Carers Newsletter WESTERN TRUST CARERS HANDBOOK LAUNCHED AT CARERS NORTHERN IRELAND SUMMIT 2016 CONTENTS. 1. Launch of Carers Handbook

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1 Carers Newsletter Vol 28 December 2016 WESTERN TRUST CARERS HANDBOOK LAUNCHED AT CARERS NORTHERN IRELAND SUMMIT 2016 The Western Health and Social Care Trust launched The Carers Handbook at the Carers NI Summit in the Guild Hall, L/Derry on 10th October The Carers Handbook was produced in conjunction with Carers NI and was launched by Elaine Way, Chief Executive of the Western Trust who said it was a vital resource for carers living in the Western Trust area. The booklet contains valuable information for carers who look after family, partners or friends in need of help because they are ill, frail or have a disability. It includes information on how to keep well by ensuring a balanced diet and exercise. It refers to emotional health, sleep and back care, which are issues that carers often struggle to maintain in their lives. The resource also provides information for carers on how to get help and support, including a guide to benefits, preparing for a carers assessment and using direct payments as well as useful contacts including carer support groups and voluntary sector organisations. CONTENTS 1. Launch of Carers Handbook 2. OHrs service IPad Training Carers Support team News 3. Benefits 4. Carers Info Events 5. Carers NI Summit 6. Carers NI Summit 7. Flu Vaccination 8. Contacts Dates for your diary Picture above (Left to Right) Simon Hodgson (Director Carers Scotland and Northern Ireland), Clare-Anne Magee (General Manager, Carers NI), Anne Donnelly (Carer), Niall Birthistle (Chairman WHSCT), Martina Anderson (MEP), Elaine Way (Chief Executive WHSCT), Deirdre walker (Assistant Director PCOPS), Cathy Magowan (Carers Coordinator WHSCT).

2 Are you interested in IPad Training? Do you have an IPad and feel your not getting the most from it? Do you depend on other family members to assist you with using the IPad? Then help is at hand! South West Age Partnership are able to offer IPad training in Fermanagh in the New Year. The training is specifically aimed at those over 55 years of age. It is preferable that you have your own IPad device. If you are interested please contact the Carers Support Team on (028) or (028) or At the present we are taking expressions of interest. Details regarding, day, time and venue will be communicated to those who register their interest. We will explore the possibility of running this in other localities. BEST WISHES LAURA! We are very sad to report that Laura Ritchie, Carers Development Worker is moving to a new post. Laura has been in post with the Carers Support Team for 4 years and will be greatly missed, especially by the Fermanagh carers walking group. Laura is well known for her sunny disposition and great sense of fun; she has been a tremendous advocate of the carers agenda, even before she took up post with the Carers Support Team. The post Laura is moving to is a full-time job as Family Support Worker in Adult Learning Disability Services. Laura, you will be missed by your colleagues in the team and the many carers and carers groups you have come to know over the last four years. We wish you all the very best in your new post. Page 2 Regional Emergency Social Work Service (028) The regional emergency social work service operate an emergency response service after normal working hours i.e. after 5pm each day and all day at weekends and public holidays. Carers who find themselves in a crisis may contact the service to discuss their situation and ascertain if any advice or practical help may be available. Carers are advised that this service is designed to cover emergency situations only and staff will not be able to deal with routine matters that can wait until carers are able to contact their keyworker (Social Worker) on the next working day. Me Unltd Skills Building & Inspire Me Events For further information services/carersinformation.htm Or contact the Carers Support Team on (028) Picture below Laura Ritchie, Carers Development Worker

3 Benefits Information Social Security Agency Improving Uptake of Benefits Community Outreach Officers Name Office Base Telephone Derek Moran Enniskillen Sharon Scott Strabane Steven Horner Foyle Lisnagelvin Limavady steven.horner.nissa.gsi.gov.uk Thomas Corey Omagh Not sure what benefits you are entitled to or need a benefits check? For independent advice and support contact: - Omagh Independent Advice Service Tel: (028) Dove House Resource Centre, Derry Tel: (028) The Resource Centre, Derry Tel: (028) Rosemount Community Resource Centre, Derry Tel: (028) Limavady Community Development Initiative (LCDI) Tel: (028) Citizens Advice Bureau: (Fermanagh) Tel: (028) (L/Derry) Tel: (028) Spencer Rd, L Derry Tel: (028) (Strabane) Tel: (028) Carers NI also provide advice and support via a helpline Tel: (028) Benefit Rates (April 2016) CARER'S ALLOWANCE Carer premium Earnings limit ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE Higher rate Lower rate DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE Care Component Highest Middle Lowest Mobility Component Higher Lower Page 3

4 Carer/staff information events The Carers Support Team have run a number of Carer/Staff information days to date. Below we have included some of the photos taken at the events. Thank you to all the Carers and staff who came along to pick valuable information from the stalls in attendance. There was a wide range of information stalls available and we wish to extend our thanks to all those who attended with information stalls. There are more of these events coming up in December and the New Year (see details on back page). Please avail of the opportunity to pop in to pick up information and have a cup of tea or coffee with us. Picture left. Rosemary from Centre for Independent Living (CILNI) explains the benefits of using Direct Payments to carers. Pictured right. Rosaleen Quigley, Carers Trust and Clare Gillespie, Social Butterflies in conversation with a carer about local support groups. Picture left. Carers avail of information from RNIB, Drink Wise and Care Direct. Page 4

5 Carers NI Summit 2016 This year the Carers Northern Ireland Carers Summit was held in the beautiful Guildhall, Derry- Londonderry on Monday 10th October. 72 carers and professionals supporting carers from across Northern Ireland attended the event. The audience heard from David Grayson, Chair of the Carers UK Board of Trustees who highlighted that carers save the UK government 132 billion per year (approximately 4.4billion in NI). He also spoke about the importance of supporting those trying to juggle work and care and how organisations and employers needed to become more carer friendly. Martina Anderson, MEP shared her experience of caring for her 91 year old mother who has been living with Alzheimer s for the past 17 years. Martina was very open about how neither she nor any of her family members had regarded themselves as carers and how now, over the years, she has come to recognise the importance of her role stating I am a daughter, I am a carer, then I am a member of the European Parliament. Martina empathised with the frustration carers feel when dealing with the system and called for more practical support for carers. Director of Mental Health, Disability and Older People (Department of Health), Chris Matthews, gave an update on policies relating to carers including the ongoing Review of Adult Social Care and Support which is due out for consultation next year. He emphasised that carers should have access to flexible support when they need it and that they are equal partners in the provision of care. Chris highlighted that the Minister has set a target to increase the number of Carers Assessments offered by each Trust area by 10% for 16/17 and that the Department will work with the Trusts to see what the issues are and where they can support them in order to achieve that target. The importance of cross-departmental working in relation to carers was also highlighted and a good practice example of that was where Carers Assessments are taking place, information on Benefits entitlements will be shared with carers by key staff carrying out the Assessment and similarly, where a carer receives a Benefits Check via one of the government funded advice lines, information on Carers Assessments will be offered. There was a policy update from Mickey Kelly, Assistant Director of Pensions, Disability and Older People (Department for Communities) who spoke about welfare reform in NI. He complimented Carers NI for their Welfare Reform Briefing (which can be found here: ) and highlighted that 18 million has been agreed to support those who will lose out under new welfare changes under the Mitigation Scheme which is unique to NI. Mickey also stated that 71,000 people in NI are entitled to receive Carers Allowance yet only 44,220 are currently in receipt of the benefit. One of the ways the Department hope to increase the uptake of Carers Allowance is via the introduction of their Carers Allowance Digital Service which enables people to apply online for the benefit if they meet the eligibility criteria. You can find more information about the Carers Allowance Digital Service via Page 5

6 CARERS NI SUMMIT 2016 continued Finally the audience heard from Clare-Anne Magee, General Manager (Carers NI) who has been in post since the end of January Clare-Anne acknowledged the former staff members of Carers NI who moved on in the past year including Helen Ferguson (former Director), John McCormick (former Campaigns and Communications Officer) and Clare Phillips (former Carer Involvement Officer). The current staff team at Carers NI is made up of Clare- Anne Magee (General Manager), Lesley Johnston (Advice and Information Officer) and Lyn Campbell (Information and Development Officer). Highlighting that 2015/16 was a year of change for the organisation, Clare-Anne provided feedback on the work of Carers NI this year which has continued to go from strength to strength including engagement with MLA s and Ministers, increase in engagement and reach to carers via social media platforms, a very successful Carers Week and the establishment of a Carers Coalition, a lobbying group made up of local community and voluntary organisations supporting carers. 2 short video clips of projects Carers NI were involved in with Detail Data and the NI Human Rights Commission were also shown highlighting the breadth of work Carers NI have undertaken this year. Clare- Anne committed to further supporting carers in NI by developing our advice and information service and resources, continuing to lobby both individually and collectively for carers rights and to, despite the competitive funding environment, secure funding for Carers NI to continue to carry out our work. Pictured left L-R Clare-Anne Magee (General Manager, Carers NI), Anne Donnelly (Carer) and Cathy Magowan (Carers Coordinator) promoting the Western Trust carers Handbook at the Carers Summit. Carers Information Follow us on:- Page 6

7 Join us for the Carers Carol Service in L/Derry 9th December and Fermanagh 13th December An opportunity to participate with other carers to sing carols and join us for a cup of tea or coffee and chat afterwards. See back page for details.for catering purposes please let us know if you plan to attend. Please remember in Fermanagh to leave additional time for parking. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY PEACEFUL NEW YEAR. CARERS ENCOURAGED TO AVAIL OF FLU VACCINATION FROM GP What is flu, how is it different to a cold? Flu is a respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus, which is highly contagious. There tends to be an outbreak every year, usually during winter. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between a cold and the flu. However, flu symptoms tend to come on much more rapidly, and are usually accompanied by muscle aches and extreme exhaustion. Colds usually develop more slowly with a stuffy nose, sneezing and a mild to moderate cough. How do I protect against it? Flu is highly infectious and is often spread through the air by coughing and sneezing. A person with the virus can transmit it for one or two days before symptoms occur, and for up to a week after first getting symptoms. The only pre-emptive measure against the flu is the flu vaccine. What do I do if I get the flu? Most healthy people manage to get over the flu with a week, some even more quickly. Severe cases can cause serious illness or even death, particularly if you are very young, elderly or otherwise in an at-risk category, this is why it is so important to protect yourself, the person you care for and your family. If you have severe flu symptoms, or are in a high risk group, you should contact your GP. Can I get the flu from the flu vaccine? In short No - the vaccine contains killed or inactive viruses, so you cannot get the flu from it. It will take between 10 and 14 days to start protecting from the flu though. How does the flu vaccine work? The vaccine helps a person s immune system to produce antibodies to the flu virus meaning when you come into contact with the virus, the antibodies will attack it. Are there any risks? Flu vaccines have been in operation for 60 years, and millions of people have received them. Reactions to the flu vaccine tend to be mild and serious side effects are very rare. Page 7

8 Cathy Magowan Carer Support Co-ordinator Cathy Magowan Carer Support Coordinator Western Health and Social Care Trust 2 Coleshill Road, Enniskillen Co. Fermanagh BT74 7HG Tel: (028) Cathy.Magowan@westerntrust.hscni.net CARER DEVELOPMENT WORKERS Geraldine McLaughlin (Mrs) WHSCT Carers Development Worker, Shantallow Health Centre, Racecourse Road Londonderry BT48 8NL Direct Line: (028) GeraldineAnn.McLaughlin@westerntrust.hscni.net SOUTHERN SECTOR POST CURRENTLY VACANT Please contact Cathy Magowan (Contact details above). DATES FOR YOUR DIARY DATE TIME EVENT VENUE 09/12/ CARERS CAROL SERVICE FOLLOWED BY CARER /STAFF INFORMATION EVENT 13/12/ CARERS CAROL SERVICE Please left extra time for parking. 11/01/ CARER AND STAFF INFORMATION EVENT 23/02/ CARER AND STAFF INFORMATION EVENT. ST. COLUMB S PARK HOUSE, L/DERRY Please register with Geraldine (028) LECTURE THEATRE, LEVEL 2, SOUTH WEST HOSPITAL, ENNISKILLEN Please register with Ursula (028) ST. PATRICK S HALL, STRABANE ST. BRIDGET S HALL, CARNHILL, L/DERRY If you are an informal (unpaid) Carer and wish to receive this newsletter directly to your home please contact a member of the team (details above) by or phone to request a registration form. If you already receive the newsletter directly to your home address and have changed any of your contact details please let us know by or telephone. Page 8