Carers Week gives us a chance to pause, reflect and shine a light on the quiet strength of unpaid carers across the country, especially those caring for a loved one living with dementia. But for carers, this isn’t just one week a year. It’s every day, often with little respite.
Through my work leading the Exeter Dementia Action Alliance and supporting families, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside people who are giving everything they’ve got to care for someone they love. I’ve seen carers at crisis point, worn down, isolated and overwhelmed, often feeling like they’re...
Devon Carers at Westbank, the service which currently supports almost 34,000 adult unpaid carers across the county, has lined up a full programme of events throughout Carers Week this June and will be launching a new book for carers called “Give Me A Break”. Produced by local health and wellbeing charity Westbank Community Health and Care, the book is full of hints, tips and ideas to help unpaid carers take time out from their caring role, regardless of whether they can spare fifteen minutes, half an hour or longer.
The publication will be available during Carers Week from Monday...
Carers Week (9th – 15th June) is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t see themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.
This year’s theme is ‘Caring About Equality’. We are asking everyone to help Devon Carers at Westbank raise awareness of carers and to thank them for the invaluable role they carry out. We will be holding a host of free events across Devon...
Devon Carers is ‘Putting Carers on the Map’ this week as part of an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise their invaluable contribution to society - estimated to save the Devon economy over £2 billion a year!
Devon Carers, a free service by Westbank Community Health and Care, is putting on a host of events to celebrate Carers Week (10th – 16th June). The service is also planning several events as part of its milestone anniversary to mark 25 years of supporting unpaid carers across the county. Over the last two and...
In response to this year’s Carers Week (5-11th June) theme ‘Recognising and supporting carers in the community’, the organisation that supports thousands of unpaid carers across Devon is highlighting the invaluable role carers undertake, which saves the NHS and Social Care organisations across the county an estimated £2.324 billion a year!
Around 75,000 adults provide care for a family member, friend or neighbour in Devon. Many are supported by Devon Carers, one of the services provided by local charity Westbank Community Health and Care. However, many people with caring...
Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has been striding through Westminster - walking A Mile with a Smile - to help raise awareness of the everyday challenges faced by unpaid carers and the enormous contribution they make to families and communities throughout Devon.
It’s the first time Ben has taken part in the awareness raising event organised by Devon Carers, which was started during Carers Week two years ago. Devon Carers is a service delivered by Devon-based charity Westbank Community Health and Care that supports over 22,000 unpaid carers across the county. Carers Week is an annual national...
New figures suggest that there are now more than 130,000 people in Devon who are carers, the figure having risen by half again because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Worryingly though, just 21,000 of that number – roughly only one in every six – are accessing vital information and support that is available to them.
This week is Carers Week, and Devon County Council, NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Devon Carers are shining a light on it to encourage people who are carers for friends and family to recognise themselves as unpaid carers, and to come forward...
A SOUTH Devon care provider is praising unpaid carers this month who have been looking after vulnerable and elderly loved ones during the lockdown (June 2020).
As part of Carers Week from June 8, which highlights how being an unpaid carer impacts on an individual’s life, Guardian Homecare is raising awareness of those caring for others.
Catherine Porter, Manager for Guardian Homecare, which provides services in Exeter and surrounding areas, said: “There is an army of unsung heroes out there who provide care for their loved ones day-in and day-out, 24/7 in their own homes...
Carers are being encouraged to stay healthy and connected through a number of events planned across the county next week to mark national Carers Week.
People, of any age, who help a relative or a friend without payment are often unaware that there is support available for them in their caring role. As a consequence, many let a health problem go untreated, or they can feel isolated from friends and the wider community.
While the total number of carers in Devon isn’t known, it’s thought that there are likely to be getting on for 100,000 people who provide care for others. But...
This week, 12-18 June, it’s Carers Week. The annual campaign aims to raise awareness of the challenges carers face and recognises the contribution carers make to families and communities throughout the UK.
Local charity Hospiscare support patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families in Exeter, Mid and East Devon. The charity also provides a range of services for carers with information, advice, complementary therapies, or simply the opportunity to talk to someone who understands.
Virginia, who has been a volunteer Complementary Therapist at Hospiscare since 2009...
