CARERS’ SUPPORT SERVICE – WARWICKSHIRE
GUIDEPOSTS TRUST TO PROVIDE CARERS’ SUPPORT FOR THE WHOLE OF WARWICKSHIRE
National charity, Guideposts Trust is pleased to announce it has won the tender from Warwickshire County Council to provide support services for carers, covering the whole county from 1 July 2011. Guideposts has been providing its services successfully in North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth and Rugby for many years and is now set to take their excellent work into the south of the county – including Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick.
With a recent inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (due for publication in November) which says there are “major problems” in the homecare system provided by Adult Social Services in many areas, Guideposts Carers’ Support Service, working with Warwickshire CC, offers information, advice, practical help and emotional support to all those who care for a friend or relative, and for care professionals and careworkers.
Carers often have to deal with stressful situations such as the shock of becoming a carer – sometimes overnight – and having to deal with what can be a very difficult path through things like Social Services, and issues they’ve never dealt with before. It can be the case that people suddenly find themselves totally out of their depth, and find it hard to cope – after all, no-one gives you any training to be a carer. Guideposts’ Carers’ Support service is free and confidential and aims to support and empower carers, enrich their lives and promote their well-being which, in turn, will have a positive effect on those for whom they care. Guideposts provides a regular quarterly newsletter, fact sheets, carer support groups, and one-to-one support either face-to-face or via a 24-hour helpline. Guideposts also runs a successful café in Nuneaton where carers can relax, receive information and therapeutic sessions. It is totally accessible for wheelchair users and those with mobility difficulties, so the people they care for can also get out for a lunch or a coffee.
Guideposts also provides a Help at Home service in Warwickshire, either paid for privately or through personal budgets/direct payments, which helps with personal care, light cleaning, laundry, preparation of meals, assistance with outings and a whole range of services for those with caring needs. With a large number of people – carers and the people for whom they care – reporting feelings of isolation and social exclusion or just being overwhelmed by their situation, Guideposts aims to ensure people are given opportunities to live full and independent lives within the community.
Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK, says, “Decent care is about looking after a fellow human being in the way that we would like to be cared for when we are older.” Guideposts aims to support people in Warwickshire through the whole process of caring, and ensure basic rights to dignity, respect and autonomy for everyone who find s themselves in the situation of caring or being cared for. One of the users of the Help at Home service said, “The service provided by Guideposts Trust is excellent. In my opinion, it sets an example that others in the care industry should learn from.”
CONTACT DETAILS: 44-45 Church Street, Nuneaton CV11 4AD Tel: 024 7638 5888 (Carers’ Support) or 0845 4379901 for the Dementia Information Support for Carers (DISC) Helpline