(Event held at Vision Northumberland in Morpeth on 22nd March 2024)
I help people live well at home, as independently as possible, by providing a high quality, flexible support service for families. I tailor my support to suit each individual - working with clients who don't need (or don't want) carers, and also clients who already have a care package in place. As well as visiting at pre-arranged times, I also pop in, as and when required, to run errands and deal with any problems that crop up in between.
When I work with families, I like to find ways to make life easier and more enjoyable (see my blog for examples of my work). So I like to make sure that I'm always up to date with what's out there to help my clients. This is why I attend events like this one, held recently at the fantastic Vision Northumberland facility in Morpeth.
For those who are interested and couldn't attend on the day, I've included lots of information and contact details below, to highlight some of the organisations that I had the chance to speak with. This was a really useful event with lots of friendly people on hand to help you make the most of it, and I would thoroughly recommend going in person to any future events if you can make it.
VISION NORTHUMBERLAND
The venue for the event was Vision Northumberland located at Reiver House on Staithes Lane, Morpeth. Vision Northumberland (formally Northumberland County Blind Association) is the local voluntary association working for sensory impaired people throughout Northumberland.
The purpose-built resource centre is home to a wide range of services and facilities based in one accessible location. The services include clubs and support groups, voluntary home visiting and an information and advice service. The facilities include a fully equipped training kitchen with examples of talking equipment, a large display of helpful daily living items and examples of computer accessibility software. They also have facilities for producing information in Braille, large print and in various audio formats.
During my visit I talked to Sandra, one of the Wellbeing Coordinators, who told me how Vision Northumberland also supports people with hearing impairments as well as visual impairments. This is a really friendly and accessible service for anyone looking for support for sensory impairments.
AGE UK NORTHUMBERLAND
Age UK Northumberland provides so many different services to support, enable and inspire you to live well and thrive in your local community, including: Information & Advice, Advocacy, Bereavement Counselling, Dementia Groups, Home Care, Day Care, Exercise Classes and Befriending.
The Information & Advice Service provides free confidential, impartial and independent advice for the over 50s, their families, carers and organisations.
Lines are open Monday - Thursday 10am - 1pm 01670 784800.
At the event I met Jo, who told me all about their Scams Awareness work. I was interested to hear that they can provide you with one-to-one support in a number of different ways:
• a home visit
• meet you at their office in Ashington
• meet you at a local community space
• chat to you over the phone
• chat to you via video link
Their practical support also includes free call blockers to reduce the number of nuisance calls.
CARERS NORTHUMBERLAND
Carers Northumberland is a charity that exists to help and support carers, aiming to improve the lives of carers in Northumberland, helping them to have a life outside their caring responsibilities.
I met Hannah, who told me all about the many services offered by Carers Northumberland, including:
· Information and Advice
· Young Carers Support
· Carer Support Fund
· Carers Groups
· Education and
Employment Support
· Emergency Care Planning
· Workshops and Training
There's lots of helpful information on the website and a comprehensive newsletter which can be accessed on the website and gives a good feel for the range of different activities and types of support available.
RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)
"RNIB, the Royal National Institute of Blind People, is the UK's leading sight loss charity. We offer practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. We raise awareness of the experiences of blind and partially sighted people and campaign for change to make our society more accessible for all. We want to change our world so there are no barriers to people with sight loss."
[RNIB Website]
The website includes some great information resources and an online shop for products that help people live independently and enjoy everyday activities.
The RNIB had a great display of their products spread out across two tables at the event. I spoke to Derek, and as the stand was so busy on the day, he promised me a demonstration by video call at a later date. I will report back on what I find out once I've had this meeting.
MACULAR SOCIETY
Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, and the Macular Society is on a mission to beat macular disease by funding world-class research and providing the best advice and support.
I chatted to Katherine and her colleague on their stand which was stocked with lots of informative leaflets. They gave me details of the local support groups:
North East Telephone Support Group
Meets via conference call
2nd Thursday of each month 11am-12 noon
Meetings open to anyone affected by central vision loss. Family, friends and carers welcome.
For further details contact: Lucinda 07517 544 027
Morpeth Macular Society Support Group
Morpeth Methodist Church, Howard Terrace, Morpeth NE61 1HU
Upcoming meetings: Thursday 11 April 2024, Thursday 13 June 2024 10am - 12 noon
Come along to find out more about the Macular Society & the support provided. Family, friends and carers welcome.
Contact Katherine 07517 544 046
HEALTHWATCH
Healthwatch Northumberland is your local health and social care champion. If you use GP services, hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, care homes, mental health or other support services in your area, they want to hear about your experiences.
As an independent statutory body, they have the power to make sure NHS leaders and other decision makers listen to local feedback and improve standards of care. They can also help you to find reliable and trustworthy information and advice.
There are monthly drop-in sessions where you can call in to speak to them, pick up some information or use the Signposting and Information Service (currently running in Morpeth Library 11am - 1pm on the fourth Wednesday of the month).
Having looked at the website, I found the Your Health information sections on the website particularly helpful, providing a good round up of general information and local resources in various categories including Ageing Well and Dementia.
CITIZENS ADVICE
There was lots of good advice and information available at the Citizens Advice Northumberland stand.
Citizens Advice Northumberland provides free confidential and impartial advice and information services across Northumberland and campaigns for changes in legislation and practices. Every year they assist over 29,000 people and help them deal with over 60,000 different issues.
It was interesting to hear from Lindsey some examples of how the energy team have really helped people who were struggling with very difficult situations involving their energy suppliers.
Take a look at the website to find more information on what they can help you with and how to get in touch with them.
EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS
I also spent time investigating some of the fantastic equipment available from suppliers Humanware and Optelec. Before seeing what they had to offer, I was only aware of large magnifying screens as an option to help people with low vision to read better. However, now I know that there is an amazing range of different smart screens available. Everything from small tablets that fit in your pocket to larger stands that sit on a table and allow you to write as well as read what's on the paper. Going to the next level are the text to audio readers, including everything from a small pen-like device that you just point at something, right up to larger table top readers.
Contact them for more information and free home demonstrations.
HOW I CAN HELP
I attend events like these whenever I can, to make sure I'm up to date with what's out there to help my clients. After an event in Morpeth Town Hall back in October 2023 I put together another blog post to bring together all the useful information I discovered: Information, advice and support for older adults in Morpeth, Northumberland.
In my Blog section, you can also read other articles such as one about local accessible activities. You will also find some Case Studies which illustrate some of the ways I’ve helped clients with things like keeping cool on a warm night, arranging for cleaners, organising medical appointments, and solving the problem of missing keys.
I help people live well at home, as independently as possible, by providing a high quality and flexible service for families. I tailor my support to suit each individual - working with clients who don't need (or don't want) carers, and also clients who already have a care package in place.
If you're looking for flexible support at home for independent living, visit my main website pages to find out more about my services and to book a free initial consultation.
留言