Harrow Harrow arers arers - Home - Harrow Carers - Support...2020/09/05 · Harrow Harrow arers In...

Website: www.harrowcarers.org Email: [email protected] Tel No.: 02088685224

Harrow Carers

Harrow

In this edition:

Ways to Look After

Yourself pg.6

In Appreciation of Carers

pg.10

New Group Activities pg.20

Hidden Carers Campaign

pg. 26

SEPTEMBER 2020

Registered Charity

No. 1062149

harrowcarers.org carers.harrow @harrowcarers

Carers


Harrow Carers

CEO’s Message

Hello,

We have come through the immense initial pressures of a

COVID epidemic. As our homecare manager Fran said –

“it’s my first pandemic”, which is true for all of us. It has

been immensely hard for very many of you and at Harrow Carers we have

been saddened by the many difficult personal and national reports of the

circumstances of carers, both young and old. I hope the situation is getting

a little better for you as there is some return to normality.

We want to help support you as much as possible and have relaunched many

services which are both supportive, fun and a chance to re-connect with us

and old friends. These include counselling (in most cases free or at reduced

rates) by our approachable, professional volunteer counsellors.

A quote from a carer I met recently “It’s great to have someone who under-

stands and listens to me”.

Many other activities include helping you get online with equipment and

supportive training, mental health drops in and more. For some of you our

dedicated and kind Homecare staff provide that extra bit of support. Do call

Lydia, Mariam or one of the team for a chat about what might make your life

better.

Soon we will be re-launching our Carers Card which was called a CESS card

(short for Carers Emergency Support Service) – in conjunction with Harrow

Council and other charities. Many of you have been kind enough to respond

to our survey seeking your views about this.

This month we are also trying to find people who may not identity as carers

and who might like to use our services. Please see page 26 for our Hidden

Carers campaign.

Wishing you all a peaceful Autumn

Charmian Boyd


Harrow Carers

Section Page

Message From Harrow Council 4-5

Looking After Your Health 6

What has been going on? 7-8

Services Updates 9-16

In Appreciation of Carers 10

Activities 17-20

Poem of the Month 21

Other Business 22-28

www.facebook.com/carers.harrow/

@HarrowCarers

www.instagram.com/harrowcarers/

Editor: Nathan Konga

For advertising enquiries please contact us at [email protected]

What’s Inside

For regular updates, follow our social media pages at:

https://www.facebook.com/carers.harrow/

http://www.instagram.com/harrowcarers/


Harrow Carers

Harrow Council Contacts

Harrow Council are working with the government on a range of measures to support residents during this time.

We understand that many of you will be worried about the impact Corona-virus will have on your household - and many will already be feeling it's effects.

There will be concerns about when you may be able to return to work, and also about salaries being reduced or stopped altogether. The Govern-ment has introduced a raft of measures to support households expe-riencing financial disruptions.

We’re also working on other measures such as help to buy food and help to reduce your Council tax bill for

2020/21 if you are in receipt of Council Tax Support. To view the measures currently in place by both the Govern-ment and from the local authority to support you during the Coronavirus go to: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/support-residents

Allie Brice has recently been appointed Carer Lead for Harrow Council.

For any Carer related enquiries please contact [email protected]. Allie is happy to add you to the current email mailing list to receive information / advice & updates.

Stay up to date by following our social media pages at:

Facebook (Like our page): www.facebook.com/carers.harrow/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HarrowCouncil

Instagram: @HarrowCouncil

LinkedIn: Harrow Council

https://www.harrow.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/support-residents



mailto:[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/council.harrow/

https://twitter.com/HarrowCouncil


Harrow Carers

A Message from Harrow

Council’s Carer Lead


Harrow Carers

Looking After Yourself

Mental & Physical Health

At Harrow Carers we prioritize the mental and physical health of our car-ers. To help look after your health we

can support you with:

Mental Health support groups (via online video conferencing)

Wellbeing workshops

Advisory services

Counselling Services

Befriending calls

Contact us at [email protected] for more info.

5 Ways to Take Care

of your Mental &

Physical Health

Information on Flu Jabs

If you are the main carer for an elderly or

disabled person, who may be put at risk

if you became ill, you should be offered a

free flu jab, according to government

policy.

You should be offered one if you're re-

ceiving Carer's Allowance. If you feel this

applies to you, you should be able to re-

quest one from your GP surgery or local

pharmacist.

Care for

others

Keep in

touch

Exercise

Eat Well

Take a

Break



Harrow Carers

What’s been

going on? A lot has been happening in the last cou-

ple of months at Harrow Carers. From

Carers Week to Samaritans Awareness

Day to Carers Picnic, we have been busy,

thank you for joining us!

Carers Week

W4C Video Shoot

This year’s Carers Week was all about Making Caring

Visible. From the 8th of June to the 12th of June, a range of

activities took place from bingo to pictionary.

Even with pandemic going on, we kept

our Carer’s Week spirit.

Production for the Working for Carers promotion video

has officially begun and we cant wait to see the final re-

sult. We had the fantastic Emma Edwards from

Inkydink Pictures come in recently to direct the video.

Stay tuned for the release date!

Go to next page for more


Harrow Carers

Samaritans Awareness Day

Carers Picnic

For the first time Harrow Carers held a Samaritans

awareness Day campaign. We had daily facts, informa-

tive infographics and blog posts posted across all social

media platforms to help educate. Can’t wait for next

year!

In the beautiful grounds of Harrow School and on a gor-

geous sunny day we enjoyed yoga, pilates ,tai chi, mindful-

ness and of course some music and dance. Big thank you to

Harrow School. Next is year only going to get better!


Harrow Carers

Homecare

Are you struggling to manage your own or a rela-

tive’s daily tasks due to the effects of COVID-19?

You may benefit from our Homecare services

which is just a phone call away 03300882224!

We Can Help You With:

Personal Hygiene Care

Food and Shopping

Dementia Care

Therapeutic Activities

Learning and Physical

Disability support

Hospital Discharge Support

Medication

Assistance

Palliative Care

Sensory

Impairment

Our reliable and well trained Care Support Workers are continuing

to deliver essential care and support to our clients ensuring they are

well stimulated thereby reducing the effects of the pandemic.

Speak to our homecare manager today and get a quote that’s tai-

lored to your care needs, Or visit our website

www.harrowcarers.org for more details

Are you looking to

make a difference?

Become a Care Support

Worker Today!

Find the vacancy

for you at

www.harrowcarers.org

https://harrowcarers.org/

https://harrowcarers.org/


Harrow Carers

In Appreciation of Carers

“Having a carer come to my home during this time has

been an absolute life-saver.”

“Carers do more than just prepare meals, do your

laundry, dishes and keep appointments, they are a

reminder we are not alone.”

“She comes almost everyday and each time she

comes it’s like a big injection of life, love and laugh-

ter.”

“I have never been more grateful for having a

carer, especially during this time.”

“Jessica is more than just a carer, she is part of the

family.”

“Sarah does more than just care for me, she makes

sure I remember to enjoy my life.”

“I’m more than grateful to have Rebecca with me

during this time. She is an angel sent from a above, I

love her!”

From administering medication to feeding and shop-

ping, carers do a lot! Yet, we recognize that they

don’t get enough appreciation. This page is dedicated

to quotes from our community members showing

their admiration and appreciation to carers.

Our services next


Harrow Carers

Coffee mornings, support groups and training sessions are running through Zoom. We are also making out-bound wellbeing calls to check how you are. If you haven’t had a call yet, but you would like some help or just a chat, please call us.

For many, a friendly chat can take your mind off the present and we love to hear how you are doing.

Both Anne and Bunny, Support Advi-sors, are still active at the Centre and available to provide support and advice relating to benefits and grants that car-ers may be eligible to apply for.

As with all benefits, each case is unique and has its own set of circumstances. So please contact us and we can dis-cuss your needs. We have access to and information on support that is available during the Covid-19 pandemic. Should you have issues around shop-ping, collecting medication or other needs relating to a vulnerable person please contact the centre or you visit the following website: www.harrowgiving.org.uk

Adult Services’ Update

Benefits Advice

TECH HELP

Do you struggle with technology and need help

getting on-line?

If your computer skills are a

little rusty, you need help to

access the online groups, or

lack the equipment to get

on line. We can help!

We have volunteers waiting

to assist you with getting on

line, saving money on line,

accessing zoom and using

smartphones.

In the first instance, please

contact Karen on

0208 868 5224 ext 213 or

[email protected] for

http://www.harrowgiving.org.uk



Harrow Carers

Working for Carers

Working for Carers has been in

Harrow since 2017 and

continues to make a difference

to carers looking to enter or re-

enter the job market, access

education or access opportuni-

ties such as volunteering and

job opportunities.

We offer a free service to

carers over 25 who wish to in-

crease their skills, gain new

skills, or increase their job

readiness.

Ways We Can Help You

One to one support with a

designated Employment

Personal Advisor

Tailored support to suit your

needs and circumstances

Group sessions on getting job

ready, carer’s rights, stress

management, nutrition to help

combat stress and confidence

building

Job searching, CV writing and

balancing a job with your caring

responsibilities

Our Services During Lockdown

We know that carers are under

pressure more than ever before,

and we want to help as much as

we can. All our groups’ sessions

are now being run online, and

our one to one contact is done

over the phone or via Zoom.

We know that many car-

ers may not be comforta-

ble with IT, so we run a

regular workshop on

building IT skills.


Harrow Carers

SEPTEMBER Workshops Date/Time

Basic IT Skills 15th of September

10:30am to 11:30am

Effective Interview Skills 25th of September

10:30am to 11:30am

CV Writing Skills 29th of September

10:30 to 11:30am

Workshop Notice

We will also put on special workshops if requested by carers, or based on more

holistic approaches to work, such as Mindfulness, resilience at work and support

to stay in work.

All our workshops are accessed via the Harrow Carers website, just click on the Working for Carers link https://harrowcarers.org/working-for-carers/workshops/. You can also get more information on the programme and see some testimonials

from satisfied carers on the Carer’s Trust website https://carers.org/help-and-info/introduction

Carer Testimonial :

“Happy to give you feedback that I thought the whole experience was

excellent. Nem always had time to listen, share and support us through

all our crazy ideas. I was feeling low after my husband died in 2017 and

was drifting looking for something positive. He was able to focus my

efforts and build my self-confidence up in order that I could start work.”

Working for Carers

https://carers.org/help-and-info/introduction


Harrow Carers

Volunteers

How have our volun-

teers helped?

Management and

Administration

Volunteers have helped in areas such

as recruitment, filing and data manage-

ment. There are too many to name all,

everyone, but we are so grateful to you

all. If you do feel you have any spare

time we are always very happy to talk

to you. Please just call to see where

you could fit in and have fun!

Counselling

Volunteer counsellors are deliver-

ing counselling sessions to many

who need extra support. These

sessions are completely confiden-

tial. So thanks to those unseen

counsellors!

Food Parcels

Sonal and Geoff, our volunteer

coordinators, continue to lead a

band of dedicated helpers who

deliver the food bank parcels to

those in need.

IT Support

Andy leads another group of vol-

unteers who have returned to

help you with all things IT.

Our volunteers continue

to be amazing and we

thank all of them for all

the many things they have

helped us provide!

VOLUNTEERS

BY THE NUMBERS

190 Shopping Trips

121 Food Parcels

58 Medication

Pickups

2000+ Wellbeing Calls


Harrow Carers

Novus Homeshare

*Please contact us at [email protected] or

call us today at 0330 088 2225

http://www.novus-homeshare.org.uk/



Harrow Carers

Young Carers

We have been working hard to come up with new ways to

support for you to get support from young carers. During

the last 3 months we supported over 140 young carers in

Harrow through Calls, Zoom Sessions and our summer

program.

Schools/ Education Your Life Outside of Caring

Your Mental Health

We are hiring two new youth

workers who will be setting

up a weekly after school drop

in and Saturday drop in ses-

sions. We are starting work

to create young carers their

own space at the Harrow

Carers Center.

We are currently working

with local secondary schools

to get groups up and running

again and for some schools

we will be increasing to

groups twice a month. Nisha

will be in touch with you on

activities and we will keep

you updated when the Har-

row School tuition program

starts up again.

We are excited to announce that Harrow

Carers has been accepted into a European trial

exploring new ways to promote positive mental

health in young carers. We are looking for 20

young carers aged 14-17 to see the effectiveness

of the program. and shape future support for

young carers. This will involve 7 one hour ses-

sions on Microsoft Teams and two team building

days. Interested? Get in touch now.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Connect with us on:

Insta: @Harrow.youngcarers Twitter: @HarrowCarers


Harrow Carers

Drop-In Sessions

Virtual Cuppa

Join us every Monday with a cuppa for a chat and get

your week off to a good start. Sessions start at 10am.

September 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th

October 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th

November 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th

Mental Health Carers Group

Do you care for someone with a mental health condition?

Sessions start at 1:30pm.

September 11th and 25th

October 9th and 23rd

November 13th and 27th

Autumn Activities

Quiz

Join us for our entertaining and friendly quizzes. Sessions

start at 3pm.

September 21st

October 19th

November 16th


Harrow Carers

Training Sessions

Moving & Handling

Course on helping reduce risk of injury of both the

carer and the person they care for.

September 15th at 10am

October 22nd at 3pm

Infection Control

Information on preventing and controlling the

spread of infectious diseases.

November 24th at 10am

Is the Person I Care for Well?

Helpful guidance for carers to recognize when de-

pendents are becoming unwell.

October 20th at 10am

*Please contact us at

[email protected] for

further information and zoom links.



Harrow Carers

Wellbeing Workshops

Positive Psychology

Sessions start from 10am to 12pm

September 10th, 17th and 24th

October 1st

Mindfulness

Sessions start from 2pm to 4pm

October 8th, 15th, 22nd and

28th

Understanding Dementia

Sessions start from 10am to 12pm.

October 14th

Understanding Depression


October 6th

Assertiveness Training

Sessions start from 2pm to 4pm.

October 27th

Understanding Anxiety


September 23rd

Sleep Management

Sessions start from 2pm to 4pm.

September 15th

CARERS WANTED

We are looking for carers to join our new wellbeing

panel. If interested, please contact

[email protected]



Harrow Carers

New Groups

Parent Carers

Do you care for you child? Then

please join our new group and inter-

act with other parent carers in a

friendly and welcoming environment.

Sessions start at 10am.

October 7th

November 4th

December 9th

Cancer Carers

Are you caring for someone with

cancer? If so then join us and take a

break in an relaxed and welcoming

and supportive atmosphere. Sessions

start at 2:30pm.

September 23rd

October 21st

November 25th

Dementia Carers

Are you caring for someone with

dementia? if so then join us and take

a break in an relaxed and welcoming

and supportive atmosphere. Sessions

start at 2:30pm.

September 9th

October 7th

November 4th

Caring for my Partner

Do you care for your partner? if so

then join us and take a break in a

relaxed and welcoming environment.

Sessions start at 2:30pm.

September 16th

October 14th

November 11th


Harrow Carers

Poem of the

Month

They want no fame or glory,

And it puts their mind at ease,

To know they’ve helped a loved one

Deal with Alzheimer’s disease.

So show a little kindness

To CareGivers across this land.

You may be the one someday

Who needs a helping hand.

With Peace and Understanding,

Throughout the ends of time.

There’s someone who will care for you

And make your Spirit shine…

The CareGiver…

Two words that come together

When you speak of someone dear.

It is that special person

If you call, they’re always near.

You’ll see that in a ‘CareGiver’

Love comes from in their Heart.

With loving hands and guidance

They help each new day start.

Caring for the fragile soul,

Giving day to day.

They meet the needs of loved one’s

Spreading love along the way.

A gentle touch, a helping hand,

A glow that makes you smile.

Always near to comfort

And go that extra mile

CareGiver

by Loraine

We want to let you know that

we recognize what an amazing

job you do. Here is how Loraine

expressed their appreciation. Be

proud of yourselves!


Harrow Carers

EU Settled Status for

Carers

Have you heard about the EU settlement scheme?

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss national – or know someone who is – then it’s important to be aware of the EU Settlement Scheme as you need to apply if you want to continue living, working and studying in the UK.

This will protect the rights you currently have - including access to healthcare, benefits and pensions. If you’re the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen then you may also be able to apply.

To find out more and to apply visit gov.uk/eu-settled-status. It’s FREE to apply.

If you need help with the application, or ad-vice for your individual circumstances then visit harrow.gov.uk/EUSS to see what help is available.

Turn to next page for a

QR Code scan.

Are you a EU national,

EEA or Swiss National?

If so, this is information

is for you.

gov.uk/eu-settled-status

harrow.gov.uk/EUSS


Harrow Carers


Harrow Carers

Legacies and Donations

Legacies

So much of the vital work that we have done has been possible because

of the kindness and generosity of people who leave us a gift in their

will.

Your will is an opportunity to leave a gift to not only your loved ones but to causes close to your heart. The pro-cess is easy and this kind gesture can help to ensure the longevity of Har-row Carers. So please don’t forget

about us.

Donations

Without the multiple lovely

donations we receive, we wont

be here. Your donations help

support our operations, ser-

vices and most importantly

they help us help you. To find

out more on how you can do-

nate, please visit

www.harrowcarers.org

Aschfords Law

Aschfords Law

raised £200 for us

by holding advice

sessions.

We are very grateful and appreciative of the donations we

have received!

http://www.harrowcarers.org


Harrow Carers

Waitrose

House of Baukjen

We received a cheque dona-

tion from Waitrose. Many

thanks!

House of Baukjen donated

some lovely masks. Going out

in style!

Thank you

Harrow

School for

so much

help!


Harrow Carers

Carers Card

Hidden Carers Campaign

The last census showed there were 24,000 people in Harrow who identified as carers, many of whom are not registered with us. We would like to sup-port these carers too and seek your help to identify them For us it is really

sad if someone says “if only I had known about you earlier.” So please look around you and see if there is someone who looks after others, who

might like to get in touch with us.

They may be a young carer who is looking after their mom, dad or sibling, or a parent carer with a child who has special needs, or a person helping

another with a physical or mental disability.

We would like to show our appreciation of your help by offering a £50 voucher to the winner of a prize draw held on 1st November 2020, open to

all those who have referred a carer who registers with us. Call 02088685224 or email [email protected].

Soon we will be re-launching our Carers Card which was called

a CESS card (short for Carers Emergency Support Service) – in

conjunction with Harrow Council and other charities. Many of

you have been kind enough to respond to our survey seeking

your views about this.



Harrow Carers


Harrow Carers

27000+ pieces of

PPE

sourced

900 wellbeing

calls

supporting

young carers

121 food

parcels

delivered

36 sessions of

carers

support

groups

3500+ wellbeing

and welfare

calls

140 hours of

employability

support

provided

84 hours of

wellbeing

workshops

212 hours of

counselling

provided

£3000 grants for

carers

214 sessions of

benefits

advice

70+

COVID-19

volunteers

4774+ hours of

homecare

services

provided

HOW HAVE WE HELPED IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS

Harrow Harrow arers arers - Home - Harrow Carers - Support...2020/09/05 · Harrow Harrow arers In...

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Transcript of Harrow Harrow arers arers - Home - Harrow Carers - Support...2020/09/05 · Harrow Harrow arers In...