Quarriers Aberdeen City Carers newsletter April 2021

Carers’ newsletter April 2021

Dear carers, Welcome to our second carers’ newsletter for the new service.

I chose this lovely photo of the Aberdeen beachfront for our cover photo as, for me, it summed up that feeling of careful next steps, hope and possible steps to a little more freedom that I’m sure we all long for with the vaccine roll out.

I know, as carers, how important it is for you to protect and continue to care for the person(s) you love.

I want to invite you to be involved in how the service will be shaped and developed going forward.

What is it that you want from your carers service? What would it look like? Would you like to join an online PATH session to share and record your ideas with us to decide on the name, the branding and feed into service delivery?

If so, please let us know by email or phone, or let your Carer Advisor know so that we can take this forward to ensure that we truly are a carer-led, inclusive service.

Although our staff are still working from home, they are actively engaged with carers who are now registered with the service.

We have our own dedicated Facebook page where you can get information relevant to your caring role.

Joanna McPherson Service Coordinator

Stay up to date with all the latest news on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ aberdeencitycarerssupportservice

We also list our upcoming online groups and events so that you can have an opportunity to connect with others in a caring role to share your skills and knowledge.

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Meet the team

Joanna McPherson Service Coordinator

Andrew Falconer Team Leader Tel: 07917 521268 Email: andrew.falconer@quarriers.org.uk

Susan Middler Digital and Community Inclusion Worker Tel: 07917 521886 Email: susan.middler@quarriers.org.uk

Helen Donald Carers Contact Centre Worker Tel: 01224 914036 Email: helen.donald@quarriers.org.uk

Yvonne Matthew Administrator Tel: 01224 914036 Email: yvonne.matthew@quarriers.org.uk

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Meet the team

Louisa Donaldson Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521885 Email: louisa.donaldson@quarriers.org.uk

Elaine Dukes Parent Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521852 Email: elaine.dukes@quarriers.org.uk

Donna Lawie Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521879 Email: donna.lawie@quarriers.org.uk

Arlene Malcolm Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521871 Email: arlene.malcolm@quarriers.org.uk

Teresa Massie Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521853 Email: teresa.massie@quarriers.org.uk

Hazel Reid Carer Advisor Tel: 07917 521874 Email: hazel.reid@quarriers.org.uk 3

Staff updates - welcome to the team Susan Middler I am thrilled to have joined the Aberdeen City Carers Service as a Digital and Community Inclusion Worker, after having given up my previous job to care for a family member. Having been a carer myself, I understand only too well the stresses and strains associated with a caring role, and I feel that I can draw on my own experiences to put myself in your shoes and see things from your perspective. I will be working on newsletters and posting information on social media channels as well as having input into our new Virtual Carers Centre, which is something I am very excited about.

I worked at every branch in the city, so if any of you were library users between 1987 and 2013 you may remember me!

In my working life, I have always been in public facing roles, primarily with Aberdeen City Libraries. I was employed there for 26 years and during that time

When I am not at work I enjoy meeting up with friends, travelling, photography, musical theatre and detective fiction.

football and am a big Aberdeen fan, so I am looking forward to going back to the games when restrictions ease. Music is also a big part of my life and I enjoy discovering new bands. Spending time with family and friends is important to me too.

Andrew Falconer I have recently joined Quarriers as Team Leader for the Aberdeen City Carers Service. I started my professional career as a staff nurse at a neurological rehabilitation unit at Woodend Hospital, then moved on to cardiology at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. After that, I worked in the oil and gas sector as an offshore medic for ten years. This was enjoyable, and I travelled to many different places.

It was a very exciting job at times and really helped me to grow my skill set.

I am really excited about my new role with Quarriers and I will strive to make a difference in each person’s life, even if it is tiny changes.

I then returned onshore and began working as a Team Leader for a care provider in Aberdeen, supporting adults with learning disabilities, complex care and forensic needs. This was challenging but also very rewarding. I have a real passion for enabling everyone to live life as independently as possible and empowering the people we support to achieve their goals and ambitions.

Outside of work, I enjoy going to the gym and keeping myself fit. I love 4

Carers Week 2021

This year, carers across the country are continuing to face new challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives, friends and neighbours who have a disability, are ill or elderly and who need support.

of life, from relationships and health to finances and work, can be significant, and carers are facing even more difficult circumstances this year. While many feel that caring is one of the most important things they do, its challenges should not be underestimated. Caring without the right information and support can be tough. It is vitally important that we recognise the contribution carers make to their families and local communities, workplaces, and society, and that they get the support they need.

They need to be recognised for the difficulties they are experiencing, respected for all they are doing, and provided with information, support and understanding. So, during Carers Week, we’re coming together to help Make Caring Visible and Valued.

Our team is busy planning some exciting online groups for you to attend during Carers Week and we will be issuing an events programme to you all before then. Meantime, our confirmed events can be found in our groups section on pages 11-12.

There are 6.5 million people in the UK who are carers. They are looking after a family member, friend or neighbour who has a disability, a mental or physical illness or who needs extra help as they grow older. Caring’s impact on all aspects

“Really been helpful having the service, knowing I can phone with any questions.

Would recommend to others.”

“Thanks for your time today.

It’s the first time I’ve felt that someone has voiced what my son really needs.”

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Creative art competition We are always looking for ways that carers can contribute to our newsletter and Facebook page, so we hope to build up a library of photographs from carers that we might use.

This month, we are launching a creative art competition. One winner will be chosen from each category and announced during carers week. Their work will then be displayed on our new Virtual Carers Centre and on canvas in our new reception area. All entries will be on display when we can have an open day to officially launch our new service.

We are looking forward to seeing your entries. There are three categories to choose from: 1. My patch A photo you have captured while out exercising in your local area during lockdown.

2. Arts and crafts in lockdown A photo to show how you have been creative during lockdown.

3. Creative writing/poetry A piece of writing or poetry you have composed during lockdown.

If you would like to enter, please send us a maximum of three entries per category along with a title for each entry, and a contact number or email address by 5pm on Wednesday 2 June 2021. Our contact details can be found on the back page.

Competition rules • You must be the sole owner and copyright owner of the photograph.

• Each entry must be the original photograph taken with no enhancements.

• You must have written permission from any person(s) in your photograph.

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Time to Live additional funding Earlier this year, The Scottish Government granted funding for carers to have a break from their caring role. This was a oneoff payment available to unpaid carers through the Time to Live Short Breaks fund, managed by Shared Care Scotland.

Our service made 92 awards before the deadline of 31 March, 2021. Here is some of the feedback from carers on the difference this made.

“Absolutely fantastic to get this funding and we will really enjoy and benefit from having the garden ready with furniture to sit out in. Thank you.”

“

Thank you for advising me of the funding. It has made a huge difference to have a proper computer chair that my wife and I can both get the use of. She can sit comfortably when on her Zoom rehabilitation sessions with the stroke nurse. Much better than the hard dining room chair we were using. Also grateful for the continued support from you and the service. Makes a difference to have someone listen to my worries.

“Thank you for all your help. Absolutely loved our takeaway meal and afternoon teas, especially as we celebrated our Golden Wedding. We used to go out for our cup of tea, and it was lovely.”

“Please pass on my thanks for the money I got. I am now relaxing using my diffuser and essential oils and Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed our two afternoon teas.”

”

We were also successful in our application for funding to roll out our Time to Live Fund for 2021 and can confirm that this fund is now open to unpaid carers.

“Thank you.

I can’t believe I got money for me to spend on myself.”

To request an application form, please either call 01224 914036 or email aberdeencarers@quarriers.org.uk.

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Invitation to carers - PATH session, Tuesday 4 May We plan to co-produce your new carers service with you. We understand how precious your time is, so if you would like to feed into service development or give feedback in any way you can always do so through your Carer Advisor or Family Wellbeing Worker.

Step 2: One year from now We arrive at a point about a year from now. What has happened with some of the changes that needed to take place?

What progress has been made? All ideas need to be practical and possible – things that can be achieved with a bit of effort.

However, if you are able to give a little more time, we would like to invite you to a session aimed at designing the service name, new logo and branding. We aim to do this by hosting a carers PATH session with a guest facilitator on Tuesday 4 May from 1-3.15pm.

Step 3: Exploring the now Everyone is invited to share how things are now. What is life like now for the group?

How does it feel? What emotions are people experiencing?

If you would like to attend the session, please contact us on 01224 914036 or aberdeencarers@quarriers.org.uk.

What is PATH?

Step 4: Who needs to enrol?

People need to be committed to the changes in order to make things happen. Often, the people who need to enrol are in the room, but this can also include people who are important but not present, e.g. stakeholders, directors and any other important people who will support the group or team on their journey.

PATH is a way of helping a team or group dream about a positive future, and supporting that future to happen. It is used when a team or group is clear about the future they want to have, and when there is a commitment for action.

The PATH is worked out at a planning meeting. This lasts approximately two hours and is held at a suitable time and place.

Step 5: How do we build strength?

How will everyone keep themselves feeling positive, and keep going with the plan? How will people support each other? What will it take to help the group/team stay strong and overcome any challenges?

There are two people who will facilitate the meeting, and it is their responsibility to ensure that things go well for all participants.

One facilitator will graphically record everything on a large sheet of paper on the wall. They will use colour and graphics to keep a record of what everyone shares and decides upon, and this will be a lasting representation of the planning meeting.

Step 6: What are our bold steps?

We again move to the future. What are the bold steps that you will have taken? What are the headlines of things you have done to help you move towards your dream?

Identify a few bold steps you will have taken – these are the headlines of what you will achieve.

The other facilitator will engage in conversation with the group, encouraging them to explore what is important to them and to ensure that everyone in the group feels comfortable and able to participate.

There are eight steps in PATH.

Step 7: What are our goals for the next month?

What will happen next month to help you achieve the bold steps?

Step 1: The dream The group is invited to share what their dream is. What do they aspire to reach?

If there were no obstacles, barriers, restrictions, what would the future look like for them? What would be happening?

What would they be doing? Who would be there? Where would they be? How would this feel?

Step 8: What do we need to do now?

First steps.

The group will be encouraged to decide on their priorities, and using the action planning template, explore what they need to do, how it will happen, who will take responsibility, and by when. Where possible at least one action should take place within 72 hours.

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Coping with lockdown At our staff team meeting this week we discussed some of the things that have helped get us through the last few months of lockdown and we

Family

Crisps Prosecco Chocolate

My cat Mindfulness

Ice cream Netflix

have made them into a word cloud to share with you. Have any of these helped you cope with the restrictions?

Creativity Shandy

Decorating Takeaways

Soaps

Fancy pieces

Pets Walking Gardening Wine

Shopping

Yoga

Friends My dog

Cleaning

Cakes

Work colleagues The baker

My granddaughters Gin

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Carer blog - On The Write Lines by Alison Cram Caring can be stressful and frustrating sometimes and we all have to find our own ways to cope. Anything that helps relieve the stress, without throwing something heavy out of the nearest window, surely has to be worth a look.

Because there are good bits.

Whether it’s sitting on the garden bench with Dad enjoying the sun, receiving a text from a friend asking how I am or getting a rare smile from Dad when we share a happy memory. Sometimes it’s the small stuff that keeps me going.

Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a proven way of coping with negative emotions.

Although I write my own blog primarily to raise awareness of the issues carers face, it definitely has personal benefits too.

Blogging gives my thoughts and feelings an outlet. If I’m feeling frustrated by the social care system, tired of coping with the daily challenges or worried about how best to deal with Dad, I can get it out of my system by putting it down on the page.

Keeping a note of those positive moments could help balance out the negative stuff.

It won’t change my life, but a logbook of positive thoughts and quotes and memories might just help on the days when the going gets tough. And if it stops me strangling the cat, so much the better.

But did you know that writing down positive emotions is also a good way to reduce anxiety? Me neither.

An article in the i newspaper by Michael Smith, Associate Professor of Psychology at Northumbria University, reported how participants in a study benefited from writing down their positive experiences and emotions.

As Professor Smith says at the end of his article, “it needs no training or time spent with a therapist – and it’s free.”

Now, where did I put that old school jotter?

The participants were split into two groups and were asked to write for 20 minutes a day. One group wrote about neutral topics, such as their to-do list or what was in the news. The other group wrote about something positive that had happened to them. It could have been a television programme they had enjoyed, a conversation with a friend or watching birds in the garden: anything that had given them a moment of enjoyment or relaxation or inspiration.

Have you discovered your creative side?

Our Service Coordinator, Jo McPherson said “I can really connect to Alison’s words myself as I find creative writing, art, and being creative my way of making sense of the world we find ourselves in, especially just now. Having worked in both the creative arts and social care sectors for a number of years, I have seen first-hand the benefits that can be gained by taking that bit of me time to escape from it all and follow a hobby. This has enabled me to try new things and I have made many new friends along the way whom I am still in contact with.

After just three days, the group writing about positive experiences had lower stress levels than the neutral group. This was repeated over a four-week period with the same result.

The positive writing group recorded lower stress and anxiety.

“As a co-produced service we would love to hear from you about the ways you have of getting a little me time, so please send us any ideas you have for future health and wellbeing articles for the newsletter. If poetry, writing or a blog is something you would be interested in sharing with other carers, please let us know.

Not everyone has the time or inclination to write a regular blog, but most of us could find a few minutes a day to write something down. The study showed that “even writing for as little as two minutes a day about a positive experience has been shown to reduce the number of health complaints that people report.”

“We will also be working with our Marketing Team to produce photos for our Virtual Carers Centre website and wondered if any carers would be willing to have their photo taken for inclusion. If so, please get in touch.”

It’s made me think. The caring life can be hard and that makes it easy to get overwhelmed by the challenges and overlook the good bits.

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Online carers groups We are running online groups for unpaid carers via Microsoft Teams and Zoom. If you are interested in joining a group, let us know and we will send you an invite to join any of the online sessions. If you have any questions about joining or accessing any of the sessions, please let us know and we can support you.

Date and time

Session

May Tuesday 4 May 10am-12noon

Carers café – A drop-in session for unpaid carers to share skills, knowledge and support each other. Let us know your ideas for taking this group forward.

Tuesday 4 May 1-3.15pm

Carers PATH session – An opportunity for carers to feed into the development of the service. We would really like to have you co-produce our service name, logo and branding and we welcome any other comments about how you would like the service to look.

Friday 8 May 2-2.45pm

Adult carers mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond.

Monday 10 May 11am – 12noon

Monday men’s group – A group for those in an unpaid caring role who might wish to meet others in a similar situation. Share your knowledge of local support and networks.

Tuesday 18 May 10-11am

Parent carer café - An online group for parents supporting a child with additional support needs. For parents in an unpaid caring role to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.

Wednesday 19 May 1.30-2.30pm

Tea and talk – Adult carers group. Get together over a cuppa, unwind, make new friends, and stay connected. Meet other carers from the Aberdeenshire service.

Thursday 20 May 2-4pm

Carers conversations - A group for unpaid carers supporting someone living with dementia to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.

Friday 21 May 2-2.45pm

Adult carers mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond.

Tuesday 25 May 3-4pm

Mental Health Inforum Carers Group - An online group for unpaid carers who support someone with a mental health condition.

Tuesday 25 May 7-8pm

Mental Health Inforum Carers Group - An online group for unpaid carers who support someone with a mental health condition.

June Tuesday 1 June 10am - 12noon

Carers café – A drop-in session for unpaid carers to share skills, knowledge and support each other. Let us know your ideas for taking this group forward.

Friday 4 June 2-2.45pm

Adult carers mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond.

Monday 7 June 10am - 12noon

Advocacy and your rights - Learn how to make your voice heard and advocate for your rights as a carer.

Monday 7 June 2-3pm

Men’s mental health group – A group for unpaid carers to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.

Tuesday 8 June 10am - 12noon

Power of attorney/guardianship - Guest Speaker: Kathleen Taylor from the Mental Welfare Commission

Tuesday 8 June 7-8pm

Wellbeing event – Join us for an hour to relax and chill out. Information on this activity will follow in our Carers Week programme.

Wednesday 9 June 2-4pm

Craft session - This will be on the theme of Making Carers Visible. More information to follow in our Carers Week programme.

Thursday 10 June 2-4pm

An afternoon with Fiona Kennedy - Join us with a cuppa while we listen to Fiona perform a variety of songs and share some stories with us.

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Date and time

Session

Friday 11 June 11am - 12noon

Police Scotland – a representative from Police Scotland will provide information about scams, fraud, and the Herbert Protocol.

Monday 14 June 11am - 12noon

Monday men’s group – A group for those in an unpaid caring role who might wish to meet others in a similar situation. Share your knowledge of local support and networks.

Tuesday 15 June 10-11am

Parent carer café - An online group for parents supporting a child with additional support needs. For parents in an unpaid caring role to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.

Wednesday 16 June 1.30-2.30pm

Tea and talk – Adult carers group. Get together over a cuppa, unwind, make new friends, and stay connected. Meet other carers from the Aberdeenshire service.

Thursday 17 June 2-4pm

Carers conversations - A group for unpaid carers supporting someone living with dementia to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.

Friday 18 June 2-2.45pm

Adult carers mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond.

Tuesday 29 June 3-4pm

Mental Health Inforum Carers Group - An online group for unpaid carers who support someone with a mental health condition.

Tuesday 29 June 7-8pm

Mental Health Inforum Carers Group - An online group for unpaid carers who support someone with a mental health condition.

July Friday 2 July 2-2.45pm

Adult carers mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond.

Tuesday 6 July 10am - 12noon

Carers café – A drop-in session for unpaid carers to share skills, knowledge and support each other. Let us know your ideas for taking this group forward.

Monday 12 July 11am - 12noon

Monday men’s group – A group for those in an unpaid caring role who might wish to meet others in a similar situation. Share your knowledge of local support and networks.

Tuesday 13 July 10-11am

Parent carer café - An online group for parents supporting a child with additional support needs. For parents in an unpaid caring role to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.

Thursday 15 July 2-4pm

Carers conversations - A group for unpaid carers supporting someone living with dementia to share information, skills and knowledge and support each other in a safe, nurturing environment.

Friday 16 July 2-2.45pm

Adult carers mindfulness - Explore relaxation and de-stress tools to assist you in your daily life and beyond.

Wednesday 21 July 1.30-2.30pm

Tea and talk – Adult carers group. Get together over a cuppa, unwind, make new friends, and stay connected. Meet other carers from the Aberdeenshire service.

Date to be confirmed

Mental Health Inforum Carers Group - An online group for unpaid carers who support someone with a mental health condition.

How to book your place So that we can send you a link to the sessions, please email aberdeencarers@ quarriers.org.uk or call the service on 01224 914036 and leave your name and a contact number.

Aberdeen City Carers Support Service 37 Albert Street, Aberdeen AB25 1XU Tel: 01224 914036 Email: aberdeencarers@quarriers.org.uk

www.quarriers.org.uk Quarriers is a registered Scottish Charity No SC001960

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