News items from February 2018
Message in a Bottle
Jackie from VASL's Support for Carers team joined 65 other people who work with older people or the vulnerable at Leicestershire Police headquarters last Friday - to find out more about the Message in a Bottle scheme.
The Message in a Bottle scheme is run by The Lions and is aimed at people with serious medical conditions - but thanks to funding from the Community Safety Partnership in Oadby and Wigston and a local sponsor - Leicestershire Police force has been able to make 6,000 bottles available free of charge to people with Alzheimer's and dementia as well.
Everyone who picks up a bottle will also be given a Herbert Protocol form, which, when filled in, contains vital personal and medical information such as medication required, mobile numbers and places previously visited. This can prove vitally important, especially in a situation in which someone with Alzheimer's or dementia has gone missing.
The bottle is kept in the fridge, helping emergency responders to access the potentially lifesaving information. This ensures people are treated quickly, which can save time and lives.
You can pick up a bottle free from any police station in Leicestershire that has a front enquiry desk.
To find out more please call Jackie from Support for Carers on 01858 468 543 or email [email protected]
We’re looking for telephone befrienders
We're looking for volunteers to join our amazing team of telephone befrienders - to give carers the chance to talk to someone who understands about caring and hear a friendly voice on the phone once a week. Could you help?
The Carers Telephone Befriending Service has been supporting carers in Harborough District for many years - and the service is also available throughout Leicestershire.
As a volunteer telephone befriender, you'll phone your carer/s once a week at a time to suit them, to see how they're getting on and have a chat.
In a nutshell, the sevice provides carers with a supportive friend at the end of the phone.
Volunteering with us is a simple and rewarding way to help carers and share your own experience, and we'll give you all the support and training you need.
If you'd like to find out more please call us on 01858 468 543 or email [email protected]
Caring for the Carer Campaign
We're working with GP surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals to provide more support for carers in Leicestershire - including Rosebery Medical Centre and Rosebery Pharmacy in Loughborough.
Following a presentation we gave there last year, Rosebery Medical Centre were inspired to do more to help carers. They've launched a campaign called Caring for the Carer, with promotional materials and Support for Carers information around the centre, to help reach out to people caring for a loved one, family member or friend.
The aim is to reach more carers, make sure they're registered at the surgery with a GP, and encourage them to get the specialist help they need via Support for Carers.
The Rosebery Pharmacy is also taking part in the campaign, by placing a Caring for the Carer card in every prescription bag collected.
Rosebery Medical Centre is part of the Charnwood Community Medical Group and the Caring for the Carer campaign will also run in their other two surgeries - Forest Edge Medical Centre and Outwoods Medical Centre very soon.
Watch this space!
1m+ owed refund of Power of Attorney registration fees - how to claim
If you paid to register a Power of Attorney in England or Wales between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017- you're owed a refund of up to £54.
Under a new Government scheme, those who paid a registration fee for a Lasting Power of Attorney in that period can apply for a partial refund as they were charged more than was necessary.
A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document which allows you, while you still have the mental capacity to do so, to nominate a trusted friend or relative to look after your affairs if you lose capacity.
There are two types of Power of Attorney, one for finance and property and another for health and welfare. Some will have registered both and so can claim a refund of up to £108.
Read the full story on the MoneySavingExpert.com website
