Hope for Home – National Carers Week: June 14^th- 20^th 2010

As part of its contribution to this annual event, Hope for Home has two particular activities in mind for you.

·        The first is to respond to the  National Carers Week initiative

·         The second is our Hope for Home “Knock on a Neighbour’s Door” initiative.

National Carers Week this year highlights:

• Why supporting carers is crucial
•  How carers miss out on things we all take for granted

·         What needs to be changed

The national theme, A Life of My Own, encourages carers to talk about many parts of life that most of us take for granted e.g. family occasions, going on holiday, a meal out, even just chilling out for an evening with no worries or responsibilities. The theme is designed to enable carers to speak about what they need to have a life of their own, including:

• Access to relevant and practical information, to help them with their caring role
• The opportunity to take a break when they need it
• Support at times of crisis
• Financial support

So, for the National Carers Week initiative, if you are a carer, or if you know of someone who is a carer, Hope for Home invites carers to email or to send in their “A Life of My Own” story to us.

We would be so pleased to hear from you, or from your friends or members of your family, if you have a story to tell about how your life as a carer for someone with dementia and/ or advanced Parkinson’s disease might be made easier.

Our special Hope for Home initiative is rooted in our own experience, as we often hear from our many supporters that friends, neighbours and sometimes family members genuinely wish to help in some way if they know of carers looking after someone with dementia or Parkinson’s disease at home, but that they simply do not know the right thing to do. They are sometimes embarrassed and feel that they might be interfering, and so they very often end up doing nothing, despite being willing to help.

So, how about  taking a chance, be a good neighbour and “Knock on a Neighbour’s Door” of someone you think may be caring for someone with dementia and/ or advanced Parkinson’s  Disease at home, and simply ask if there is anything you can do to help them?

In our personal experience, we at Hope for Home believe that even the smallest indication that someone is thinking about you in your demanding, potentially isolating caring role can make all the difference.

You might offer, for example, do to some shopping, or to deliver a meal, or to take someone on an outing, or just offer some company every now and again. Don’t be disheartened if the carer declines your offer. It may be that the time is not exactly right for them to receive that offer of help. Just the fact that the carer knows you are around and that you care enough to knock on their door may be a great comfort to them, and they may call on you at some time in the future.

So, why not take a risk and do your bit for National Carers Week? And, let us know how you get on!