Oldham Carers Centre SUMMER 2015 Welcome to the summer issue of Oldham Carer s Newsletter. We have plenty going on over the next few months and as always encourage you all to get involved. Carers Centre update Business as usual Wired are still running Oldham Carers Centre until further notice. We will keep you updated of any changes in the future. Staff notice Steph Jones has left Wired to pursue a new branch of her career. We would like to wish her every success in this new role. Elsewhere in Oldham We have snippets of information on different activities going on in August and September. If you have any questions about these activities or would like to know more about any others around Oldham please call us on 770 1188 and speak to one of the team. In this issue: Carers Centre update Staff notice Our sympathies Changes to the carers individual budget Pamper days Reiki Activities & events that will be in your drop-ins! Carer s Week Summary Have your say and tweet us: @WiredOldhamCare www.wired.me.uk/oldham-carers.asp Oldham Carers Centre 770 1188 Adult Social Care 770 1122 GM Police (Non emergency) 101 Alzheimer's Society 342 0797 AGE UK Oldham 633 0213 Citizens Advice Bureau 0844 847 2638
Deepest sympathy We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the following regular members of the drop in who have recently lost someone close to them: Margaret Moxam Margaret Halliwell Ena Galbraith Tony and Frances Dabrowski on the loss of Tony s mother, Molly. Please keep them and their loved ones in your thoughts at these difficult times. Changes to Individual Budget The Individual Budget is now known as the Personal Budget. This is the annual payment issued to carers by Oldham Council. It is still used in very much the same way. Personal Budgets are an outcome of the carers assessment and must meet specific criteria and needs that the carer has. This can be in the form of a short break, something new around the house or even a spa day. Your assessor will give you full details of what you can spend this grant on. In the 2015/16 year all our carers are having to have a new full assessment, instead of the review previously offered. This means that our waiting time has increased so please be as patient as you can at this busy time. As always any support needed can be requested by calling 770 1188. Pamper days Come along and enjoy a free pamper session on the last Tuesday morning of every month. These sessions involve hand massages, nail treatments general tips and advice to take a few moments out of your week and help spoil yourselves a little. As you can see it is not only the fairer sex who enjoy the experience! Reiki For those of you who have not experienced Reiki before: Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. - http://reiki.org/faq/whatisreiki.html Tuesday mornings free Reiki treatment to help you relax These are offered on a first come first serve basis between 10.00am and 12.00pm.
Day Date Time Event Thursday 2nd 10am - 1pm Coffee/Teas and Sandwiches - Morning session for carers to come along, speak with other carers and have a break. Tuesday 7th 10am - 1pm Reiki - Relaxing sessions to make the most of your break. Thursday 9th 10am - 1pm Bingo - Come along and get involved with our prize bingo sessions; make sure you shout out loud when you win! Tuesday 14th 10am - 1pm Reiki 2pm - 4pm Bingo JULY 2015 Thursday 16th 10am - 1pm Cookery Class with Rachel Bird - Enjoy a taste of Rachel s Cookery class or simply sample the finished work. Lunch portion costs just 1 (max. 2 portions). Tuesday 21st 10am - 1pm Reiki 2pm - 4pm Making Sockpigs with Julie Raven - Come along to this creative session with Julie and show us what your sockpigs are made of. Thursday 23rd 11am Zumba with Jane (Function rooms 1 & 2) Tuesday 28th 10am - 1pm Pamper session with Shirley also Reiki 2pm - 4pm Pamper session with Shirley Thursday 30th 10am - 1pm Bring and Share - bring your own plate of food to share with the rest of the carers. Drop in outline and times Our drop ins are designed to give carers a chance to meet other carers and have a break from their usual caring role. They are based at the Link Centre where the carers centre staff are always available if you need any support. Tuesday mornings (10am to 1pm) Carers only drop in Tuesday afternoons (2pm to 4pm) Carers (you can also bring the person you look after) Thursday morning (10am to 1pm) Carers only drop in
Day Date Time Event AUGUST 2015 Tuesday 4th 10am - 1pm Quiz - Have a laugh and get involved with our general knowledge Quiz. 2pm - 4pm Quiz Thursday 6th 10am - 1pm Our regular friendly carer s drop in Tuesday 11th 10am - 1pm Reiki 2pm - 4pm Julie Raven s Arts & Crafts - This session is dedicated to getting creative with Julie, you will be able to pick up some great ways to put those skills to use. Thursday 13th 10am - 1pm Cookery Class with Rachel Bird Tuesday 18th 10am - 1pm Reiki 2pm - 4pm Cared for always welcome in afternoon drop ins Thursday 20th 10am - 1pm Quiz Tuesday 25th 10am - 1pm Pamper session with Shirley and Reiki - our monthly pamper session allowing you to relax and enjoy Shirley s treatments for free. Thursday 27th 10am - 1pm Coffee/Tea and Sandwiches August is our Quiz month! Three sessions dedicated to testing those general knowledge archives. Come along to one of the sessions above and have a laugh with us all here at your carer s drop in. Who knows we may even get prizes! Elsewhere in Oldham Oldham hosts many activities over the coming months some highlighted for August include: On the 9th August - The Saddleworth Creative Network - Vintage inspired gift & craft fair Uppermill Civic Hall (OL3 6AE) More can be found at http://www.visitoldham.com/whats-on The MEN also has an extensive list of activities in and around Oldham - http:// www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/family-days-outsummer-2014-7307630
SEPTEMBER 2015 Day Date Time Event Tuesday 1st 10am - 1pm Reiki Thursday 3rd 10am - 1pm Our regular carer s only drop in; take a break Tuesday 8th 10am - 1pm Reiki 2pm - 4pm Bring and Share - our monthly opportunity to bring your own dish and have a taste of what everyone else wants. Thursday 10th 10am - 1pm Simple Sewing - This introduction to sewing techniques will show you some ways in which you can repair tears or get a little creative. Tuesday 15th 10am - 1pm Reiki & Guest talk by Oliver Maudsley from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Thursday 17th 10am - 1pm Cooking class with Rachel Bird - Help make lunches with Rachel or simply sample the finished product 1 per portion (Max two per person) Tuesday 22nd 10am - 1pm Reiki & Coffee/Tea and Sandwiches 2pm - 4pm Coffee/Tea and Sandwiches Thursday 24th 10am - 1pm Our regular carer s only drop in; take a break Tuesday 29th 10am - 1pm Pamper session & Reiki - our monthly pamper session allowing you to relax and enjoy Shirley s treatments for free. Elsewhere in Oldham Find more about what is on in Oldham by visiting http://www.visitoldham.com/whats-on or calling 7701188 to speak to someone here. September brings the play 1984 (George Orwell) to Oldham on the 17th - http:// www.coliseum.org.uk/plays/1984/ - 5 a ticket Discover Oldham s Heritage - http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/oldhamlandmarks-open-doors-heritage-7668201 The events kick off from 10am on Saturday, September 6, at Oldham Local Studies and Archives, Contact 770 4654 to find out more about their free workshop showing you more about the lives of local men and women who served during the First World War with historian David Harrop.
Carers week Our 2015 Carers week, held in early June, was a huge success. Thank you to all the carers, volunteers and staff who helped make it a fantastic week; we are already looking forward to our next big event. We successfully hosted the following sessions throughout the week, which we are sure helped raise people s awareness of carers and helping them in their caring roles: British Red Cross training; Steve delivered a session on how to handle burns and allergic reactions amongst other useful tips for those attending. Information sessions were held at, Oldham Hospital where carers centre staff visited the wards and spoke to patients and staff and raised awareness of the help and support the Carers Centre offers. Dr Kershaw s market place, at Oldham library, was a great event where carers and their families visited various stalls for help and advice, including family solicitors, Age UK, Millercare (Mobility specialists), Golden Charter funeral plans, amongst others. Our own drop-ins in the Link Centre, during carers week, had carers centre staff involved to offer information and extra support for all the carers present. The week ended with our main event, we rolled out a big party for our carers so they could enjoy great food, music with fun and games. We had a nostalgic look at the Carer s Centre, from its origins up to where we are today, as delivered by Frances Dabrowski. We heard from our CEO David Maguire, who spoke about WIRED and the Oldham services and officially said farewell to Steph Jones, our Volunteer and Development Co-ordinator. We took the opportunity to acknowledge the hard work our volunteers have put into their roles and each received a small token of our appreciation. The day concluded with a general knowledge quiz and a little music while looking through some photos from years gone by. Thank you again to everyone who helped and attended this week. Your Views If you have a comment, opinion or suggestion relating to adult social care, we would love to hear from you. We re keen to gather the views of our local carers and promote your tips for staying well. We review all our readers comments and will try to print as many as possible. This newsletter reaches over 5,000 people across Oldham - have your say and join in the debate! 10 Love to Shop voucher for the best letter. Please post letters to Oldham Carers Centre, The Link Centre, 140 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1DZ or email oldham.carers@wired.me.uk And finally Remember your health and well-being is just as important as it is for those that you care for. The team here at the Link Centre is here for any questions you have. A quick call to 7701188 may be the contact you need to find something that can make a real difference to you. Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure that the information in this newsletter is correct. Wired Oldham Carers Centre can accept no liability for errors and omissions and cannot recommend products or services. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Wired Oldham Carers Centre.