Carers Event

 

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The Carers' event showcases support and activities for caregivers in Corby and surrounding area

An event for carers was held at Lakeside Surgery in Corby for a second year, and organisations from across the county attended, providing health, social, wellbeing, and practical advice. Invitations were sent to registered carers at Lakeside Corby, as well as to The Headlands Practice in Kettering and Oundle Surgery.

Lakelands Hospice is a day hospice in Corby for people with life limiting illnesses. They help people within a 15-mile radius, offering social activities and home cooked meals and a heart failure COPD education session. They also provide a hospice at home night service at the final stages of life and bereavement counselling/ bereavement support group.

Nurse Manager Cathy Finnerty said: 'We want people to contact us, particularly if they are dealing with a difficult situation. We see a lot of people from the local area, but we would love to see more! People can just phone or visit our website or Facebook page to find out more. Our doors are open and we are passionate about helping patients and their families.'

 

Representatives from Northants Fire and Rescue Service, including Darren Carson and John Cull, attended the event. Darren said: "Carers look after vulnerable people so The Fire Service can help with advice around keeping safe, particularly if people have mobility issues or need oxygen cylinders in the home. We offer free home fire safety checks looking at people's needs and situations and can also refer onto other organisations, so we really take a person-centred approach."

Adam Wilson from Northants Carers explained their services. He said: "We have a range of services including a Carers Support telephone line that operates weekdays. We have a range of support and services for carers of all age ranges, including social events, special groups, community companions and a monthly podcast. Volunteers are absolutely crucial to what we do, so if people either need help as a carer, or want to get involved by volunteering then please contact us by phone or through our website."

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The Autumn Centre in Corby provides day care services. Manager Lee McCormick said: "People can come along if they just want to socialise or else we offer more specialist support for those with additional needs such as dementia. We see about 150 to 160 people a week.'

Representatives from Kettering-based Accommodation Concern—Kayleigh Evans, Annabel Nyemecz, and Meg Knight—were present. Kayleigh said: "We cover all of Northamptonshire and can help people with issues relating to housing, debt and benefits as well as tenancy support, where we can visit people in their homes to help them remain stable in their tenancies. We also provided a supported accommodation service for single homeless people across the county."

Jude Stone and Katy Downing from Northamptonshire Sport told visitors about the Get Up and Go exercises to help with mobility and frailty. Jude said: 'If someone is eligible they can be referred by a clinician for the 24 week free iCAN programme or there are over 60 community classes across the county. Both classes will improve a participant's strength, balance and confidence.  The classes are based on the exercises developed in the Otago region of New Zealand and proven to help in the prevention of falls. Feedback also shows improvement in physical and mental health.'

Agewell representatives Juliet Barnes and Judith Warren were present. Juliet said: "We help anyone over the age of 65 to manage their health and wellbeing and remain as independent and well as possible in their own homes, signposting them to other agencies if necessary."

 

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Kareema McCarthy, Personalised Care Manager, worked alongside Mary Russell, Patient Services Manager at Lakeside Surgery in Corby, to organise the event. Kareema said:

"This is the second year that this has taken place, and we hope to do it again. It was great to welcome so many patients and agencies here and to showcase the support and different range of activities available for carers. It can feel quite isolating for them so we are hoping this event gave them a chance to network, talk about their issues and see how these services could make a difference to them."

Mary said: "We would like to thank all those who contributed to making the carers' event a success. Once again, we have received lots of positive feedback. Those who attended were happy with the information provided and appreciated being able to talk to services in person. We're already thinking about next year and hope to build on the success and energy of these first two years." 

 

Carers interested in learning more about these services can explore further by visiting the relevant websites:

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