December Care with Confidence Programme

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Our new programme has now been released!

Come along to learn about topics that can help you with your caring role. 

Tuesday 25 November 2025: Dementia – It’s all in your approach

Find out how to avoid some of the arguments and upset when dealing with someone with dementia. Learn how someone with dementia may perceive his/her environment and how you can adapt your behaviour to increase communication and benefit your family member’s quality of life.

Wednesday 03 Decmber 2025: Xmas Muscial Memories from 12 noon to 3 pm 

More information to follow.

There will be no sessions for the rest of December. If you’d like to be informed about the new programme via email, please contact Donna. Otherwise, keep an eye on our latest news page in the coming weeks. 

To book a place or for further information on any of the above, please contact your Training Co-ordinator:

👩  Donna Mulder
📱  07824 381280
📧  donnamulder@centralcarers.co.uk

Information Sessions for Professionals

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Falkirk Professionals, you’re invited!

Come along to network and learn about what we do and how you can help unpaid carers!

If you know any other professionals who work with carers, please let them know about this opportunity. This session will give professionals an overview of what we do at the Carers Centre and how we can work together to support the carers they work with.

✅ Learn how we support unpaid carers
✅ Hear from our teams
✅ Connect with other professionals
✅ Gain practical insights into the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, Adult Carer Support Plans and Young Carer Statements, hospital discharge process involving the carer, and more!
Let’s work together to support carers in our community!

Meeting details:

📅 Thursday 27 November 2025
📅 From 2 pm to 4 pm
📍 At the Carers Centre in Falkirk or via Zoom

Register for the event by emailing Dayna: daynafaulds@centralcarers.co.uk

⁉️  Alternatively, if you can’t make this one and you’d like to be informed about upcoming sessions, please register your interest here.

Invitation to November Falkirk Carers’ Voice

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Falkirk Carers, you’re invited!

Come along to have your say!

During November’s Voice, we will have guest speakers related to Carers Rights Day. Kerry Storey from Scottish Families Affected by Drugs and Alcohol (SFAD) will join us, along with Falkirk’s Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS). They’ll share information about the support they offer.

Meeting details:
📅 Monday 24 November 2025
📅 From 10 am to 12 noon
📍 At the Carers Centre in Falkirk or via Zoom

Register for the event here: https://form.jotform.com/CentralCarers/falkirk-carers-voice
Or get in touch with Sharlene Ramage, our Carer Participation Development Worker: sharleneramage@centralcarers.co.uk

⁉️ Did you know that you can read the previous meeting minutes on our website? Go to https://centralcarers.org/information/publications/

Carers Rights Day 2025

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 🧡 Empowering Local Carers 

We are inviting unpaid carers from the Falkirk District and Clackmannanshire to a special Carers Rights Day drop-in event, which aims to empower carers with knowledge, support, and connection.

📍 Location: 1A Bank Street, Falkirk, FK1 1NB
🕛 Time: Drop in between 10 am to 4 pm on Thursday 20 November 2025

This year’s national theme, “Know Your Rights, Use Your Rights,” shines a spotlight on the importance of carers understanding their legal entitlements and accessing the support they deserve. With over 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK – many of whom don’t identify as carers – Carers Rights Day is about making sure no one is left behind.

What to Expect on the Day

The Centre will offer a welcoming space where carers can:

  • 💬 Speak directly with the Adult Carers Team and Short Breaks Team
  • 🧠 Test their knowledge at the Interactive “True or False” Rights Wall
  • 📝 Share views through questionnaires and postcards
  • 🎥 Tell their story at the Video Booth, with selected stories featured online (with consent)

The goal is for carers to leave feeling informed, valued, and connected. As Sharlene Ramage, our Carer Participation Development Worker, shared during Carers Week: “Many carers are unaware of the support available to them, or what they’re entitled to. That’s what we’re here to help with.”

Real Stories, Real Impact

The Centre’s work is rooted in the ensuring carers are recognised and supported. Local carers have shared powerful stories of how this support has changed their lives:

  • Fiona, 54, cares for her husband with early-onset dementia. A grant from the Time to Live Fund allowed them to take a short break together, improving their well-being and strengthening their bond.
  • John, who retired early due to health issues while caring for his wife, found renewed purpose through music. With help from the Carers Centre, he received a grant for music therapy sessions, combining his love of singing and guitar with much-needed respite.
  • Young carers have found a safe space at the Carers Centre to balance school and caring responsibilities. One said, “It’s the only place I feel like people understand what I’m going through.”
  • A carer who had never used a computer was supported to get online and now joins regular Zoom sessions. “I didn’t think I could do it, but now I feel connected and less alone.”

Why Carers Rights Day Matters

Carers Rights Day is about more than information – it’s about empowerment. Whether you’re caring for a child with additional needs, a sibling, an elderly relative, or even a neighbour, you have rights, including:

  • The right to request an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement
  • The right to access support services
  • The right to request flexible working arrangements
Join the Conversation!

No booking is required – just drop in! Whether you’re new to caring or have years of experience, this is your chance to learn, connect, and be recognised.

 

Consultation: Dementia – Stress and Distress

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We are inviting Falkirk carers who care for someone with a dementia diagnosis to this dementia consultation.

We would encourage you to join even if you haven’t attended the previous consultations, as your valuable insights can help shape dementia support.

Yvonne Cairns, NHS Forth Valley Dementia and Delirium Lead, and Emma Douglas, leader of the Community Mental Health Team for Older Adult Services, will be joining us again and are continuing to gather your views and experiences related to dementia services and support. This session will focus on stress and distress, while Yvonne will also share updates and any progress that has been made to the services, thanks to carers having shared their experiences last time.

Please register by 2 pm on Monday 24 November; however, if you require a translator, please let us know at least 2 weeks in advance.

Details:
📅 Thursday, 27 November 2025
⏰ From 10 am to 12 noon
📍 In person at the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre

November Care with Confidence Programme

Posted by Admin on

Our new programme has now been released!

Come along to learn about topics that can help you with your caring role. 

04 November 2025: Falls Prevention

Are you worried that you or the person you care for might fall?
Falls can result in injury and adverse longer-term consequences. Come along to hear how environmental assessments, medication reviews, therapy and use of equipment, can prevent falls at home

11 November 2025: Digital Switchover

Landlines are changing and the UK’s telephone network is going digital. By January 2027, the old analogue network will be completely switched off and replaced by new digital landlines which will work using broadband. Come along to find out how this could affect you and any telecare devices you may use, such as personal alarms, pendant alarms, and home care monitoring systems.

25 November 2025: Dementia – It’s all in your approach

Find out how to avoid some of the arguments and upset when dealing with someone with dementia. Learn how someone with dementia may perceive his/her environment and how you can adapt your behaviour to increase communication and benefit your family member’s quality of life.

To book a place or for further information on any of the above, please contact your Training Co-ordinator:

👩  Donna Mulder
📱  07824 381280
📧  donnamulder@centralcarers.co.uk

Consultation by Age Scotland

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Falkirk unpaid carers receiving state pension are invited to have your say!

Beth Allen, Policy Officer at Age Scotland, will be seeking your views about the issue that carers are unable to claim Carer Support Payment (formerly known as Carers Allowance) whilst in receipt of state pension.

Earlier this year, some of you kindly completed some questionnaires regarding this topic. The results have prompted Beth to come to the centre to have a more in-depth conversation with some carers in person because she feels your insights will be invaluable. You are welcome to attend regardless of whether you’ve completed any of the previous questionnaires.

Beth, whose role involves monitoring, analysing and influencing developments in policy which impact people affected by dementia, plans to raise your views and add them to ‘The Big Survey’ carried out by Age Scotland to help achieve meaningful change for Scotland’s carers.

Please register by 2 pm on Wednesday, 5 November; however, if you require a translator, please let us know at least 2 weeks in advance.
Details:
📅 Monday, 10 November 2025
⏰ From 10 am to 12 noon
📍 In person at the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre

Invitation to October Falkirk Carers’ Voice

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Falkirk Carers, you’re invited!

Come along to have your say!

During October’s Voice, we will welcome Gemma Ritchie from the Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership’s Adult Support and Protection team, and Sarah and Josh from Caesar & Howie, who will tell us more about Power of Attorney.

Meeting details:
📅 Monday, 27 September 2025
📅 From 10 am to 12 noon
📍 At the Carers Centre in Falkirk or via Zoom

Register for the event here: https://form.jotform.com/CentralCarers/falkirk-carers-voice
Or get in touch with Sharlene Ramage, our Carer Participation Development Worker: sharleneramage@centralcarers.co.uk

⁉️ Did you know that you can read the previous meeting minutes on our website? Go to https://centralcarers.org/information/publications/

New Care with Confidence Programme

Posted by Admin on

Our new programme has now been released!

Come along to learn about topics that can help you with your caring role. 

30 September 2025: Dementia Sensory Changes Part 1

It is important to learn the common signs of sensory changes for those with dementia and how this can affect their daily life. We will look at this over two sessions. In session one, we will consider how changes to vision, hearing, and touch can have an impact on the way your loved one may experience the world.

07 October 2025: Muscular Dystrophy UK

Muscular dystrophies are a group of rare conditions that gradually cause muscles to weaken and waste away. A diagnosis can change everything, and there are challenges you’ll face living with a progressive condition. Having the right information and advice can make all the difference. Whether you’ve just received a diagnosis, need some practical information, or just want someone who understands what you’re going through. We can help. Come along to find out more.

14 October 2025: Short Breaks – Flexible Respite

This session will outline all respite options available to carers. This includes overnight respite, respite hours at home, breaks where the cared-for person and carer go away together, and information on funding that can be used to purchase items or services that provide carers a break and support them in their caring role. Come along to find out more.

To book a place or for further information on any of the above, please contact your Training Co-ordinator:

👩  Donna Mulder
📱  07824 381280
📧  donnamulder@centralcarers.co.uk