Carers News issue 20

We’re all in this together

Carers were able to access information and find out how they can get help at a special event in Norwich.
Senior Carers Leads Pip Everett and Jill Curtis joined Care for Carers for the date at The Forum, which had the messages 
“We’re All in it Together” and ”Together we are Strong”.
The event was the first the two organisations had held together since the COVID pandemic and they were unsure how many people would come along.
Pip said: “Understandably, carers are still a little apprehensive of attending large venues with concerns over their own health and those that they care for.”
But she was pleased to report attendance was steady throughout the day. “It was great to see some old faces as well as making those important initial contacts with relatively new carers. It was also a great opportunity for services to share information with each other and for professionals to increase their knowledge of what’s available.”
The event was opened by Stuart Richardson, CEO of NSFT, and there were more than 60 stalls  promoting services to help support unpaid carers. 
Blackdog Music Project, provided entertainment outside the Forum, attracting a good crowd from passers by, who were encouraged to come in to view the stalls.
Blackdog is a user-led charity set up to provide music sessions for people with disabilities who cannot access mainstream music organisations due to mental health or social barriers. The event raised £115 from donations for the project.
Peter Rowley, chairman of Care for Carers, sent “a big thank you”, to everyone who made the information day”a fantastic success”. The next carers event at the Forum will be held in October, celebrating World Mental Health Day.
Pip said: “Hopefully, as people become more confident about being out and about, this event will be firmly fixed in carers ‘calendars as the place to be.”
Care for Carers started in March 2007, with their first event in September 2010. It was such a success they were asked to organise other local events, including one at The Forum in 2013.

New ways to reduce barriers

Norfolk County Council is exploring new ways to reduce barriers identified by carers of people living with dementia in accessing the outdoor spaces and its associated health benefits.
Monument is a trans-national project exploring technological and social innovation to strengthen the resilience of informal carers of people living with dementia.
It provides:

• Information on local dementia-friendly services
• An accessible digital platform
• Tests and trials of assistive technology
• Training and support on outdoor activities for carers 
• Guidance for outdoor leisure providers
• Events and opportunities to get outdoors
• Dementia-friendly activities that make the most of natural spaces

The charity Dementia Adventure is providing inspiring free training in Norfolk about the benefits of being active in nature. 
Training will be available for unpaid carers of people living with dementia. 
If you’d like to know more about Monument’s activities or training, email: monument@norfolk.gov.uk.

A working partnership
Carers UK is partnering with Barclays LifeSkills to help those over 50 remain in work, many of whom may be struggling to juggle work with caring responsibilities.
As the UK’s population grows older and more people continue in employment into later life, juggling work 
and care will become more prevalent and it’s essential for employers to create accommodating workplaces that enable those who are working and caring to balance both.
Barclays LifeSkills was developed in 2013 and the new three-year partnership with Carers UK will help more carers join the 9.4 million people who have already benefited from developing the skills to thrive in the workplace.
Feeling confident to approach topics such as flexible working can help carers stay in work for longer, whilst acknowledging that small changes to their working pattern can help them in their caring responsibilities. 
Additionally, the partnership will mean that more employers will understand the benefit of developing a carer-friendly work environment, with 600 carers currently leaving the workplace every day.