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Carers Centre

Are you looking after a friend or relative?
Do you regularly help someone who is frail or someone who has a disability? Then you are a carer and you are not alone. There are about 7 million people caring for a relative or friend in the UK.
The SW Herts Carers Centre is managed by 'carers in Hertsî' who aim to inform, involve and identify carers who live in the county. The centre offers the following FREE support for carers who live in Watford, Three Rivers and Bushey.

Sitting Service
Many carers find they are unable to leave the person they care for. The Carelink Sitting Service (established 10 years ago) offers sitting support to carers for older people. A volunteer is found who can sit with the person being looked after so that the carer can get a break. For this help to be effective and valuable to carers it must be flexible and individual. Home sitting is very important for many carers; as one said ìIf I could just ring someone to come and sit with my husband while I go out for a walk or a swim ñ that would be somethingî. Carers need to have a break but either they do not want the life of the person they look after being disrupted by respite care outside the home or that person does not want to leave their home. The sitting service, therefore, can help the carer to get a break.

Information
Studies and research into carersí needs have highlighted how important information is for carers ñ they need to know about services and support to which they are entitled. The Carers Centre aims to stop carers having to find things out for themselves and it can provide a focal point for carersí information needs, co-ordinating all the different sources of information under one roof.

Telephone LinkLine
One carer said : 'You get so dreadfully lonely, no-one wants to know you and you are very isolated. We have no friends who come to visit now'. For carers like this we offer a confidential telephone linkline which aims, specifically, to support carers who:

Feel isolated and in need of someone to talk to
Prefer to speak on a one-to-one basis.
Cannot easily leave the person they care for.

The carer receives a telephone call fortnightly on a stipulated day from a trained volunteer. The call enables us to keep in touch with the carer, reassure them that they have someone to talk to and to offer back up support and information if required.

Carers Support Groups
A number of carers groups are run through the Carers Centre, focussing on emotional support and gaining strength and understanding from each other. The local branch of the Carers National Association also acts as a campaigning, consultation group for carers who ëwant a voiceî in service provision. These groups are open to any carer: two of them offer lunch while another one offers specific support to women who work and care, 'Carer and Career'.

The Carers Centre acts as the local contact number for the Watford and District branch of the Alzheimers Society and the Carers National Association. Carers in Herts also offer specific support to carers of people with mental health problems and to the young carers.

The Carers Centre is based in St Thomas Centre, Langley Road, Watford and is open between 10am and 3pm daily. We welcome visitors but will make home visits to anyone not able to get to the Carers Centre.

For more information on the free support please ring 01923 239003.

We always welcome new volunteers! One of our posters said 'What would you do with a couple of hours? Have a swim, go shopping, have your hair done - or could you allow a carer some time off to do one of those things?' If you have some free time, weekly, fortnightly or even monthly, please consider helping a carer to get a break. Please contact Eileen on (01923) 239003.

Heather Aylward
Carers Support & Development Worker

The views expressed on this website are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the R&DRA Committee as a whole.

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