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Archive NoticeboardThe archive is well worth visiting as there are many notices that are still current for today. Please be sure to take a good look through.
Age UK Lifebook (added 19.7.11)
The LifeBook is a free booklet where you write important and useful information about your life, from who insures your car to where you put the TV licence. Sometimes it is easy to mislay important documents and information, so Age UK have developed the LifeBook to help you find exactly what you need without searching. The LifeBook will not only help you to be more organised but could also be invaluable to a family member or a friend if they need to find important information about you in an emergency. The LifeBook is available in printed booklet format or can be emailed for you to complete and store on your computer. To request a printed copy of a LifeBook or a version to be emailed for you to store and complete on your computer, phone 0845 685 1061 and quote reference ALL 721.
Help for rail passengers with learning difficulties (added 11.7.11)
Train operator Southern has introduced guides for passengers with learning difficulties. Read more on the Learning Difficulties page.
Blue Badge data for sat navs (added 13.6.11)
Owners of TomTom or Garmin sat navs can now download Blue Badge data, creating a journey planner custom-made for drivers with disabilities and their carers. Features include Blue Badge parking bays in the UK, disabled accessible car parks, petrol stations with service call, and tolls with concessions. The download is available from www.thepieguide.com/services/satnav
AK Autism Band from Medic Alert (added 25.3.11)
Medic Alert have brought out an Autism Band. The band was launched at the London College of Fashion, and the idea is that you purchase the band and then pay a subscription to Medic Alert. If the child (or adult) get lost, is in an accident, etc, then the metal band is turned over and a London phone number is displayed. Once the number is contacted, they hand out all information, both medical and contact, to the person in order to aid the individual wearing the band. The bands don't have to be used just for people with autism. To order a band visit www.medicalert.org.uk
"I am not DRUNK" card for people with MS (added 18.3.11)
An estimated 40% of people with multiple sclerosis experience slurred and indistinct speech which can make them sound drunk to other people. Speakeasier is issuing free cards which state: "I have Multiple Sclerosis which causes my speech to be slurred … I AM NOT DRUNK and I am not brain-damaged. Please be patient and help me." To receive your free card send a stamped addressed envelope to Speakeasier, PO Box 410, Cheltenham GL52 9GH or phone: 01242 705681
Concessionary identity card for carers
Currently, West Sussex does not have an identity card scheme where carers can get discounts or free entry to leisure and other venues for themselves when accompanying the people they care for. The ILA (Independent Living Association) would like to assess the demand for a carer's ID card scheme in West Sussex, including whether you think it is a good idea, what it should cover and how it should operate. No national scheme exists but some other counties run their own. Please send your comments to the ILA at Southfield House, 11 Liverpool Gardens, Worthing BN11 1RY or email: info@ilawestsussex.org
Short Term Break Development Fund for carers to take a short break (added 4.2.11)
This fund provides funding to enable carers to take a short break from their caring responsibilities. Read more on the HelpCarers/taking_a_break.htm page.
Carers Matter - Everybody's Business (added 10.6.11)
Free guidance from Skills for Care aims to help employers and organisations support carers better through learning and development. Read more on the Education, Training and Employment page
Doing Life Differently (added 31.5.11)
Three downloadable publications written by, and for, people living with ill health, injury or a disability. The series looks at new ways of progressing careers, managing money and getting the best from IT. Current publications are: Doing Work Differently, Doing Money Differently, and Doing IT Differently. The booklets can be downloaded from www.radar.org.uk
Guide to using Intensive Interaction - introducing intensive interaction to residential care settings (added 31.5.11)
Specialist care provider Choice Care Group has produced a short introduction to using Intensive Interaction: thinking about what it is, who it is for, the purpose of It, and how to implement it. Intensive Interaction is an approach that reaches people who are not always happy to be in the company of other people. They may be uncommunicative and withdrawn by engaging in stereotypical repetitive behaviours. The guide can be downloaded free from www.choicecaregroup.com
Blitz Holiday Funding Grant (added 24.5.11)
This grant is supported by The Bond Holiday Group with the intention of raising money to subsidise short breaks in Blackpool and St Anne's. Read more and find out how to apply on the Having a holiday with the person you care for page
Cinema Exhibitors Association Card (CEA) (added 24.5.11)
This is a scheme which allows one free ticket to the cinema for a person requiring assistance. The CEA Card is accepted in 90% of cinemas in the UK. For more details go to the Leisure Opportunities for Carers page.
Occupational Therapy equipment salesperson Cold Calling/Distraction Burglaries (added 9.5.11)
A man has been 'cold calling' houses in West Sussex, saying he are selling disability and access equipment - at exorbitant prices. If you have been approached in this way, contact West Sussex County Council on 01243 813400 and speak to your social worker immediately.
Short Break Carers wanted (added 11.4.11)
WSCC are looking for carers who can help families with disabled children. The carers look after children with disabilities from a few hours a week to the occasional overnight stay. Carers will be paid either for overnight stays or an hourly rate for day care. For more information phone 01403 229333.
Young Carers Befriending (added 11.4.11)
A grant was awarded to Spurgeons by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Comic Relief in Sept 2008 to run a befriending project for isolated young carers aged 8-21 years and those with the heaviest caring responsibilities in West Sussex. The befriender, who will be a trained volunteer, will take the young carers out on trips and to activities that they cannot normally access and give them a break from their caring. Volunteer befrienders will commit to at minimum of one year and to visit the carer 1 or 2 times a month. Volunteers will be trained by the project team on all aspects of befriending. They will be asked to sign a confidentiality policy and to follow child protection procedures. If you would like to become a volunteer befriender, have any questions about young carers or would like to discuss a referral, contact Sara Rooney, Project Coordinator, Spurgeons Befriending Project, Tel: 01903 719515, Mob: 07968 225101, Email: srooney@spurgeons.org
West Sussex Carers Support Services proposed merger (added 21.3.11)
The three Carers Support Services in Chichester, Crawley and Worthing all have strong local links and are committed to the involvement, participation and direction of carers. They feel the time is right to merge into a formal partnership under a single management. They are looking to involve all carers and staff into the possible options for the design of the new organisation and how things might develop in the future.
“What I can do in an emergency?” (added 11.4.11)
The Preparing for Emergencies web pages on DirectGov contains useful information on how you can prepare for the impacts of emergencies such as fires, heatwave, severe cold/snow, etc. Read more at www.direct.gov.uk
Brain training games - can they help?
In April 2010 the British Psychological Society heard a presentation from London Metropolitan University regarding their study of whether or not hand-held brain training computer games can help reverse memory loss in people with head injuries, have had a stroke or have dementia. 64 people aged 20-71 took part in the research. One group was given pen and paper exercises; the other group was given brain training computer games which tested short term memory for 15 minutes a day. Both groups were then tested on traditional memory recall tasks. There was an improvement in both groups - 37% improvement on those using pen and paper, and 60% improvement on people using computer games. As with all research and studies, there are no guarantees, but those tested stated that computer games were fun and paper exercises were boring.
Caring - The Essential Guide (added 11.3.11)
This 100+ page book by Lorena Tonarelli is aimed at family carers and offers practical advice and solutions including: how to help the person you care for maintain their personal grooming; recognising and dealing with depression; strategies for dealing with disabilities; making daily life easier; and how to cope with challenging behaviour and confusion. The Worthing and District Carers Support Service has a copy in its library which can be borrowed (tel: 01903 536378) or it can be purchased from www.need2knowbooks.co.uk, phone: 01733 898103. Cost is £9.99.
Car drivers - discounts with AA and RAC (added 7.2.11)
If you are a Blue Badge holder, both the AA and RAC will give you a discount on your membership fees. When you phone them tell them you have a blue badge and ask about the discount available.
Help the police protect vulnerable people (added 28.1.11)
Sussex Police are inviting disabled people and carers to improve the protection of valuable people in the county. An email reference group is planned so that disabled people and their carers can offer views and information to help the police understand their special needs and concerns. Anyone wanting to take part can email neil.honnor@westsussex.pnn.police.uk. Neil is also keen to hear from local disability groups who would like the police to attend meetings to discuss policing and safety issues. To identify and contact your local neighbourhood officer visit www.sussex.police.uk/your-neighbourhood
West Sussex Emergency Heating Scheme (added 8.10.10)
West Sussex-wide scheme providing oil-filled radiators to people with no working heating system. One radiator can be provided per household. They are intended to be a stopgap until the client is able to have a heating system fixed or replaced by the Warm Front Grant or by their own means. In order to receive the radiator, the client must fulfil the criteria as well as agreeing to a visit from the County Fuel Poverty Coordinator. Radiators will not be supplied without a referral. The client must be a home owner or in private rented accommodation with no working central heating system and in receipt of means-tested benefit or have a net household income of less than £18,000, be over 60, or have at least one dependant child under 16, be pregnant or disabled. Contact the Energy Efficiency Officer at Arun District Council for more details - Tel: 01903 737690.
Power cut in your home? (added 1.2.10)
If you have electrical medical equipment in your home or anyone in your home would have a significant health issue following a power cut, contact your electricity supplier to register for their Priority Register Service. In the event of a power cut, they will endeavour to reinstate the electricity supply as quickly as possible.
Guide for Carers and Parents of Disabled Children (added 4.9.09)
Working Families, the work-life balance charity, has published a guide to help carers and parents of disabled children, who want to return to the workplace. The illustrated guide draws on the experience of the Working Families’ network, which consists of working carers and parents of disabled children, as well as helpful advice from recruitment professionals. For further information or a sample copy of the guide contact Liz Whitehead at Working Families on 020 7253 7243 or email press@workingfamilies.org.uk
You Care, You Count - free guide for carers from Rethink
This short guide to carers' rights advises carers on actions which can be taken locally to improve mental health and carer services. It is a free publication, funded by the Department of Health, and is available from Rethink, Tel: 0845 456 0455, or visit www.mentalhealthshop.org
www.thecarer.co.uk - not-for-profit public interest website focused on the practicalities and emotional needs of caring.
Choosing the Right Care Service booklet - free booklet from the Commission for Social Care Inspection. (added 22.4.08)
Keep an Eye Open for Bogus Callers (Added 21.1.08)
Online guide from The Home Office with information to help people, particularly older or vulnerable people, avoid falling into the bogus caller’s or rogue trader’s (known as distraction burglary) trap. The guide is suitable for care professionals, carers, anyone living independently, or if you care for older people living independently, and has simple and useful tips to reduce the risk of distraction burglary. Download a copy from www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk
www.caringinfo.com - independent and not-for-profit site, designed to help older people in West Sussex.
www.carersfriends.co.uk - website for carers to contact each other, as well as offering help and advice. (added 2.9.08)
And remember, if you would like to add an item to our noticeboard, please email us at col@icis-info4life.org.uk