‘The voice of carers’ training days, 3rd & 4th March 2009

The following is a report and summary of a carers' training day organised by Carers UK. Following on from this report the presentations will now be made to Carers' Champions from the Social Services Department on 9th April. Carers wishing to find out more or have a report of the day should contact Linda on (01443) 683220.  

Report of the day 

The presentations 
Each group gave a ten minute presentation on the topic they chose.         

1.  Accessibility to information.   As you may know there is much information out there, but no one is able to find what they need. We would like to be able to get the information that is relevant to us when and where we need it. We also want the information to be more accessible. 
   
2. Training.   The group was trying to get the message across about training. The group was explaining that even professional staff do not have the correct training for the job, including care needs and entitlements. The group had said that not only should the carers have the correct training to carry out the caring role in a safe and efficient manor, but the professional staff should have more training in the relevant areas, e.g. learning about each person etc.
   
3. Carers' recognition, Carers' Champions & Respite Care.
   Recognition.
   Carers are generally thought of as being a drain on the government and social services departments. The actual truth is that unpaid carers save the government billions of pounds.
   
   The work of caring is seen as a low grade job or no job at all if unpaid. However, as a carer: you have to have a knowledge of the medical condition, be a counsellor, a psychiatrist, a nutritionist, a motivator, look after the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social needs of the person, be their Personal Executive Assistant organising hospital, GP and other appointments and supervising the timely collection and administration of medication, love them and be their friend. You choose to give up a huge chunk of your own life to make others lives more bearable, with little though to your own health or sanity..... sometimes to breaking point. Statistics show that the health of Carers is generally worse than the population in general and that sometimes the carer dies before the person they look after...........and all this for £50 a week for those who have claimed carers allowance, and not all do. You often have to Champion their cause, so who are the champions?   IT HAS TO BE THE CARERS.
   And what support do they get?
   
   Carers' Champions.
   Apparently carers' champions exist in all works of life! In the Assembly Government, in our local Council, in the Health Board. Yet, only the Cancer Carer Group had ever heard of them. To the rest they are anonymous and invisible. So from a Carers' point of view the following chart was drawn up.

Carer's Champions - A Carer's Perspective
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WHO ARE THE CHAMPIONS?   -  IT'S GOTTA  BE THE CARERS

       We support the Government                                             They do not Support us