Health and Social Care Trust).

During the week over 70 events took place t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y . T h e s e included pamper days, lunches, social nights, information

days and much, much more. Press coverage was excellent with both national and regional radio taking a keen interest, together with scores of newspaper articles highlighting these events. We are delighted it all went well and are confident that Carers

Week will continue to go from strength to strength. In September the partner organisations will meet up to review the week and plan for 2009. Next years’ Carers Week will take place on June 8th-14th 2009.

National Carers Week which was held on June 9th-15th 2008 was a w o n d e r f u l success. The theme of the week w a s C a r e r s ' Hea l th . Care Alliance Ireland facilitated the planning of the week w i t h 1 3 p a r t n e r organisations. We succeeded in making this years Carers Week bigger and better than 2007.

The partner organisations were: Age Action Ireland, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Aware, Bri, The Carers Associat ion, Caring for Carers, Cork City Partnership, Extra C a r e , H e a d w a y , Independent Age Ireland, Irish Hospice Foundation, Irish Red Cross and

Newry and Mourne Carers.

The National Launch in Dublin was supported by Jim Bartley (aka Bela Doyle) and Sarah McDowell (aka Suzanne Doyle) from Fair City. Other speakers included our chairperson Jean Day, Frank Goodwin (The Care rs A s s o c i a t i o n ) , Colum Conway (Extracare) and Ava Battles (The C a r m i c h a e l Centre). Regional Launches took

place in Clonmel (led by T h e C a r e r s A s s o c i a t i o n ) ; Cork (led by the C o r k C i t y Partnership) and in Lustybeg (led by the HSE and The Western

NATIONAL CARERS WEEK 2008

Contents: Carers Strategy Update

2

OU Course for Family Carers

7

Carers Association Profile

10

Care Alliance Ireland Exchange

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 8 I s s u e 2 4

Ins ide th is issue:

• Pictures from National Carers Week Events throughout the Country

• Working Carers Research— Doulia Rights?

• Carers Forums/Chatrooms/ Websites– Which ones to use?

• Visit to Aras an Uachtarain - 350 Carers Have a Ball.

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Aware: Caring for Carers

Aware was delighted to support National Carer’s Week 2008.

The welfare of carers has always been a primary concern for Aware which works to provide emotional s u p p o r t a n d information to those a f f e c t e d b y depression. More than 400,000 people in Ireland experience depression at any one time and up to five other individuals (family members,

f r iends) can be impacted upon as a result. Support services for carers of individuals with depression are offered by Aware, and include a LoCall Helpline (1890 303 302) which is open 365 days a year. Further i n f o r m a t i o n o n depression and Aware can be found on www.aware.ie

National Carers Week News

The inter-departmental group set up earlier this year to develop a National Carers Strategy has been meeting now for a number of months and is expected to complete its work by the end of the year. Large numbers of submissions were received and the group has been considering these. Care Alliance worked closely with other NGO's to prepare a c o m p r e h e n s i v e j o i n t submission. Membership of the inter-departmental group does not include representatives from the voluntary sector. This is

unfortunate. However, the issues and priorities for carers continue to be articulated by The Carers Association and others through the Community and Voluntary Pillar of the Social Partnership.

We are mindful that once the strategy is approved, the real work begins in ensuring that the r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s a r e implemented.

Carers Strategy – Work Progressing

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HEADWAY AND BRI

EVENT event was a chance for Headway and BRÍ to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution carers make and the vital role they play in the lives of those affected by Acquired Brain Injury.

A brain injury can happen to anyone at any stage in life through a fall, illness, accident, stroke, haemorrhage or brain tumour. Headway and BRÍ offer services and support to those affected.

B R Í : 0 1 2 3 5 5 5 0 1 www.briireland.ie

Headway: 1890 200 278 www.headway.ie

Headway, the Nat ional Association for Acquired Brain Injury and BRÍ, the Acquired Bra in In ju ry Advocacy Association, organised a very successful “Time Out for You” morning for carers on Saturday, 14th June, 2008, in Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

It was an opportunity for carers to meet up, discuss their experiences, relax with a hand massage kindly provided by Red Cross Volunteers and enjoy some health and relaxation tips from alternative health pract i t ioner, Pat Duggan. Following a delicious lunch, carers were entertained by actor Gerry Lee, who read, very entertainingly, from a selection of Irish literature. The

Pat Duggan, Natural Health Consultant talks about self care for carers at the Headway and Bri event.

Gillian from Bri and Ruth from Headway helping out in the kitchens.

Bri and Headways carer event

Gerry Lee entertains some carers

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National Carers Week News

CORK CITY PARTNERSHIP

Carers Awareness Week in Cork was held in conjunction with National Carers Week. T h e e v e n t w a s organised by the Cork Family Carers Forum, The Carers Association, Cork City Partnership and IRD Duhallow.

The week began with a Seminar in the Imperial Hotel, Cork on Monday the 9th June. The aim of the seminar was to look at the needs of family

carers. There was a particular focus on young carers with Dr.Cathal O’Connell of University College Cork presenting a piece of research which had been carried out in relation to young carers. www.cpa.ie/research/s e m i n a r s /presentations/2007-03-28_CathalOConnellEtAl.pdf )

The experience of the

‘cared-for’ person was addressed by Petronella Canty, as was the actual caring role, by Packie O’Callaghan of ‘Bull Island’ fame. Both speakers gave an honest, personal account o f t h e i r experiences.

On Tuesday the 10th June, an Information Day was held, at which relevant groups and agencies

hosted information stands on supports available to carers and their families.

This event was attended by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Terry

S h a n n o n . P a m p e r sessions and massages were also available for carers.

Wednesday the 11th June saw local family carers support groups organising their own local

events such as coffee mornings and workshops. These local events succeeded in raising

awareness around family carers support groups and how to access them.

Finally, on Thursday the 12th June, the week’s events came to an end with a civic reception hosted by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Terry Shannon in Cork City Council Chambers.

C l l r . S h a n n o n congratulated family carers on the enormous contribution that they make to society. The event concluded with a very enjoyable informal visit to the Lord Mayors’

private offices and signing of the visitor’s book.

Family Carers Awareness Week

National Carers Week Photos Does anyone look familiar?

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Irish Red Cross volunteers gave their time to give therapeutic hand massages at more than one event.

Newry and Mourne Carers went to Pontin’s to celebrate National Carers Week

The Carers Association had a variety of events during the week including a social night, flower

arranging and a trip to Brussels.

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Working Carers Research Supporting working carers

Supporting working carers: Do policies in England and the Netherlands reflect ‘doulia rights’?

Hillary Arksey (Social Policy Research Unit, University of York) and Marjolein Morée (Vilans, Center of Expertise for Long-term Care and Centre of Expertise for Informal Care) are the first o f the Eurocarers researchers who were able to write a scientific article about Working Carers. It wil l be published in Health and Social Care in the Community (end 2008/start 2009).

Abstract :

G o v e r n m e n t s o f advanced European welfare states with ageing

populations are struggling to reconcile what seem to be conflicting policies. On the one hand, they are trying to increase the l a b o u r m a r k e t participation of women and older workers. On the other hand, they are making more demands on people to care for disabled, chronically ill and frail older relatives and friends. Those care-givers are more likely to be women and older people.

T h e p o l i c i e s a n d experiences of carers from two countries that differ in type of welfare state, health and social care system and labour market context are p r e s e n t e d , n a m e l y E n g l a n d a n d t h e Netherlands.

The aim is to compare both countries policy measures for carers and to examine their impact with evidence from two studies of people who combine work and care. The analysis is informed by the theore t ica l c o n c e p t s o f ‘doulia’ (whereby the state, employers and other sections of society reciprocate carers and o t h e r d e p e n d e n c y workers for their unpaid care-giving) and ‘doulia rights’ (a carer’s right to provide care without the risk of impoverishment).

Findings:The evidence suggests that English and Dutch carers’ policies have different strengths and weaknesses, but in neither country do they show strong commitment to the right to doulia.

Research & Resources

Governments of advanced European welfare states with ageing populations are struggling to reconcile what seem to be conflicting policies

“

”

In June 2007, the MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving convened a o n e - d a y C a r e g i v i n g Research Summit in Washington, DC. Ten experts in caregiving research were invited to present.

The purpose of the Summit was to identify gaps in caregiving research and identify areas for potential e x p l o r a t i o n a c r o s s academic disciplines.

The full research summary report of this Summit is available online at

www.caregiving.org

Jordan Tew, Program Assistant, National Alliance for Caregiving. jordan@caregiving.org 301.718.8444

RESEARCH SUMMIT:

Moving the Research Agenda Forward in Family Caregiving

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Open University Courses for Family Carers

Can’t go to college? Then college will come to you!

Ever thought you’d like to work towards a degree but can’t take time out to go to university? Why not consider studying at home, with one of Europe’s leading universities?

The Open University’s Irish division offers distance learning materials of the highest quality, supported by flexible and experienced tutors. As an

introduction to study with the OU, why not try the Level 1 (HETAC level 6) course: An Introduction to Health and Social Care. This provides a gentle introduction to higher education study, on a topic that Family Carers know quite a lot about – care. It paints a broad picture of care, ranging from caring within families to primary health care, acute care in hospitals and social care in the community. Students will explore the diversity and

sensitivity of care situations, the wide variety of modern care s e r v i c e , t h e i n t r i c a t e interconnections between them and what it is like to care and to receive care.

If you would like to find out more about studying on the Introduction to Health and Social Care course contact Aine MacNamara or Helen Evans on 01 678 5399

Research & Resources

C a r e A l l i a n c e I r e l a n d E x c h a n g e

Two members of Eurocarers, the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of York and the Vilans Centre of Expertise for Long-Term Care, Utrecht (Netherlands) are going to undertake research funded by the European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. The topic of this study is: Care Provision within Families and its Socio-Economic Impact on Care Providers Researchers: Hilary Arksey/Caroline Glendinning/Nicola Moran (SPRU), Marjolein Morée/Henk Nies/ Frits Tjadens (Vilans)

This ongoing piece of research draws on evidence from 8 member countries.

The objectives of this study are to identify research evidence on the prevalence of and socio-economic consequences for, carers of older people and of other groups

of disabled people; identify examples of good practice measures aimed at mitigating the adverse socio-economic impact of care-giving; identify gaps in available evidence, problems in synthesising data from different countries and opportunities for improving the range, quality and consistency of data collected across EU member states.

The project team are working closely with expert informants drawn from the Eurocarers network of research and carers’ organisations, to identify relevant research data and examples of good practice measures.

For further information on the study contact : Nicola Moran, SPRU, York: nem501@york.ac.uk

First Eurocarers’ research project

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Research & Resources

The Irish Hospice Foundation is currently preparing a website that is dedicated to the information needs of carers of people with a life-limiting illness, who are expected to die within 6 months.

The information areas to be addressed in the website will include; Practicalities of Caring, Bereavement, Money and Legal Matters, Working and Caring, Disease Specific Information.

The website will predominantly sign post to existing websites which cover these topics.

The development of the website is been carried out with assistance from Care Alliance Ireland, Citizens I n f o r m a t i o n , H S E , C a r e r s Development Officers, The Carers Association, and Hospice groups.

It is anticipated that the website will go live by the end of 2008.

For further information please contact Marie Lynch, Irish Hospice Foundation, Phone 01 679 3188

New Carers’ Website

In recent months we have been made aware of several carers websites. We believe that in the UK alone, there are over 10 separate sites, which have varying degrees of focus on family carers and differing levels of fami ly carer engagement. We do not feel that we can recommend any one site over another, but are happy to bring them to your

attention. We would welcome you to share with us your own or your clients’ experiences of using the sites. We would also welcome your thoughts on the idea of developing an interactive site aimed at Family Carers in Ireland.

Carers UK

www.carersuk.org/Forums/

Connect ing for Care www.connectingforcare.co.uk/

Princess Royal Trust for Carers

www.carers.org/forums/

Carers Websites

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An invitation went out to Car ing organ isat ions across the country to attend a garden party in Aras an Uachtarain on July 8th 2008. Care Alliance Ireland received invitations for 25 carers so we quickly got to work on identifying Family Carers that would be

available to attend. As Care Alliance Ireland does not deal directly with Family Carers we contacted some o f our membersh ip organisations to see if they could help. The Alzheimer's Society of Ireland, Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, Kare Social Services, ExtraCare and Age Action Ireland all identified Family Carers who could attend. The

names were forwarded to the Presidents office.

July 8th dawned bright and sunny which was unusual considering the summer we were having. The day started at 12pm at the Gresham Hotel with lunch hosted by The Carers

Association. Family Carers from all different l oca t i ons and o r g a n i s a t i o n s mingled and made new friends in the easy and relaxed atmosphere which was to follow on throughout the day. At 1.45pm it was off to Aras an Uachtarain. Upon arrival we were met by a man on stilts who greeted

everyone with a smile and h a n d s h a k e and from there we were taken in to meet P r e s i d e n t M a r y McAleese and Dr. Martin McAleese.

Passing then into the g r o u n d s w e w e r e serenaded by music from different quartets and bands located around the garden. Tea and light lunch were then served and we moved out into the garden to sit in the sunshine and to en joy the beau t i fu l surroundings.

E n t e r t a i n m e n t w a s provided by dancers, singers and musicians that suited most, if not all tastes. President McAleese then came and gave a speech f o l l o w e d b y m o r e entertainment. The party finished around 5pm with a bus ride back to the city centre. Everyone said how much they enjoyed the day and it was truly a day to remember.

Visit to Aras an Uachtarain July 8th 2008

Member News

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Member News

The Carers Association is Ire-land's national voluntary or-ganisation for and of family carers in the home. Family carers provide high levels of care to a range of people in-cluding frail older people, peo-ple with severe disabilities, the terminally ill and children with special needs.

The Association was estab-lished in 1987 to lobby and advocate on behalf of carers. While the government has begun to initiate some ser-vices for carers, we believe that the vast majority of Ire-land's family carers still re-main without vital services.

These services, such as in-home respite, are essential to family carers. They allow car-ers to continue in their roles as family carers, thus imple-menting government policy to care for people in their own homes for as long as possi-ble.

Today, The Carers Associa-tion has 16 Resource Centres and two Service Projects from which it delivers our range of services.

Mission Statement:

The Carers Association aim to provide family carers with emotional and practical sup-ports; to promote the interests of family carers and those re-ceiving care in the home through effective partnership, lobbying and advocacy and to gain recognition and social justice for carers’ invaluable contribution to Irish society.

Aims:

The Carers Association aim to provide family carers with emotional and practical sup-ports, promote the interests of family carers and those re-ceiving care in the home, lobby and advocate in an ef-fort to gain recognition and social justice for carers' in-valuable contribution to Irish society, and work in partner-ship with other organisations to further the interests and welfare of family carers.

Services:

The Carers Association pro-vides a number of services nationwide, to Family Carers which are aimed at helping to increase the quality of life for the Family Carer and the per-

son receiving care at home.

Home Respite Service

The role of the family carer, while rewarding can also prove to be very stressful, which may take its toll on the physical and emotional well-being of the carer.

Our Home Respite Service provides flexible and practical support to family carers in the home. Respite Workers will engage with the carer to help with caring duties such as moving and lifting, feeding and dressing. In some cases the Respite Workers will take over the caring duties com-pletely, giving the carer a well earned break.

Information

Information for carers on their rights and entitlements is available at your local Carers Association Resource Centre. Carers Information Packs are also available. These contain leaflets on important services and supports available for carers.

The Carers Association – Member Profile

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Training Unit

The Carers Association offers a range of training courses:

Care in the Home

Our Care in the Home course is accredited by City & Guilds Institute. The training pro-gramme is aimed at family Carers and people working in the Caring profession.

FETAC Level 4 - Practical Home Care Skills

This practical and comprehen-sive training course has been designed to provide the course participant with all the practical skills and knowledge required to deliver high quality home care and gain a recognised FETAC qualification in the process.

It has been designed specifi-cally with the following people in mind:

• Family Carers

• Home Helps

• Respite Workers

• Care Assistants and At-tendants

Any individual wishing to pur-sue a career in the Care Sec-tor

If you are interested in further information or wish to register your interest in participating in a course near you please con-

tact The Training Unit by phon-ing 057-9322920 or E-mail training@carersireland.com

Advocacy and Lobbying

The Carers Association lob-bies politically both at a local and national level. We are also represented on a number of consultative committees, state agencies and boards and are members of the Community and Voluntary Pillar of the So-cial Partnership.

Promotional Work

We are involved in a number of activities which will highlight the issues that face carers.

These include:

• Carers of the Year Awards

• National Carers Week

• Information Pack

• Conferences and Semi-nars

• Producing videos and promotional materials.

• Pre-Budget Submission

Care Line

The Carers Association offers a confidential, friendly and supportive Care Line. Just Freefone 1800 24 07 24 to talk to our experienced and trained staff. They will listen to your concerns and offer practical

advice on a range of topics.

We can give you information on:

• Carer's Allowance

• Carer's Benefit

• Carers Association ser-vices including Respite and Training

• Supports available from your

• Local authority

• The Health Executive

• Department of Social and Family Affairs

Lines are open Monday to Fri-day from 9am to 5.30pm

Contact Us

Head Office: Bolger House, Patrick Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

Telephone: 057-9322920/057-9322664

Website: www.carersireland.com

Email: info@carersireland.com

Freefone: 1800 24 07 24

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Member News

Care Alliance Ireland is the National Network of Voluntary Organisations supporting Family Carers. Established in 1995 by just a few organisations, Care Alliance Ireland now has over 65

member organisations serving all areas throughout Ireland.

Care Alliance Ireland‘s activities include Information Provision, Newsletters, Research, Policy Development, Annual Seminars and Facilitating Interagency Collaboration. To find about more about Care Alliance please visit our website or contact us by telephone or E-mail.

————————————————————————————

Patron: Dr Maeve Hillery.

Care Alliance Ireland, Coleraine House, Coleraine Street, Dublin 7

Telephone: 01 874 7776 E-mail: info@carealliance.ie www.carealliance.ie

Company Limited By Guarantee. Registered in Dublin, Ireland. Company Registration No 461315 CHY No 14644

Disclaimer: This Newsletter is provided as an information guide for voluntary groups supporting family carers only and does not constitute advice on, or endorsement of, any service or product referred to within this Newsletter. The views and opinions expressed within this Newsletter are those of the authors/represented organisations and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by Care Alliance Ireland. No responsibility is accepted for or on behalf of Care Alliance Ireland for any errors, omissions or misleading statements in this Newsletter or on any website, publication or advertisement referenced in this Newsletter. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the reli-ability of any websites, publication or advertisement referenced in this Newsletter, this cannot be taken as an endorsement of those websites, publications or advertisements.

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We would like to introduce you to Esther Kavanagh our new Part-Time Off ice Manager. Esther started working with us in March 2008 and we are very happy to have her on board.

With over 10 year's office administration experience in many f ields including

m a n u f a c t u r i n g a n d construct ion we were delighted that she can bring that experience into this role. She has settled well into our organisation and has been busy with her work on both the National Carers Week 2008 and more recently in facilitating visits by Family C a r e r s t o A r a s a n

Uachtarain.

Esther looks forward to getting to know more people i n a l l o u r m e m b e r organisations. If you need to contact Esther please e-mail info@carealliance.ie or call 01 8747776.

Care Alliance Ireland has a new staff member

Care Alliance Ireland gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in producing and distributing this newsletter.