Community and Dementia: Creating Better Lives in Forth Valley

STORYTELLING SESSIONS

On 27 May 2021, Life Changes Trust are hosting a conference called ‘Community and Dementia: Creating Better Lives in Forth Valley’.  It’s an opportunity for local people to share what it feels like to live in Forth Valley, when you live with dementia, care for a loved one with dementia, or work with people with dementia and/or unpaid carers.  It is also an opportunity for local groups, organisations and decision-makers to respond.

Life Changes Trust are inviting you to say what matters to you, as someone with dementia or as an unpaid carer, by attending a special session run by the Village Storytelling Centre and held before the conference.   What you and others tell us will be at the heart of the conference.

The storyteller uses stories and imaginary characters to make it easier for people to talk about dementia in a way that doesn’t feel too personal.  It is an opportunity for your voice and your thoughts to be heard, exactly as you want them to be.  Whatever you want to say is added to that of others taking part and, together, you create a hypothetical character – a person with dementia or an unpaid carer.  The ‘characters’ represent what it is like to live in Forth Valley with the experiences you have given the characters.

The storytellers analyse the conversations that have created these ‘characters’.  We draw out priorities which will be shared at the conference for discussion and responses.  The priorities will be presented with some quotes (anonymised) taken from the sessions.  You can see an example of this, delivered by Shona Cowie from the Village Storytelling Centre at the Edinburgh & Lothians event in November 2020.

There is a session for people with dementia, another for unpaid carers and a third for workers and volunteers providing support to people with dementia and unpaid carers.

Posted on behalf of Life Changes Trust

Festive opening hours and support services

The Carers Centre staff team has been working from home providing support to local carers by telephone, email and online since March.  The service will close from Friday 25 December 2020 until Monday 4 January 2021 (inclusive), re-opening on Tuesday 5 January 2021.  Details of local support and emergency services are available below:

Finally, the staff and Board of the Carers Centre wish carers a happy, healthy and safe festive season and look forward to continuing to offer information and support in the New Year.

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 – What to expect …

1 April 2019 marked the first anniversary of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. To find out about the rights that carers in Scotland have as a result of the Act, check out the Coalition of Carers quick guide below.

To speak to someone about your rights as a carer, or to request an Adult Carer Support Plan, please contact the Centre.

Care with Confidence

Frontotemporal Dementia Carer Information Sessions – January to March 2019

The Frontotemporal Dementia Carer Sessions are open to carers of people with a confirmed diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia.
 
The monthly sessions provide information and support to carers in an informal setting.  Professionals are also invited on a regular basis to talk about the clinical, social and legal aspects of care.
 
The programme will take place on the last Friday of each calendar month.  Please download a programme here for more information.
Care with Confidence

Frontotemporal Dementia Carer Sessions

The Frontotemporal Dementia Carer Sessions are open to carers of people with a confirmed diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia.  The monthly sessions provide information and support to carers in an informal setting.  Professionals are also invited on a regular basis to talk about the clinical, social and legal aspects of care.

The programme which includes sessions on Food for Thought, Stress & Distress and a Topic Choice chosen by the carers who attend will start on Friday 28 September from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm.  Thereafter the group will meet on the last Friday in October and November 2018.

To book a place, or for further information, please contact Rebecca Fowler at the Carers Centre.

Better Breaks Family Outings Summer 2018

Applications are invited for the Better Breaks Outing for children and young people (up to 20 years) with additional support needs and their families across Falkirk and Clackmannanshire:

  • East Links Family Park, Dunbar, Wednesday 25 July 2018, 10 am till 4.30 pm.  Please bring a packed lunch.
  • Pals Inclusive play park, Pittencreiff Park, Dunfermline, Wednesday 1 August 2018, 10 am till 3.30 pm.  This will be a smaller outing, please contact the Centre to discuss further.
  • Glasgow Riverside Museum and The Tall Ship, Glasgow, Thursday 9 August, 10 am till 4.30 pm.  Lunch will be provided.

Transport will be made available to those families who require it and would like to travel with the larger group.  Families are also welcome to self-travel and attend independently.  As in previous years, and in keeping with Better Breaks funding criteria, a small contribution of £2.50 per head will be required towards admission.

To apply for a place on the trips, please complete the Better Breaks Application Form and submit as soon as possible. Application forms are available on request by calling the Carers Centre on 01324 611510, emailing centre@centralcarers.org or by downloading a form below:

Better Breaks Application Form

Please complete the application form as soon as possible.  East Links Family Park application deadline is Wednesday 13 July.  Pals and Glasgow Riverside Museum is Wednesday 18 July at 5 pm.

Places cannot be guaranteed, and priority will be given to families who have not participated in, or who have participated in fewer, previous Better Breaks outings.

 

 

Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre

Carers Act Evening Event on Thursday 15 February 2018

With the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 in April 2018, local authorities are required to publish local eligibility criteria outlining the levels of support carers can expect. This is another opportunity for carers in Falkirk, who were unable to attend the December event at the Park Hotel to participate in the co-design of local eligibility criteria, to join us for an evening meeting on Thursday 15 February, 6 pm to 7.30 pm at the Carers Centre.
The meeting will include an update on the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and the opportunity to be involved with partners in health and social care to determine how the needs of local carers will be met in the future. If you would like more information or to book a place, please contact the Centre.

For more information on Falkirk Carers Eligibility Criteria 2018 consultation click here.

 

Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre

Carers Act Evening Event rescheduled to Thursday 15 February 2018

Please note that the Carers Act Evening Event to be held on Wednesday 10 January 2018 has been rescheduled to Thursday 15 February 2018, 6 pm to 7.30 pm at the Carers Centre, 1a Bank Street, Falkirk FK1 1NB.

With the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 in April 2018, Local Authorities are required to publish local eligibility criteria outlining the levels of support carers can expect. Carers in Falkirk who were unable to attend the December event at the Park Hotel to involve carers in the design of the eligibility criteria are invited to attend this event in February.

The meeting will include an update on the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and the opportunity to be involved with partners in health and social care to determine how the needs of local carers will be met in the future.

To book a place, please contact the Centre at centre@centralcarers.co.uk

For further information and to participate in an online survey seeking the views of carers on Falkirk eligibility criteria for carer support, visit:  https://say.falkirk.gov.uk/social-work-adult-services/falkirk-carers-eligibility-criteria