SUPPORT FOR CARERS DURING NATIONAL AWARENESS WEEK
SUPPORT FOR CARERS DURING NATIONAL AWARENESS WEEK
05.11.09
Supporting next week’s national Self Care Awareness Week, Caring with Confidence, a leading provider of learning and development opportunities for carers in England, is reinforcing the need to support not only those with long term conditions, but also the people who play a vital role in providing care for them.
Self Care Awareness Week (9-16 November), an NHS initiative, aims to support people to take responsibility for their own health and well being. Complimenting this support which is available to people with long term conditions, Caring with Confidence provides free, flexible support sessions for unpaid carers aged 18 and over in England.
Graham Brindley, Caring with Confidence Project Director, said: “Providing support to help carers recognise their own health needs is vital. Carers provide an untold amount of support to friends and relatives who have long term conditions which can take its toll on their own health and wellbeing. Providing services like ours which aim to help carers better care for themselves and to cope more effectively are essential.
“The Caring with Confidence programme is completely free and helps carers build on their own skills and knowledge to improve their own lives and that of the person they care for. The advice and support received along with the shared experiences Caring with Confidence offers helps empower and bring greater confidence to carers.”
Debbie Farrington from Manchester cares for her mother-in-law, Barbara, who lives with breast cancer, amongst other conditions. Debbie attended the Caring with Confidence programme run through Manchester Carers Centre.
Debbie said: “When my mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer I really struggled to express how I was feeling and instead of talking about what I was going through, I bottled it up which contributed to me getting ill myself.
“I was going through a very emotional time and realised that I needed someone to talk to, get some support and to take a step back from everything.
“The Caring with Confidence sessions helped me understand how to deal with certain circumstances in my caring role more effectively. Managing and minimising how my role limited aspects of my life as well as what I can do to feel happy and fulfilled was just part of that. I now assess situations more clearly and know that I can’t always do things that are not within my control.
“Sharing experiences and learning from other carers has made me realise that I do need to make time for a break and take control of my life again starting by looking after my health. I have definitely become more assertive and now feel so much more confident.”
The Caring with Confidence programme is designed to fit around people’s lives and caring responsibilities. Carers can pick and choose how many sessions they attend, and how they get involved – from local group sessions run through a network of Providers across England to self-study workbooks and online sessions to get involved with from home.
For further information about Caring with Confidence or to find details of local Providers, visit www.caringwithconfidence.net, or to find out more about Self Care Awareness Week visit, www.nhs.uk/yourhealth.
-ENDS-
For further media information and details of case studies, please contact:
Amy Colwill - Press & Marketing Officer 0113 385 4491 amy.colwill@caringwithconfidence.net
Diane Roskell - Marketing & Comms Executive 0113 3854486 diane.roskell@caringwithconfidence.net
Notes to Editors
Caring with Confidence is a programme of free, flexible support sessions enabling carers who look after a friend or relative the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge to help improve their own lives and that of the person they care for.
The programme is funded by the Department of Health and is a part of the Government’s renewed National Carers Strategy and the ‘New Deal for Carers’ which aims to improve support for carers aged 18 and over in England.
Caring with Confidence:
• helps carers build on their strengths
• gives useful information about looking after someone
• helps carers decide what positive changes they could make in their caring role.
Carers can choose how they access Caring with Confidence, either by attending face-to-face group sessions, completing self-study workbooks, accessing online sessions or a combination of all three.