News, updates, groups and support for carers and those who support them

NEWS & UPDATES

Get involved in designing the National Care Service

Adults with first-hand experience of social care services in Scotland are being invited to help design the new National Care Service (NCS).

It’s likely that everyone in Scotland will be involved in the National Care Service at some point in their lives. You may need to use its services or have family or friends who do, or you may work in it.

We want to have a National Care Service that best fits the needs of everyone in Scotland. To do that we want to hear from people directly.

Applications are now open for both the Lived Experience Experts Panel (LEEP) and Stakeholder Register.

If you would like to join the Lived Experience Experts Panel, you can apply online here.

Find out more about how you can get involved in designing the National Care Service.

Dundee HSCP - Let's Talk, We Want Your Views

Dundee Integration Joint Board develops plans for community-based Health and Social Care Services and supports and we would like to listen to YOUR views.

The Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership Strategic Plan will be renewed in 2023. To develop this plan, we want to hear from people who use services, carers and our workforce.

We want views from:

People who access care and support
People who may access care and support in the future
Carers of people living in Dundee and young carers in Dundee
Colleagues and volunteers across services and supports (including the workforce from NHS, Council, Third Sector, and Independent Sector)

An area we want to know more about is where you prefer to go for the Health Care and Support you need. We want to know what matters most to you.

We will set up different ways to hear from you to inform this plan and other plans.

Find out more or tell us that you want to be involved.
Get in touch with joyce.barclay@dundeecity.gov.uk or phone and leave a message for Joyce Barclay by phoning or texting 07960389827.

Dundee Carers Centre - Join our Board of Trustees

Make a difference to the lives of carers and disabled people in Dundee and join our Board of Trustees

We are currently recruiting people to join our Board of Trustees

We aim to make a difference to the lives of carers of all ages and disabled people in Dundee, ensuring their rights are promoted and upheld. You can help influence how we do that by joining our Board of Trustees. We are particularly looking for people with knowledge & experience in Digital, HR and Finance.

To support you to explore this exciting and worthwhile opportunity, a member of our Board of Trustees would be delighted to speak with you. For more information visit our Trustee Webpage.

Respitality Roundup

The past few years have been a challenge for everyone, especially for local businesses. Having braved lockdown and now the uncertainty of the rising cost of living it’s more important than ever to support local. Despite these challenges a number of local cafes have chosen to support our Respitality project.

The aim of Respitality is to provide a short vital break for unpaid carers in Scotland when they need it most. This is achieved by connecting carers’ organisations with hospitality, tourism and leisure businesses who are willing to donate a break free of charge.

We would like to thank Willow Tree Catering, The Pinecone Café, Coffee @ 124, Serendipities, Little Things Café, Coffee & Co and V&A Dundee for their generous donations to unpaid carers.

If you are a local hospitality/leisure provider and would be interested in finding out how you can become a Respitality partner, please get in touch with Marthe in our Short Breaks Team on 01382 919241 or email Marthe.Hastie@dundeecarerscentre.org.uk

Participatory Budgeting Funding for Linlathen & Stobswell West Groups

Do you live in Linlathen or Stobswell West? Do you support a family member or friend – or know somebody who does?

Funding is available for projects or activities for carers in your community. We want to make sure the money is used for the things you know are important for your community. Dundee Carers Centre is pleased to be offering two Community Budget pilots on behalf of the Dundee Carers Partnership (sometimes known as Participatory Budgeting – PB) in Linlathen and Stobswell West.

Community/Participatory budgeting sees local people decide the priorities and final awards for some of the budget. The Carers Partnership has allocated £30,000 for each area to spend on improving carer quality of life. Any community group with a constitution, educational establishment, or registered charity will be able to make a bid during the process, which we hope to run from January – March 2023.

During February and March, we will ask the community to vote to decide which projects are funded. Between now and Christmas, we’re hoping to speak to as many local people and organisations as possible to design the process with us, so we can have a Carers Community Budget process that works for everyone.

If you, or anyone you know or work with, would be interested in getting involved, please share this information and encourage them to get in touch with Daisy on 01382 919285 / 07436 244666 or email daisy.field@dundeecarerscentre.org.uk

Carers Trust Young Carers Survey

Calling on all young carers and young adult carers to take a survey about pressures of their caring role.

Carers Trust has launched a survey to find out about the pressures and challenges facing young carers aged up to 25, and what support they need.

The findings of the survey will be published on Young Carers Action Day 2023 (March 15) and will help influence decision makers to give young carers and young adult carers the support they need.

Can you help young carers and young adult carers by adding your voice and filling out the survey?

Please spread the word with your friends who are also young carers to make sure as many people as possible take the survey.

The survey is live and will run up to 3 January 2023. You can find the survey here.

Wishtree 2022

Dundee Carers Centre are delighted to announce that we are once again working in partnership with Leisure & Culture to bring the Wishtree back to Waterstones Dundee.

Due to the financial pressures of caring, young carers are less likely to receive gifts at Christmas. Books are a fantastic way for young carers to escape their caring role for a while.

The Wishtree will be on display from Thursday 10th November and Sunday 11th December. Simply pick a tag from the tree and buy a book suitable for the recipient, then hand it to a member of staff.

Funeral Link

Funeral Link is a charity based in Dundee aiming to prevent hardship as a result of paying for a funeral. We understand the challenges you face when planning a funeral on a low income, or little or no savings and you don’t know where to start.

We offer:

To help you save money on funeral costs
Confidential independent advice
Friendly one-to-one support
Community connections with other local support organisations
Support with funeral related benefit applications

For more information call Funeral Link on 01382 458800 or visit www.funerallink.org.uk

Dundee Open Doors

Dundee should be a city where everyone has somewhere to go to be welcomed, to be able to meet other people and take part in activities.

Dundee City Council has created an online tool that maps out local services/organisations and churches that are offering local people support and a cosy place to stay for a while during the cost of living crisis.

To explore the online map click here.

For more information on cost of living support click here

NHS Cool2Talk

Are you worried about something? Do you have questions keeping you up at night?

Cool2talk is an anonymous and confidential service for young people aged 12-25 across Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Tayside, and The Western Isles, where your questions are answered accurately and without judgement within 24 hours.

Get answers to any question or issue, big or small, at cool2talk.
Ask your questions at https://cool2talk.org/ask-a-question/

Managing Stress & Anxiety Workshop

Wednesday 7th December 2022, 11am - 1pm, Dundee Carers Centre, Seagate.

Do you experience stress or anxiety?

You’re not alone – everyone does at some point, but there are always things you can do to help you manage.

We can’t always control when difficult feelings come up, but we can improve our wellbeing by learning healthy ways to respond when they do. Join us in a non-judgemental and supportive environment to explore tips and techniques to manage stress or anxious thoughts and feelings.

You’ll learn:

What is anxiety and how does it affect your body and mind?
Tips for breaking out of the cycle of worry and stress
Lots of techniques that might help, and which ones work for you

To book, please email ellie.julings@dundeecarerscentre.org.uk or call the centre during opening hours on 01382 200422.

GROUPS & SUPPORT

Activities at Duntrune Community Garden

Here at Duntrune Community Garden we have had a busy summer of activities. We plan to continue into the Winter months with a series of more active Monday sessions to keep warm. All our sessions will be listed on our Eventbrite page - the ticket bookings open a week before each session to give people a fair chance to sign up:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/duntrune-community-garden-41696082673

Free weekly activities

Mondays:
10am - 12 pm - Growing in the bowling green
1pm - 3pm - Green Minds - learn new things every week e.g. willow weaving, flower arranging, e-bikes and more.
1.30am - 2.15pm - Yoga with Parklives Dundee

Tuesdays:
10.30am - 11.30am - Craft Group - Bring your own or use our resources.
10.30am - 11.30am - Walking Group - A gentle stroll through the park followed by a cuppa.

Thursdays:
10am - 12pm - Macmillan walking group - A gentle stroll through the park followed by a cuppa.

For more information call 07800 820594 or email chrysalis@samh.org.uk

Alzheimer Scotland Activities

Alzheimer Scotland Dundee aims to support people with dementia, their families, relatives and friends at any stage of the illness. The following support is on offer:

Information and advice
Community activities for people with dementia and carers
Peer support groups
Day care

They run groups and activities across the city for those with dementia and the people who care for them. To view their latest What's On Guide please click here.

Penumbra Mental Health

Penumbra Mental Health are here to support you if you’re an unpaid carer for someone who is experiencing mental health challenges. We will work with you on a personalised support plan to identify what your priorities are. This may include support in managing your own wellbeing; having a confidential and non-judgemental space to discuss your situation; support to access other community resources.

We welcome self-referrals so if you live in Dundee and you and the person you care for are over the age of 16, contact us directly to have an informal chat or request an application:

Telephone: 01382 223487 or email: dundee.carers@penumbra.org.uk

Stories Make a Difference - Julie's Story

Julie lives with her partner and before becoming unwell she was very active, but life completely changed when she became unwell and she now has restricted mobility and is a regular wheelchair user. Julie is in receipt of Self-directed Support (Option 1) and shared her experience of how it works for her and her family:

“I had no clue at the beginning, my partner works, and we decided we needed extra help. I had been given advice from someone who had previous experience of SDS and explained to me how it worked.”

Initially, Julie met with an SDS advisor and her Case Manager:
“I found the paperwork a bit daunting at the beginning but with the advisor’s support and ongoing help from the case manager, I am getting on fine with it”

Julie chose to access Dundee Carer Centre’s Payroll Service and found that regular contact with them, particularly at the point of set up and getting into the routine of sending in the paperwork, another valuable support. Julie also feels she has effective two-way communication with her case manager.
Julie employs several Personal Assistant’s (PA’s) and has found finding the right people and having a PA who can cover holidays and sickness, makes all the difference.

Julie has her own ideas of what she wants to do and how the PA’S can support her; from baking at home to being supported to attend a local class, which Julie has found really enjoyable and commented that she has "met people from all walks of life there”. Julie has also recently joined a club specifically for active wheelchair users.

Julie feels able to contact her case manager, SDS advisor and payroll team at Dundee Carers Centre if she needs further advice or support.

Julie offered advice for anyone thinking of choosing an Option 1 for their Self-directed Support: “It’s not as scary as you think, I have a good routine and find being organised especially with paperwork and filling in the time sheets regularly has helped.”

For more information on Self-directed Support visit https://directpayments.org/

*Names have been changed and anonymised for confidentiality purposes