What We Do
Who are carers?
Carers are people who look after someone who can’t manage their life without that help – this might be due to age‚ physical or mental illness‚ addiction or disability.
Carers are not paid to do this – Carers care out of a sense of duty‚ because no one else is doing it‚ because it seems like the right thing to do and for hundreds of other reasons – but most often they do it because they love the person they care for. Being a carer can be the toughest "job" anyone will take on.
The term carer should not be confused with a care worker‚ or care assistant‚ who receives payment for looking after someone.
Carers most often look after someone to whom they are related – their husband or wife‚ parent‚ sibling‚ child etc however it is not unusual for people to care for friends or neighbours to whom they are unrelated.
The person for whom they care could have fairly straightforward things they need help with or they may have profound and complex needs that mean all aspects of their life need managed for them.
Carers might be involved in providing help for someone in simple household tasks such as shopping, cleaning and laundry. They might also be involved in administering medical procedures/treatments such as injecting insulin or peg feeding. For many carers the most difficult area of support to cope with is personal care where they might be involved in toileting a spouse or bathing a parent for example.
It doesn’t matter how old the carer is or how old the cared for person is – there is no upper or lower age limit.
It is often the case that there may be several people involved in the care of an individual‚ such as a family caring for an elderly and frail grandparent each of these people is a carer‚ however many times in such a situation one person can be identified as the main carer.
Carers become carers in many different ways. It can happen as the result of a sudden and catastrophic event such as an accident or stroke which leaves someone unable to get on with their life without help and support or it can happen in a slow and insidious way where the help that someone needs increases over time. The person might start with something like needing help with the shopping perhaps and gradually increasing to encompass lots of areas of life.
Often carers don’t recognise themselves as being a carer – they might need someone else to point it out for them. They see themselves as just getting on with things and doing what needs to be done. If this sounds like you or someone you know Fife Carers Centre can offer practical help and support. You just need to make a referral for the carer and that is an easy and straightforward process.
Top of pageReferring a carer.
Anyone can make a referral to Fife Carers Centre – it could be the carer themselves‚ the person they care for or anyone they come into contact with.
It is a very simple process:
- Identify the carer.
- Get the carer’s permission to refer them (verbal permission is sufficient).
- Contact Fife Carers Centre with the name and contact details (preferably telephone number) of the carer. You can do this
- by telephone on 01592 642999
- by fax on 01592 263910
- by text to 07881691391
- by letter to Fife Carers Centre, 157 Commercial Street, Kirkcaldy, KY1 2NS
- by email to centre@fifecarers.co.uk
- in person.
- Drop in hours are
- Monday 0930 – 1300
- Tuesday 0930 – 1630
- Wednesday 0930 – 1300
- Thursday 0930 – 1830
- Friday 0930 – 1600
What happens next?
- A carer support worker will contact the carer within 5 working days of the referral being made.
- The carer support worker will find out from the carer if there is anything in particular they need help with for example completing benefit forms or having their home care service provision reviewed.
- An appointment will be arranged to meet them either in their own home, at Fife Carers Centre or anywhere else that’s convenient.
- We’ll then work with them to help and support them in their role as a carer in whichever way is appropriate.
Caring with confidence
Being a carer usually brings a lot of worry and stress into your life. Carers worry about the person they care for, about the care they give them, the treatment they get from others, the effect on the rest of the family, what’s going to happen in the future – in fact lots of things they encounter in their role as a carer. All this worry can weigh heavily on carers endangering their own physical, mental and emotional health. In addition carers often find added pressure on their finances, sometimes from extra expenses and sometimes from their income being reduced, as they are not able to work the way they had prior to their caring role.
It’s important that carers look after themselves in all aspects so that they keep as well as possible.
How can we help you do this? We have a number of things that you might find of benefit to you.
We aim to be a "one stop shop" for every carer in Fife – if you are a carer we can help you with
Information
- We have produced an information pack for carers in Fife. In this pack you will find a great deal of information on topics that are of use and interest to carers such as what welfare benefits might apply to your situation and who to go to for help with a short break. If you would like a copy of the Information Pack please call us on 01592 642999.
- In Fife Carers Centre itself we have lots of other information about everything from how to get Power of Attorney to information about the condition affecting the person you care for – please give us a call if you would like to know more about how we might help you
- Information about benefits and entitlements – we can review your situation and check which benefits you and the person you care for may be entitled to. We can also help you fill in the forms to apply for the appropriate benefits.
- Information about the services and support available for your situation and we will help you access them – we can also make referrals to other organisations which might be of help to you e.g. Alzheimer Scotland, Crossroads.
Health and Well-being
- We often have Complementary and Alternative therapy sessions available in the Centre that include aspects of stress management that will enable carers to deal with the stress in their lives more effectively. If you would like to know more about these sessions and their availability please contact us at Fife Carers Centre by email or phone 01592 642999.
- Massage Therapy chair – even when the therapist is not in the centre you can come and get a relaxing massage in our electric automatic massage chair. It is available free to carers to book a session of 15 minutes massage. Whilst it is definitely relaxing and therapeutic – it is not suitable for everyone and so if you would like to know more or would like to book to use the chair please contact us at Fife Carers Centre by email or phone 01592 642999.
- Informing your GP – It can be useful for your GP to know that you are a carer. Some practices make special arrangements for carers – for example they may offer "well person" checks to carers, arrange for you to have the flu jab, prioritise appointments and so on – please ask at your GP practice for details of how they look out for carers. If you would like us to we will write to your GP practice and confirm to them that you are a carer.
Emotional Support
Carers can find themselves feeling that they have no one to talk to about their worries or how they are feeling. Fife Carers Centre offers a range of ways that carers can gain emotional support, these include
- Informal one-to-one counselling, we recognise the benefit to be gained from talking openly and honestly and being listened to without judgment by someone who understands the pressures of caring and the difficulties a carer’s life holds
- Getting together with people in similar situations as you to relax and talk over your life as a carer. Being with other carers often means you don’t have to explain how things are for you, you can talk openly and you can hear how others have dealt with similar situations. In addition you can have some social contact and a bit of relaxation amongst friends.
- Monthly informal lunch meetings of carers and professionals from Health and Social care with a chance to hear informative speakers, have some fun and chat with others involved with caring.
Carer Support Groups
We are involved in several Carers Support Groups running monthly in different areas of Fife. (Details Below). Carers are welcome to come along to the Support Groups or if you require further information, just give us a call. There are occasions when the date and time of the group meeting is changed and you can check that it is on for sure by calling Fife Carers Centre.
| Group | Venue | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunfermline Carers Group | Abbeyview Day Centre, Dunfermline | 1st Thursday of the month | 2.00 – 3.30pm |
| Male Carers Group | Fife Carers Centre | Last Tuesday of the month | 1pm – 3pm |
| Meeting Point Lunch | Fife Carers Centre | Last Friday of the month | 12 noon – 2pm |
| Central Fife Carers Group | Fife Carers Centre | First Friday of the month (Meeting is on 8th January 2010 as Centre closed on the 1st) | From 10.30 – 12.30 |
| The groups below are specifically for those caring for someone living with dementia. | |||
| Newport Carers Group | Leng Resource Centre | 3rd Friday of the month | 12.00 – 2.00pm |
| Alzheimer | Fife Carers Centre | 2nd Tuesday of the month | 1pm – 3pm |
Workshops
We run free to attend workshops (usually in partnership with other agencies) with the purpose of helping carers learn more about the condition affecting the person they care for or some other aspect of their role of carer. Some of the workshop topics have included:
- Caring for someone affected by a stroke.
- Caring for someone affected by diabetes.
- Caring for someone affected by a heart condition.
- Caring for someone with COPD.
- The effect of diet on Autism in Children.
- Caring for someone living with dementia.
We also run "Partners in Care" workshops for Health and Social care workers who are interested in knowing more about:
- Identifying carers
- Understanding carers lives and the issues they face in their role.
- Legislation and policies affecting carers including Carers Assessments and Carer Information Strategies.
- Welfare Benefits that may apply to carers and those they care for.
- Support available for carers from statutory and voluntary agencies.
If you would like to find out what kind of workshops are on just now and are coming up please call Fife Carers Centre on 01592 642999.
Top of pageCentre Drop In
During Centre opening hours carers can drop in for information and a chat. They can also make an appointment to see a Carer Support Worker, either in the Centre, at their own home or somewhere else that is convenient.
We have a large selection of leaflets covering a vast range of topics including Aids and Equipment, Holidays, Respite, Nursing Agencies, Housing, Benefits, Policies and Legislation to name a few. We also stock leaflets and newsletters from other organisations relevant to carers. We have a selection of books on caring issues that can be borrowed by carers and a booklist is available should you be interested.
Late Night Opening
We realise that many carers work and find it difficult to contact the Centre during the day so we open till 6.30pm every Thursday night (except at Christmas and New Year). We hope this way that carers who work can call and make contact with the Centre without having to take time off.
Representation of Carers Needs
The Fife Carers Centre works hard to ensure that service providers and decision makers in Fife and nationally hear carers’ views and can take them into account when planning services. We are members of the Coalition of Carers in Scotland and take part in the Fife Carers Strategy Group (Fife Council). We can also take up issues on behalf of individual carers.
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Website developed by James Wentworth and Lesley Childs
Fife Carers Centre, 157 Commercial Street, Kirkcaldy, KY1 2NS
Telephone: 01592 642999
Email: centre@fifecarers.co.uk
Scottish Charity No. SC029466