Devon Carers Just for Carers 03456 434 435 Summer 2018 CARERS WEEK 11-17 June is Carers Week! Carers Week is an practices and hospitals to try and encourage annual national campaign to raise awareness the identification of more carers and raise of caring and celebrate the enormous awareness of services that can help. contribution carers make throughout the UK. Please see pages 3-5 for news of what we The theme of Carers Week this year is are doing to celebrate Carers Week in your ‘helping carers stay healthy and connected’. local area and As a carer you will know only too well that don’t forget your own health and well-being is often to check out neglected as you put all your energy into the ‘Foraging your caring role. This Carers Week we will for Wellbeing’ be providing information stalls and events Carers Week across the county focusing on looking walks too on after your physical and mental health. We page 9. will also be working with some of our GP WELCOME TO OUR NEW SERVICE The new Devon Carers service launched on 1 May. As you will have seen from our recent updates, there will be lots of developments as we go forward but we want to start by telling you about our exciting new website at www.devoncarers.org.uk. We hope that this will make it much easier for you to get the info you need at any time of the day. The website will be interactive with a ‘carers pod’ space where in the future you will be able to talk online to other local carers. We will be regularly updating the site and hope we can continue to make it bigger and better with your help. Thank you to everyone that has already given us feedback during the development phase but this is just the beginning… Please tell us what you think of the website, how it could be improved and what needs to be added. All your comments are very welcome so please get in touch by e-mailing [email protected], sharing your ideas with any of our Carer Support Officers or speaking to our helpline advisers - 03456 434435. 2 Devon Carers - National & Devonwide News DISCPLUS BECOMES SIGNPOST or to tell the story of their carer experience. PLUS DPT will be starting a pilot of one-hour sessions for all staff teams in Torbay between DISCplus information service for parents and May and December. The plan is then to roll carers of children with disabilities or special this training out to the rest of their workforce needs has changed its name to SIGNPOST across Devon (which has some 80 or so staff plus. The service will continue to produce teams!) They are seeking as many carers as weekly and monthly e-mail snippets and possible who would be willing to take part post regular updates on its Facebook page so that they wouldn’t be relying on just a few but will no longer produce a hard copy of its people to help. termly newsletter. Carers have also co-designed training to be There will be a page on the Virgincare delivered as part of the corporate induction website with a newsfeed for up to the to DPT for new staff. These are 2-hour sessions minute local and national information. For that take place every month and they are further information contact: kristine. looking for carers to help facilitate and / or tell [email protected], 01803 763505 their story for these sessions as well. or [email protected], Travel expenses will be reimbursed and DPT 01271 384074. can offer £10 per hour for your time. If anyone CARERS NEEDED TO HELP is interested, please contact Ian Henwood at TRAIN DEVON PARTNERSHIP e-mail: [email protected] for more information. If you don’t have e-mail you can TRUST STAFF contact Devon Carers to register your interest Devon Partnership Trust (DPT) is looking for and we can pass your details on to Ian. Call carers who have experience of caring for our helpline on 03456 434 435. someone with a mental health problem or caring for someone with a learning disability to help train their staff. Ian Henwood from IMPORTANT DATA DPT’s ‘Together’ programme says: PROTECTION CHANGES “Evidence shows that when carers are included As many of you will have seen in the in a therapeutic alliance with healthcare press, the regulation that governs data professionals and the person that they care protection is being updated and a for, the outcomes are better for everyone. It is new standard comes into effect from important for staff in DPT to be able to identify 25 May 2018. This new General Data carers on or around first contact. To enable this Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides to happen, DPT has co-designed with carers, individuals with more control over Carer Awareness Training for all its staff” their personal data and how it can be DPT are now looking for carers who have used. We will be sending you further experience of caring for someone with information about this very soon. a mental health problem or a learning Please look out for this because it will disability to help with the delivery of these contain information about how we can sessions either by helping to facilitate and / continue to stay in touch with you. Devon Carers - National & Devonwide News 3 LOCAL EASTERN EVENTS FOR EXMOUTH CARERS SUPPORT GROUP CARERS WEEK Friday 15 June, 2:00pm - 3:30pm, Exmouth Hospital. All carers welcome to a One Small BUDLEIGH SALTERTON Wednesday 13 June, Step healthy living session at Exmouth Carers 10:00am-12:00pm, Budleigh Salterton Surgery. Support Group. The group will be in the Come and meet local Carers Support Officer, meeting room of the Dewdney Unit. Kate Brennan, at a Carers Information Stand and drop in HONITON CARERS SUPPORT GROUP Wednesday 13 June, 2:00pm - 4:00pm, CREDITON Wednesday 13 June, 10:00am – Honiton Methodist Church Any local carers 3:30pm, Crediton Hospital. Jane Ashby, Carers would be very welcome to join the Honiton Support Officer will have an information stand Carers Support Group for their Carers Week at Crediton Hospital and would be very happy activity. Patricia Warren from Age UK will be to chat to any local carers that want to pop visiting to do fun ‘Functional Fitness MOTs’ along. with the group. There will be coffee, tea and CULLOMPTON Thursday 21 June, College biscuits available. (Parking at the church is Surgery, Cullompton. Come and pick up limited but there are several car parks very information at our stand at College Surgery close by.) which will be available all day. Carers Support OTTERY ST MARY Monday 2 July, 10:30am Officer, Clare Moughton, will also be there at - 12:00pm at Ottery Station. Carers Support various times throughout the day. (There will Officer, Julie Austin, will be welcoming local be a facility to leave a message for Clare if she carers to a ‘One Small Step’ healthy living is not there when you are or you can call Clare session. on 03456 434 435) SIDMOUTH Monday 11 June, 10:00am EXETER Monday 11 June AND Weds 13 - 2:00pm, Sidmouth Methodist Church June, 11:00am - 3:00pm, St Stephens Church. Hall. Sidmouth Health and Care Forum The theme of our Carers Week events in networking event for carers and the public Exeter this year is ‘connections’ – you will to find out about support for carers in the have opportunities to connect with other Sid Valley and opportunities to get involved, people and with yourself! Events will include: help or volunteer. live music, seated yoga, craft taster sessions, mindfulness and demonstrations from Drink TIVERTON Tuesday 12 June, 9:30am – Wise Age Well on making mocktails. St 12:30pm, Tiverton Hospital. Come and Stephens Church can be found in Exeter High meet local Carers Support Officers, Susanna Street. Venner and Lorraine Mee, at their Carers Information Stand in the reception area EXMOUTH Wednesday 13 June, 10:00am - of Tiverton Hospital. A staff member from 12:00pm at Age Concern Exmouth. There will Age UK Mid Devon will also be there be a ‘Carers Making Healthy Connections’ offering information on their services plus information session run by our Carers Support a new Carer Ambassador who will be Officer, Catherine Hill. ALL ages welcome. offering support to other carers in the local community. 4 Devon Carers - National & Devonwide News LOCAL NORTHERN EVENTS for a free seated exercise session with a FOR CARERS WEEK physiotherapist. BARNSTAPLE, Tuesday 12 June, 11:00am – IPPLEPEN HUB Tuesday 12 June, 2:00PM – 1:00pm, North Devon Leisure Centre. Come 4:00pm. Liz Shouls, Devon Carers Support and see us at our info stand at the Help for Officer will be available with information for Heroes Open Day. carers living in Ipplepen and surrounding area. There will be reduced price coffee and cake BIDEFORD/NORTHAM Monday 11 June, for carers. 8:45am-12:00pm Wooda GP Surgery. Come along and meet local Carer Support Officers IVYBRIDGE Wednesday 13 June, 10:00am at our information stand. - 4:00pm Health & Well-Being Day, The Clay Factory, Bittaford. All Carers are welcome BRAUNTON, Tuesday 12 June, 11:00am, Walk to join us for a day of free activities which starting at Braunton Inn. All carers welcome include Acupressure massage, mindfulness, to join us for a short walk along the Tarka meditation, hypnotherapy, pebble art, Spin Trail. Refreshments provided afterwards. taster session, Pilates taster session. There will FREMINGTON, Thursday 14 June, 11:00am, also be a cinema session, an art exhibition and Walk starting at Fremington Quay.