Carers’ Connection April 2022
Welcome to our spring edition of Carers’ Connection, although as I write this the weather is very changeable and a bit grey. At least we now have wonderful banks of spring bulbs out, bringing us all some much-welcomed colour.
Carers Week in June, we plan to offer both in-person and online groups. Plans are afoot to open a Carers’ Respitality Bureau at our Albert Street base, which you can read more about on page 9. We have also just found out the great news that the service has been awarded £78,000 of funding for the next year, all of which will go towards more breaks and activities for carers. We are still finalising the finer details and will update you over the next few weeks.
New growth and development are themes running through this newsletter, and we look forward to your opinions on how the team have listened to what you have been telling us, and how we have responded. Our winter hardship fund provided a total of £24,300 in grants to eighty-one of our unpaid carers, which helped them with things like winter fuel costs and clothing. We were successful in a funding application for our Doorstep Breaks project, where we worked with local businesses to provide respite activities for carers, such as golf lessons and spa days. Our Health and Wellbeing worker is launching the new Health & Wellbeing Book Club, where you will be able to borrow books to help support you in your caring role.
Our final new and exciting development is the opening of our office at Cornhill hospital as part of our enhanced support service, so I hope you enjoy reading about it all and we look forward to seeing some of you in person at our groups.
Joanna McPherson, Service Coordinator Stay up to date with all the latest news on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ aberdeencarerssupportservice
We are aware that some carers would like to start meeting in person whereas others may wish, for safety reasons, to still join our support groups online. During 1
Meet the team
Joanna McPherson Service Coordinator
Andrew Falconer Team Leader Tel: 07917 521268 Email: andrew.falconer@quarriers.org.uk
Susan Middler Digital and Community Inclusion Worker Tel: 07917 521886 Email: susan.middler@quarriers.org.uk
Ann Ross Administrator Tel: 07917 521869 Email: ann.ross@quarriers.org.uk
Louisa Donaldson Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521885 Email: louisa.donaldson@quarriers.org.uk
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Meet the team
Elaine Dukes Parent Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521852 Email: elaine.dukes@quarriers.org.uk
Natalia Beaton Family Wellbeing Worker (Health and Wellbeing) Tel: 07917 052551 Email: natalia.beaton@quarriers.org.uk
Teresa Massie Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521853 Email: teresa.massie@quarriers.org.uk
Klaudia Szafran Family Wellbeing Worker (Enhanced Carer Support) Tel: 07796 966107 Email: klaudia.szafran@quarriers.org.uk
Your preferences Would you prefer to receive this newsletter via email? Let us know by getting in touch via the contact details on page 12.
Nicola Black Administrator Tel: 01224 914036 Email: nicola.black@quarriers.org.uk 3
Staff updates - welcome to the team
Ann Ross
Klaudia Szafran
I am very pleased to be joining Quarriers Aberdeen Carers Support Service as a part-time Administrator working at Albert Street. My duties are Admin Support/Reception cover, and I am looking forward to learning new skills, and to meeting and helping the staff and service users after being at home for the last 18 months. I have worked in the third sector previously and have knowledge of unpaid carers. Having been a carer myself, to my parents, I understand the importance of making all who come to Aberdeen Carers Support Service feel welcome and valued.
I am very excited to have joined Quarriers as a Family Wellbeing Worker, working within the Enhanced Carers Support Service. I will be based at the new office at Cornhill and my role will involve supporting carers where there is an added complexity, for example due to mental health conditions or to substance or alcohol misuse. I am studying social work and am currently in my third year, so I have joined the team on a part-time basis. In my previous roles, I supported adults with complex mental health problems; worked with teenagers in both secure care and residential services; worked with adults with physical and learning disabilities in a day centre; and supported older adults in the community. As a part of my social work training, I also completed a placement at a counselling service for children and young people. I believe that everyone should be empowered to achieve their potential and their goals, and I am looking forward to using my skills to support carers across Aberdeen.
When I am not working, I love to read, cook and spend time with friends and family. I am a new grandma and use FaceTime to see my granddaughter as she is in the USA. I look forward to meeting you all.
Did you know? Aberdeen Care & Repair provides home safety checks free of charge to anyone over 60 or living with a long-term health condition. Give them a call on 01224 251133 or email gencareandrepair@castlehillha.co.uk
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also like to keep active by going on walks and attending yoga classes, and I enjoy reading novels. 4
Carers Week 2022 Carers Week 2022 will take place from June 6th – 12th. It is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face, and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who do not think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and to access much-needed support. The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities, highlight the vital role carers play in our communities, and draw attention to just how important caring is.
sessions we would welcome any ideas you may have for the development of the service. We are taking the opportunity to combine these sessions with the afternoon tea events that we sadly had to cancel at the end of 2021 due to Covid restrictions. Numbers will be limited to ten for those attending in person. Booking is essential, and please let us know in advance if you have any dietary requirements.
We are running four groups during Carers Week. These will take place both in person at our base at 37 Albert Street and online over Zoom, and during these
What’s on Monday 6 June
Wednesday 8 June
A group for men in an unpaid caring role who might wish to meet others in a similar situation. Share your knowledge of local support and networks.
Have a chat and find out about our new Health & Wellbeing Book Club, where you will be able to borrow books to help support you in your caring role.
To receive the Zoom link, or if you wish to attend in person, please contact Teresa Massie: teresa.massie@quarriers.org.uk / 07917 521853
To receive the Zoom link, or if you wish to attend in person, please contact Natalia Beaton: natalia.beaton@quarriers.org.uk / 07917 052551
Tuesday 7 June
Thursday 9 June
Take a break and have a chat with fellow carers who understand what you are going through.
A group for unpaid carers supporting someone living with dementia to share information, skills, and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.
Monday Men’s Group 11am-1pm
Health & Wellbeing Book Group 2-4pm
Carers’ Café 10am-12noon
Carers’ Catch Up 2-3pm
To receive the Zoom link, or if you wish to attend in person, please contact Louisa Donaldson: louisa.donaldson@quarriers. org.uk / 07917 521885
To receive the Zoom link, or if you wish to attend in person, please contact Elaine Dukes: elaine.dukes@quarriers.org.uk / 07917 521852 5
Cornhill office As many of you will be aware, alongside our existing generic carers support service we run an enhanced service for carers in situations where there is an added complexity such as caring for someone with a mental health condition, meaning more intensive support is required. We have been working in partnership with NHS Grampian to get our new enhanced carer support office at Royal Cornhill Hospital ready, and we are very excited to announce that on 28 April, we opened the doors for the first time! Susan, one of the carers we support, cut the ribbon and declared the office officially open before enjoying coffee and cakes with Carer Advisor, Teresa. We would like to say a big thank you to Susan for giving up her time to be there, and we hope you enjoy seeing the before and after photographs. The office will be open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9.30am - 4pm and on Wednesdays from 9.30am – 1.30pm, on an appointment-only basis. It will be staffed by Teresa and Klaudia, so just contact either of them to arrange a suitable day and time. You can find their details in the Meet the Team section on pages 2-3.
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Cornhill office Before
After
7
Training Training courses s course
Lateral flow tests and PPE Unpaid carers will continue to have access to free lateral flow tests. You can order test kits in the usual way at https://www.gov.uk/ordercoronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or, if you cannot place an order online, you can do this by ringing 119. Lines are open every day from 8am to 8pm and calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
Carers can access Quarriers high-quality training courses online at https://qlearn.org.uk/. Courses include Acquired Brain Injury Awareness, Dementia Awareness Training, Introduction to Positive Approaches to Behaviour, Safer Handling of People, and many more.
If you are an unpaid carer registered with our service and require PPE, please contact your Carer Advisor or Family Wellbeing Worker and they will be happy to order it for you.
We are delighted to be able to offer carers the chance to access Quarriers online training courses that are available to staff for in details, To receive log members and formorpart of our ongoing further information, please contact professional learning or email and development. us on 01224 914036 aberdeencarers@quarriers.org.uk
There are a variety of topics available, carers.quarriers.org.uk/aberdeen-carers including Acquired Brain Injury Awareness, Dementia Awareness, Introduction to Positive Approaches to Behaviour and Safer Handling of People. Quarriers is a registered Scottish Charity No. SC001960
Carers’ Emergency Card
You can choose any of the courses that seem relevant to you or that you find interesting. They can be done at your own pace and, if you want to, you can test yourself on what you have learned. To be set up with log in details, please contact your Carer Advisor or Family Wellbeing Worker.
Carers Scotland has developed a card for carers. Should an emergency or accident happen, this card lets emergency workers and others know that someone relies on you as a carer and provides spaces for emergency contacts, for example, a friend or family member who can help take over caring.
Time for You Carers’ Fund Alzheimer Scotland has been awarded funding from the Scottish Government to help support unpaid carers of people with dementia living in Scotland. The grant limit is £300, and applications are welcome from now until August 2022.
The card is available to download at www. carersuk.org/scotland/help-and-advice/ caring-and-emergencies, but if you don’t have the facility to print, please get in touch and we will send a card out to you.
Feeling anxious or struggling to cope?
Find out more and submit an application form here: https://www.alzscot.org/timeforyou
Visit www.nhsinform.scot/mind and www.clearyourhead.scot 8
Living Well Café We were delighted to hear that, after a Covid-enforced closure of 754 days, the Living Well Project has reopened its Living Well Café at Newhills Church Hall. The café provides a welcoming, safe, and supportive place for anyone with memory problems and takes place every second Tuesday from 1-3pm.
with a fly cup and a fine piece? There is no charge, but donations are welcome to cover the cost of the refreshments.
Run by two staff members and supported by a team of committed volunteers, the café offers a warm and welcoming environment and a range of activities such as themed reminiscing, musical activities, Boccia, and the opportunity for carers to network with others. They can also offer information and signposting to organisations which may be able to provide a service, information, or help in other practical ways. Carers and family members are welcome, so why not pop along for an afternoon of chat and fun
Pre-Covid, fortnightly cafés were also held at Oldmachar, Hilton, and Ferryhill churches. Only the Newhills café has been restarted meantime to ensure that the measures they have in place are adequate, but the other venues will reopen in due course. For further information please contact Jeanette Abel on 07512 141818, Linda Rendall on 07927 541029, or email cafe@ thelivingwellproject.org.uk
Low emission zones
Carers’ Respitality Bureau
The Scottish Government has set the framework for Low Emission Zones (LEZs) to be introduced in Aberdeen by mid2022, with enforcement expected to begin mid-2024. LEZs set vehicle emission standards on certain road spaces with the aim of improving air quality. The aim is to help improve people’s quality of life as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We would like to share with you details of a new development for the service that will be starting in May. We are setting up a carers’ respitality bureau in our premises at Albert Street. Two members of staff will be involved in this project and will be organising all the funding for carers’ activities and breaks.
Older, more polluting vehicles that do not meet the proposed minimum emission standards will face a fine if they enter an LEZ when enforcement begins, however some categories of vehicles such as those for disabled persons (including blue badge holders) will be exempt.
This is a very exciting addition to the service which will make accessing funding more straightforward for you. All you will need to do is either pick up the phone or pop into the office and discuss what type of activity or break you would like, and the team will be able to advise you on what would work best. No more time-consuming forms to fill in! We will be providing more information in the next few weeks, so watch this space.
For more information, including a list of FAQs, details of grants available to incentivise disposal of a non-LEZ compliant vehicle, and a vehicle checker, visit https:// lowemissionzones.scot/ are-you-ready 9
Doorstep Breaks The Doorstep Breaks project, where we worked with local businesses to provide respite activities for carers, has been a great success and we have loved receiving feedback from those who benefitted from these breaks.
Yvonne sent us these photos from her trip to Ardoe House Hotel and Spa, a Victorian mansion set in quiet countryside five miles from Aberdeen, and said “I just wanted to thank you and say how much I enjoyed my spa day at Ardoe. What a wonderful day I had, swimming and relaxing with my treatment. The lunch was also delicious, and I ate in silence while reading my book. Such a treat.”
George enjoyed his golf lessons at the Kings Links course, which runs parallel to Aberdeen beach front, and joked that he had applied to compete at the US Masters. At least, we think he was joking!
Care Inspectorate - Carers’ Survey 2022 The national unpaid carer inquiry survey opened on April 14th. This is being undertaken by the Care Inspectorate in order to understand your experiences of adult social work and social care services and how you are supported in the following areas: •
Knowing and understanding your rights
•
Maintaining or improving your health and wellbeing and quality of life
•
Being supported to continue in your caring role, or to move on from your caring role where this is the best option.
They would like to hear from you if you are an adult currently caring for a spouse/ partner, relative over the age of 18 years, a neighbour, friend, or someone else. The survey closes on 3 June and should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. You will be able to save it and go back to it later; you do not have to complete it in one go. They hope that as many unpaid carers across Scotland as possible will participate. For further information and to take the survey, go to www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Carer_Survey/ We also plan to invite Care Inspectorate staff to the first ten minutes of some of our support groups to have a chat with you about your experiences but if you would rather speak to them on a one-to-one basis by phone, please get in touch with us.
From this they aim to learn how the future support of carers can be developed and improved. The findings from the inquiry will be a key resource for organisations both locally and nationally in doing this work. 10
Carers’ groups We are running online groups for unpaid carers via Microsoft Teams and Zoom. For Carers Week in June, we are also having some in-person events - details below and on page 5. If you are interested in joining any of the online groups, let us know and we will send you the relevant link(s). If you have any questions about joining or accessing any of the sessions, please let us know and we can support you.
Date and time
Session
May Tuesday 3 May 10am – 12noon
Carers’ Café - Come along to a Zoom meeting for a cuppa and a chat and share any ideas you might have about subjects for future cafes. Drop in any time between 10am and 12noon.
Monday 9 May 10.30-11.30am
Monday Men’s Group – A group for those in an unpaid caring role who might wish to meet others in a similar situation. Share your knowledge of local support and networks.
Tuesday 10 May 10am – 12noon
Parent Carer Café – An online group for parents supporting a child with additional support needs. For parents in an unpaid caring role to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.
Thursday 12 May 2-3pm
Carers’ Catch Up – A group for unpaid carers supporting someone living with dementia to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.
Tuesday 17 May 2-4pm
Connexions - A closed group for women in need of mental health support. If you wish to attend, please contact Teresa Massie on 07917 521853 to discuss the criteria.
Friday 27 May 2-2.45pm
Adult Carers’ Mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond. Via Microsoft Teams.
June Monday 6 June 11am - 1pm
Carers Week event: Monday Men’s Group – In person (booking essential) and over Zoom. See page 5 for details.
Tuesday 7 June 10am – 12noon
Carers Week event: Carers’ Café – In person (booking essential) and over Zoom. See page 5 for details.
Wednesday 8 June 2-4pm
Carers Week event: Health and Wellbeing Book Club – In person (booking essential) and over Zoom. See page 5 for details.
Thursday 9 June 2-3pm
Carers Week event: Carers’ Catch Up – In person (booking essential) and over Zoom. See page 5 for details. 11
Date and time
Session
Tuesday 14 June 10am – 12noon
Parent Carer Café – An online group for parents supporting a child with additional support needs. For parents in an unpaid caring role to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.
Tuesday 21 June 2–4pm
Connexions - A closed group for women in need of mental health support. If you wish to attend, please contact Teresa Massie on 07917 521853 to discuss the criteria.
Friday 24 June 2–2.45pm
Adult Carers’ Mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond. Via Microsoft Teams.
July Tuesday 5 July 10am – 12noon
Carers’ Café - Come along to a Zoom meeting for a cuppa and a chat and share any ideas you might have about subjects for future cafes. Drop in any time between 10am and 12noon.
Monday 11 July 10.30-11.30am
Monday Men’s Group – A group for those in an unpaid caring role who might wish to meet others in a similar situation. Share your knowledge of local support and networks.
Tuesday 12 July 10am – 12noon
Parent Carer Café – An online group for parents supporting a child with additional support needs. For parents in an unpaid caring role to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.
Thursday 14 July 2-3pm
Carers’ Catch Up – A group for unpaid carers supporting someone living with dementia to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.
Tuesday 19 July 2-4pm
Connexions - A closed group for women in need of mental health support. If you wish to attend, please contact Teresa Massie on 07917 521853 to discuss the criteria.
Friday 29 July 2–2.45pm
Adult Carers’ Mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond. Via Microsoft Teams.
How to book your place So that we can send you a link to the sessions, please email aberdeencarers@quarriers.org.uk or call the service on 01224 914036 and leave your name and a contact number.
Aberdeen Carers Support Service 37 Albert Street, Aberdeen, AB25 1XU Tel: 01224 914036 Email: aberdeencarers@quarriers.org.uk Quarriers is a registered Scottish Charity No SC001960