The
Norfolk Carer
Summer 2014
Magazine of The Carers Agency Partnership
Focus on
Dementia
Carers Week
2014
Social Media for
Carers
www.carersagencypartnership.org.uk
The Norfolk Carer
The Norfolk Carer
Issue 51
Summer 2014
The members of The Carers
Agency Partnership are:
Age UK Norfolk
Crossroads Care East Anglia
MIND
Norfolk Carers Support
West Norfolk Befriending
West Norfolk Carers
Association
CONTENTS
Money Matters
4-5
Dementia Friendly Communities
Dementia Friends
6-7
7
Have your say on services
8
Carers Week Pull-out
9 - 12
News & Events
13 - 15
Bad Voodoo Canine Support Team 16 - 17
Young Adult Carers & University
17
Social Media for Carers
18 - 19
Carers Week Event
20
All of the organisations can
be contacted by phoning the
Carers Agency Partnership
Helpline on 0808 808 9876.
9 - 12
The helpline is open 9am 5pm, Monday to Friday and
10am - 2pm on Saturday.
The services, events and views
expressed in this magazine do
not necessarily carry an
endorsement by The Carers
Agency Partnership.
All details in this magazine are
correct at the time of print.
Printed by:
Catton Print
01603 404616
www.cattonprint.com
2
The Norfolk Carer
Carers’ Week 2014
This year’s Carers’ Week theme is a
Quest – a quest to find those hidden
carers who are missing out on vital
support and services.
The
Norfolk Carer
PO Box 154
Norwich
NR3 4EZ
6-7
Tel: 0808 808 9876
Fax: 01603 424098
Email:
[email protected]
Editorial Deadline for
Winter Issue
31 October 2014
Publication Date for
Winter Issue
14 November 2014
Dementia Friendly Communities &
Dementia Friends
There are currently 665,065 people in
England with dementia and it is estimated
16,400 are in Norfolk and Waveney.
Dementia Friendly Community projects from
Age UK unite the whole community in raising
awareness and understanding of dementia,
while Dementia Friends aims to help boost
volunteering, education and support for the
growing number of people with the condition.
13 - 15
News & Events
Cover photo of Beach
Huts at Mundesley
courtesy of
www.tournorfolk.co.uk
16 - 17
More from Stella...
The Norfolk Carer
3
Money Matters
C
arers in Norfolk can
now get a personal
budget in their own
right. Although there is
a cap on the amount available
each year this could still be a
useful addition to support your
caring role.
If the person you are caring for
pays for the services they are
receiving or doesn’t qualify for
funding from Norfolk Adult
Services or their own Personal
Budget, you can still get a Carer’s
Personal Budget, even if the
person you care for doesn’t have
D
any services.
You can access the Carer’s
Personal Budget through a
Carer’s Assessment which is
carried out by Norfolk Adult
Services.
To apply for a Carer’s Assessment
you can contact Norfolk Adult
Services directly on 0344 800
8020.
For more information or
assistance in applying for an
assessment or a Carer’s Personal
Budget please contact The Carers
Agency Partnership Helpline on
0808 808 9876.
id you know that you can make a claim for Carer’s Allowance
or report a change of circumstances without having to
complete a paper claim form?
The online claim will be received at the Carer’s Allowance
Unit immediately, has fewer questions than the paper claim form and
doesn’t require a signature or printing.
Claim at: www.gov.uk/apply-carers-allowance
4
The Norfolk Carer
D
o you need help understanding what benefits you might be
able to claim? Such as Attendance Allowance, Personal
Independence Payment (PIP), Carer’s Allowance, Pension
Credit, Housing Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance
(ESA) or maybe a Disabled Facilities grant?
Or perhaps you know what you can claim and have the forms but those
forms are lengthy, daunting and fill you with dread?
Norfolk has a wide range of organisations that can help with checking
eligibility, initial applications and form-filling.
Age UK Norfolk - 0300 500 1217
For people over the age of 50 and available to all Norfolk residents with
the exception of those living in Norwich. They provide advice and
assistance via telephone, a drop-in service and by appointment.
Age UK Norwich - 01603 496333
This is the advice service for those people over 50 who are living in
Norwich. They provide advice and assistance via telephone, home
visits, a drop-in service and by appointment.
Alzheimers Society - 01603 763556
This service is for people with dementia, their carers and family
members. They provide advice via telephone, home visits, a drop-in
service and by appointment.
Equal Lives - 01508 491210
Provides advice via telephone and by appointment in various areas.
Norfolk County Council Welfare Rights Service - 0344 800 8020
West Norfolk Disability Information Service - 01553 782558
This organisation provides advice via telephone, home visits and by
appointment.
You can contact Carers Agency Partnership Helpline on 0808 808 9876
for a referral for support from an agency near you. The Helpline can
also signpost you to other agencies who can help with benefits.
The Norfolk Carer
5
Dementia Friendly Community - Diss
O
n the evening of
Tuesday 24 June, the
town of Diss will
officially launch its
Dementia Friendly Community
Project.
The launch follows four months of
planning involving Age UK Norfolk
working with a group of Diss
residents, the Diss Dementia
Friendly Community Steering
group, to support the town to
become a Dementia Friendly
Community.
This is the third Dementia Friendly
Community initiative in Norfolk, the
first being the launch of
Wymondham’s in September last
year, and is part of a drive to make
Norfolk a Dementia Friendly
county.
The aim of Dementia Friendly
Community projects is to unite the
6
The Norfolk Carer
whole community in raising
awareness and understanding of
dementia so that people living with
dementia and their carers are able
to access the social life,
businesses and amenities in their
community and to live
independently in their own homes
longer.
There are currently 665,065
people in England with
dementia and it is estimated
16,400 are in Norfolk and
Waveney.
The launch will be hosted by
Councillor Jenny Chamberlin at
the United Reformed Church.
Local shops, other businesses and
organisations are being invited to
attend the launch to find out about
the project, how they can make
their services more accessible to
customers with dementia.
Willie Cruickshank from the
Norfolk & Suffolk Dementia
Alliance and Zena Aldridge, Lead
Admiral Nurse for Norfolk, will be
speaking about dementia and
Dementia Friendly Communities
and Age UK Norfolk’s Dementia
team will be available to answer
questions.
Age UK Norfolk Dementia Lead,
Joanne Mountjoy-Dixon said:
“Increased awareness helps to
reduce the stigma often
associated with dementia and this
helps people with dementia to talk
about their condition and prevents
them from becoming isolated from
their community.”
Age UK Norfolk’s Dementia team
will also be speaking about an
innovative training package and
Dementia Friendly Community
Toolkit, which together provide
practical support to businesses
and organisations.
The event is by invitation only. If you would like to
attend, please contact Jo Mountjoy-Dixon,
On 01603 785232 or email
[email protected]
Author Sir Terry Pratchett, who has Alzheimers
disease, is heading up a host of celebrities who
are backing the recently launched Dementia
Friends campaign.
The celebrities have created a new advert to
encourage people to become “dementia friends”
to help boost volunteering, education and
support for the growing number of people with
the condition.
The campaign, launched by Public Health England and the Alzheimer’s Society, aims
to create a network of one million Dementia Friends by 2015.
For more information go to www.dementiafriends.org.uk
The Norfolk Carer
7
Have your say on your services
Carers’ Council for Norfolk
Norfolk Young Carers’ Forum
The Carers’ Council gives adult
carers a voice about services that
affect them. The combination of
first-hand experience and
professional expertise means they
can advise decision-makers and
funders about the issues that
really matter to carers and help
find innovative and progressive
solutions.
This is a group of young carers
from across the county who get
together to try and make things
better for all young carers in
Norfolk. They get together to
discuss the issues that are
important to young carers and
then work together to encourage
positive changes.
Locality Groups from around the
county draw together local family
carers and those that work with
and for them to discuss issues,
views and concerns. The groups
look to influence and improve the
policies and services that affect
their lives. Meetings are held
every two months around Norfolk.
All carers are welcome.
For dates/venues and further
information about locality groups
in your area please contact Louise
Goold on 01553 768155 or email
her at louisegooldccn
@hotmail.co.uk.
8
The Norfolk Carer
Area forums across the county
meet every six weeks in the
evening. This is where forum
members deal with local issues.
They are open to any young carer
aged 11 - 19.
There is also the County Forum
which is where some young carers
aged 14+ from each area forum
get together.
For more information or to have a
chat about the Young Carers
Forum please contact Jo
Brown on 01788 298318 or 07842
534758 or email her at
joanna.brown
@crossroadseastanglia.org.uk
Carers’ Week Supplement
I
t is estimated that 6,000
people a day take on a caring
role – and reaching all of
those people to let them know
what help and support is out there
is extremely difficult. So many
people simply don’t recognise
themselves as being a carer – and
if they don’t recognise that and
come forward it can be tricky for
doctors and other health and
social care professionals to find
out and help them without being
seen as intrusive.
That is why this year’s Carers’
Week theme is a Quest – a quest
to find those hidden carers who
are missing out on vital support
and services.
Community groups, GPs, health
and social care professionals,
employers – everyone is being
asked to see if they can make new
connections with a carer or two
during the week. We’d love to
hear from you if you run an event
– or maybe you talked to a local
employer, shop or community
organisation to see if they are
aware of Carers’ Week and what
they could do to help highlight the
help available to carers? Perhaps
you’re a carer who has managed
to help another carer just by
bringing them a booklet, or having
a chat with them.
Accessing information can be
frustrating and confusing, so every
little helps, as they say. So if you
know of a friend or neighbour who
might benefit from a gentle nudge
in the direction of some advice,
there’s lots happening in Norfolk to
guide them towards - or maybe
you would like to attend an event
to get some more information or
support for yourself.
Details of events in Norfolk are in this handy four page pull-out guide.
For up-to-date information keep an eye on
www.carersagencypartnership.org.uk
or call the Helpline on 0808 808 9876
The Norfolk Carer
9
Carers’ Week Supplement
C
ostessey
Carers
Group has
been
selected to lead the
Carers’ Week Quest
in Norfolk (Monday 9
to Sunday 15 June
2014). The campaign
aims to be the
greatest ever drive to
reach out to carers.
Costessey Carers
Group is calling on
individuals and
organisations across
Norfolk to sign up to
this groundbreaking
initiative to reach
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The Norfolk Carer
carers in our area
who are missing out
on vital support and
services.
The very nature of
caring, of being there
for a loved one facing
ill health or disability,
means too often
people don’t at first,
or sometimes ever,
identify themselves as
carers and therefore,
miss out on support.
Without the right help
and support caring
can have a
devastating impact –
carers can quickly
become cut off, with
their physical and
emotional health,
work and finances all
hit hard.
In Norfolk there are
approximately
90,000 carers of
which only 4% are
officially known of
and recognised.
Helen Clarke, Carers
Week Manager, said:
“It is fantastic that
Costessey Carers
Group will lead the
Carers Week Supplement
Carers’ Week Quest
in Norfolk by working
together with
charities, businesses,
community groups
and public services.
We have a huge
opportunity to raise
the profile of what
caring is, who carers
are, the impact it has
on their lives and to
help thousands of
people who are
missing out on help
and support which
could make a real
difference to their
lives. Will you join in
and help carers?”
Costessey Carers
event for Norwich and
the surrounding area
will be held at the
Costessey
Community Centre,
Longwater Lane,
Costessey, NR8 5AH
on Tuesday 10th June
from 10am until 1pm
with free
refreshments.
All the main groups,
charities and
organisations will be
there to give free
advice and guidance
in strict confidence.
Why not go along to
help them raise the
bar yet again to make
this one even better
and find out about
what help you can
get?
If you can help reach out to carers in Norfolk then contact your local Quest
Leader on 01603 742185 or email [email protected]
For more information visit www.carersweek.org or www.costesseycarers.co.uk
The Norfolk Carer
11
Carers Week Supplement
Norfolk Carers Week Events
West Norfolk Carers will be
holding a Carers’ Week Quest
Fair at Thoresby College on
Wednesday 11th June from 10
am - 3pm. There will be relaxing
therapies, guest speakers and
information stands from Age UK
Norfolk, Alzheimer’s Society, The
Big C, West Norfolk Befriending,
West Norfolk Carers, Tapping
House and West Norfolk Mind.
The team will also be out and
about answering your questions
and giving out information at
Tesco Hardwick store on Monday
9th from 10am - 3pm and at the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital on
Tuesday 10th and Friday 13th
from 10am - 3pm. Call West
Norfolk Carers on 01553 768155
for more details.
The Louise Hamilton Centre at
James Paget University Hospital
in Great Yarmouth is hosting two
events. Suffolk Family Carers are
there for a stylish strawberry
cream tea from 1.30 - 5.30pm in
their pretty garden on Wednesday
11th June.
Contact Sue Francis for more
details on 01493 453100.
12
The Norfolk Carer
Norfolk Carers Support will
also be at the James Paget
Hospital on Friday 13th June from
10.30am - 4pm to offer
information, advice and support.
They will have professional
speakers during the day and
there’s free parking and
refreshments on offer. For more
details ring 01603 219924.
Sainsburys Longwater and
Costessey Carer have teamed
up in Norwich. They will have an
in-store display and a bucket
collection for Admiral Nurses all
week. On Friday 13th June
Costessey Carers will have
advisers in the store to answer
questions. Sainsburys are going
to continue their involvement for
the rest of the year – on the third
Wednesday of the month holding
a drop-in session in the restaurant
where staff, customers and carers
can pop in for a cuppa and a chat
with trained advisers. Contact
Les Eve on 01603 742185 for
more details or email
[email protected]
Chill4us Carers will be selling
ribbons to raise awareness. Find
out more from Wendy on 01603
340193 or email
[email protected]
News & Events
N
inety-one year old
War Veteran opens
new hospital carers
facility
A World War Two veteran who was
one of the first British soldiers to
meet the Russians on the day
Berlin surrendered to Soviet
forces, recently opened Wells
Community Hospital’s new carers’
facility. Ninety-one year old John
Utting is a founder trustee of the
Harold Moorhouse Charity who
have helped fund the new facility.
The Moorhouse charity was set up
in 1984. Since then it has given
thousands of pounds to the
hospital.
John Utting was born and bred in
Burnham Market. He ran the
hardware store for many decades.
The only time he left the town was
to serve with the Royal Artillery
25th Field Regiment in the Second
World War. He continues to
attend regimental reunions and
visits to beaches and battlefields.
He is acknowledged in the
Imperial War Museum, where
there is a photo of him being one
of the first British soldiers to meet
the Russians on 2nd May 1945,
the day Berlin surrendered to
Soviet forces.
The new carers’ facility at the
hospital is part of a dementia hub
project which received a £120,000
grant from the Department of
Health. The Harold Moorhouse
Room will not just be for dementia
carers but for anyone involved
with care. It is being run in
association with the Wells Carers’
Group.
You can get more information
about the group can be obtained
from Nita Spencer.
Tel: 01328 710501 or email:
[email protected]
The Norfolk Carer
13
Dementia workshop
A workshop on End of Life Care
for People With Dementia takes
place at Wells Community
Hospital on Thursday 12th June.
(9.30am to 4pm).
It is being organised by the Norfolk
Community Health and Care NHS
Trust and Norfolk Admiral Nurse
Zena Aldridge. The workshop will
cover a range of topics, including
palliative care, types of dementia,
communication, memory books,
end of life tools, symptom control,
ethical issues and loss, grief and
bereavement.
Further details and to book contact
Lesley-Ann Knox on
01362 654900 or email
[email protected]
Hospital Open Day
Wells Community Hospital is
holding an Open Day on Tuesday
8th July from 10am to 4pm.
It will be an opportunity to see the
new £85,000 garden which has
been funded by a Department of
Health dementia fund. You will
also be able to tour the site and
hear about the clinics and services
that are available.
14
The Norfolk Carer
New Young Carers’ Groups
Norfolk Carers Support launched
two new young carers groups in
Norwich in May. One group is for
6 - 12 year olds and the other
12 - 16 year olds. Each group
meets fortnightly at Trinity URC
Church, 1 Unthank Road Norwich
between 5.30 - 7.30pm. As well
as the in-house sessions there will
also be summer activities,
including a residential at the
Horstead Centre and camping at
the Norfolk Young Carers Forum
Event.
For more information or to make a
referral please contact Louise
Packer on 07745 308636 or
Norfolk Carers Support on
01603 219924.
Big C Information Event
Following the success of their
previous three Information Days at
the Norwich Big C Centre, there is
to be another on Saturday 8th
November. It is a joint event by
Big C and NNUH.
The Big C Centre will be filled with
every type of support imaginable
for people affected by cancer. The
market-style layout will have stalls
from Big C, NHS professionals
and other charities.
There will talks by professionals
every half an hour and hopefully
there will also be taster sessions
with a complementary therapist
during the day.
If you have any questions,
concerns or worries about
your cancer journey; financial
struggles, caring for your loved
one; nutrition; emotional issues or
anything else, it’s well
worth visiting on the day to get
help and advice. The event is
free and you don’t need to book.
For more information about the
day call 01603 286112 or email
cancer.information
@nnuh.nhs.uk
Their plan is to launch the group
during Carers Week in June.
If you want to find out more about
the group then please contact
Alan at the MESH office at
Shrublands Youth & Adult Centre
on 01493 604739.
New name
Some of you may have noticed
that Norfolk Carers Helpline has
recently been renamed to Carers’
Agency Partnership Helpline.
This isn’t an attempt to confuse
everybody - quite the opposite! It
has been noticed that since the
new partnership came into being,
carers old and new have been
getting confused with all the
different names of organisations
and who provides what.
New Carers’ Group
Shrublands Youth & Adult Centre
Charitable Trust has made a
successful bid for a grant from the
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Healthy and Well fund.
So to make life easier the helpline,
as the front door to carers
services, has simply taken on the
name of The Carers Agency
Partnership.
This will mean that a new
fortnightly, general Carers Group
will be starting soon at the
Shrublands Youth & Adult Centre
on Magdalen Way in Gorleston.
For information and support
contact The Carers Agency
Partnership on 0808 808 9876,
9am - 5pm Monday - Friday and
10am - 2pm Saturday.
The Norfolk Carer
15
The Bad Voodoo Canine Support Team
Continuing our new column to The Norfolk Carer from a guide dog called
Stella who supports her mum. Stella is writing for The Norfolk Carer
about what she does as a guide dog to keep her mum safe and also the
assistance she provides to her in other ways. Stella’s Facebook page
can be found at www.facebook.com/FibromyalgiaCanineSupportTeam
H
ello! This time I want to
tell you more about
what I do for mummy.
As I said last time, I'm a guide dog.
That means I lead mummy round
‘cos she can't see. But I'm also
trained to do other stuff for her
because she has a thing called
fibromyalgia. This makes her ill
and tired and weak. I help her
round the house by fetching
things, carrying things, helping her
dress and undress, unloading the
washing machine, opening doors
and lots of other things.
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The Norfolk Carer
Although this sounds like a lot of
work it's also fun too ‘cos I enjoy
the work and I get treats for doing
things. My favourite thing to do at
the moment is taking off mummy's
bra tops. They're nice and soft so
they don't hurt her skin or muscles
but they are very stretchy, so when
I pull them off her they ping! I like
to throw them up in the air as they
come off and then catch them
again, like a sea lion with a fish.
Although it's a lot of responsibility
it's still fun, and I get to do lots of
interesting things and go places
other dogs aren't allowed, like in
shops, restaurants and theatres.
These days there are more and
more dogs like me who are trained
to help their humans to do things
that a disability or illness makes
hard for them. So if you see us
out and about, please let us do our
jobs. Bye for now!
Are you a carer aged 16-25? Why not take
a break, learn about university life and find
out about careers, education,
apprenticeships and much more besides!
Come along to the University of
Nottingham on Tuesday 24th June and Wednesday 25th June 2014.
Over the two days, there will be time for you to meet other young adult
carers from across the country, chill out, play sport and relax.
You can also see how other carers have balanced further education and
training with their caring role, find out about the application process and
student finance, talk to decision makers about your concerns and stay
overnight in your own room in university accommodation.
Food and overnight stay is free - you will only have to get yourself to and
from the event.
For more information contact Sophie or Natasha at Carers Trust by
calling 020 7922 7752.
The Norfolk Carer
17
Social Media for carers
B
ecoming a
carer can
be very
isolating,
and often carers say
that they want to find
who they are again
after their caring role
becomes their whole
life. It can be almost
impossible to find
time for yourself to
either relax, socialise
or take part in
hobbies, and feelings
of guilt may intrude on
the limited time that
you might manage to
scrape together. So
it’s encouraging to
see that social media
is now becoming
more accessible to
those who are
isolated and that
includes carers.
18
The Norfolk Carer
The term “social
media” describes a
mixture of websites
and applications
which are used to
either create, share or
take part in social
networking over the
internet, but the
explanation does not
convey the
significance that
social media can
have on peoples’
lives.
Social media can
come in many forms
and is available on
many platforms.
Websites, such as
Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, chat forums
and instant
messaging, enable
people to
communicate with
each other through
their mobile phone,
tablets (such as an
Ipad), PCs and
laptops without ever
having to leave the
house or arrange
respite.
Facebook can help
carers to feel less
isolated, whether that
is by giving them a
window to view the
outside world, or by
letting people know
how they are. Twitter
can enable carers to
get real-time updates
on the latest
research, the latest
legislation & policies
in government, and
how to sign petitions
and raise awareness
of specific issues.
Newspapers and
magazines can now
be downloaded as an
app (application) onto
tablets. Quick,
accurate information
and advice can be
sourced in times of
need with the press of
a few buttons.
Sometimes, all carers
want is a place to talk,
for someone to listen,
and to share
experiences of caring.
It might not be
possible to attend
carers’ groups, or to
visit a friend for a cup
of tea and a chat.
Using social media is
a brilliant way to
share your
experiences and
feelings with other
carers who can
empathise with your
situation, all from the
comfort and
convenience of your
home.
Overall, social media
can help to give
carers a voice once
again, and reduce the
isolation that many
carers experience.
Social media is
evolving all the time,
but the carers’ role
stays the same. One
kindly worded
message from a
Facebook friend may
be all it takes to help
you get through your
day.
Sources of online support
The Carers Agency Partnership F acebook and Twitter
accounts have regular, up-to-date information on support
for carers throughout Norfolk, such as training
opportunities, local events, and information on carers’
groups. Find us on CAPNorfolk (Facebook) and
@CAPNorfolk (Twitter).
Chill4us Carers have an online forum, a daily carers’ newspaper and a space for
carers to escape to through social media. You can find more information about
them at chill4uscarers.co.uk or on F acebook at Carers Chill4us.
Carers UK offer carers expert advice, information and support. They also
campaign on behalf of carers. Carers UK can be found at www.carersuk.org
and on F acebook and Twitter.
Carers Trust provide advice, information and a route through to local support
and help. They can be found at www.carers.org and on Facebook and Twitter.
The Norfolk Carer
19
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The Norfolk Carer