of a disabled child who also care for a parent
• distance carers
• changes to Care and Welfare Reform creating a ‘perfect storm’ for some
families.
Carers UK are pressing the Government on all these issues.
The Self Directed Support Forum
Do you organise care for yourself or a loved one and either pay for it yourself
or get a Direct Payment from social services? Have you had any problems or
concerns with the quality of the care that you received? Have you done
anything about it? Is there enough help and support around to help you deal with it?
The Carers Grant Scheme
Contact Carers Ofordshire
on 0845 050 7666,
Out of hours duty team 0800 833408
The Carers Grant is designed to support the health and
wellbeing of carers, helping them have a 'life outside
caring’. The one-off direct payment of up to £350 can
be used for activities or equipment not available from
Oxfordshire County Council or the NHS, such as:-
childcare or extra help at home;
driving lessons;
counselling;
massage and wellbeing services;
gym membership;
IT equipment;
training and recreational classes;
help with transport costs;
a short break ….amongst other things.
To be eligible, the carer and cared for person must be
aged 18 or over, and the carer must be providing
unpaid and substantial care for 10 hours or over a
week on a regular basis. The carer must not have had a
grant in the previous 12 months (Life of Your Own, GP
Carers Breaks or Leisure and Learning).
Look online for information, to apply for a Carers Grant
and find out about the GP Carers Break -
www.carersoxfordshire.org.uk
Contact Carers Oxfordshire on 0845 050 7666
or email carersoxfordshire@oxfordshire.gov.uk
If you are a newly bereaved carer
or the carer of someone
who has recently gone into residential care,
we would like to hear from you.
We know that this can be a very difficult
and distressing time for carers
and we would like to ask for your views and ideas
about how we can help at this time.
carersinfo@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk
or telephone 01235 424 715.
If the above sounds familiar, or is something of concern to you, we would love to hear from you.
The Self Directed Support (SDS) Forum is a group of users and carers who discuss and challenge the County Council on how self
directed support is working for users and carers. SDS have heard from a number of people that they are concerned that if things
go wrong with the care they’ve organised, they wont know what to do, or have sufficient support to sort it out.
The next meeting is on 11 September, 1-2.30pm, at County Hall, Oxford, Alan Sinclair (Lead Commissioner - Older People) and
Lucy Butler (Deputy Director, Adult Social Care) will be there to listen to people’s comments and concerns.
The SDS Forum is keen to recruit new members who would also like to be involved in discussions that they will be having.
If you would like to attend this meeting, or send in your comments, or If you know anyone who would be interested in being part
of the Forum, or are unable to come but would like to tell us about their experience, please contact Michelle Evans on 01235
520440 or email michelle@oxoncarersforum.org.uk