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National Conference—7th May 2010

The Carers Association’s National Conference will take place on May 7th in Croke Park, Dublin. The theme of this year’s conference is Under the Radar—a Focus on Young Carers and Support Mechanisms. The conference will commence with the launch of the report on the national study of Young Carers by Minister Barry Andrews. The research, which was commissioned by the Office of the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs and undertaken by NUI Galway, examined mechanisms through which young carers in Ireland can be identified and explored the impact that caring has had on their lives.

The Association is delighted to confirm that Professor Saul Becker, from the University of Nottingham will be the event’s keynote speaker. Professor Becker is one of Europe’s leading experts on young carers with particular interest in their experiences, policy responses and health and social Interventions.

For more information on the National Conference please contact Lee Anne Greville on 057 9370218 or email lgreville@carersireland.com

Family Carers Feature The Late Late Show —Friday 19th February 2010

Family Carers Martin Cullen, Mai Denmead and Tom Curran were special guests on The Late Late Show on Friday 19th of February. The Late Late Show invited The Carers Association and a panel of family Carers to share their own situations and highlight the issue of family care in Ireland.

All three Carers spoke warmly about their loved one, while highlighting their daily lives and the struggles faced on a constant basis to ensure their loved one received the necessary services and supports.

Social Welfare Overpayments

The Carers Association has received numerous calls from Carers who have been contacted by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and asked to repay large amounts of money. It appears the Department have reviewed their cases and have found that the amount of Carers Allowance received over recent years have exceeded their entitlement. The Association will pursue this matter with the Department over the coming weeks.

Census of Population 2011

The Census of Population will take place on Sunday 10th April 2011. Following consultations with key stakeholders, including The Carers Association, the Central Statistics Office have agreed to change the wording of the Carer question and to allow for an open-ended response. The Carers Association plan to launch a pre-census campaign later this year to ensure all people with caring responsibilities complete the question.

New Medical Card Application Facility

The HSE has recently launched a new website - www.medicalcard.ie - where a person who has applied through the PCRS (Primary Care Reimbursement Service) can view the status of their medical/GP visit card application or review online, using a unique reference number that is provided on the acknowledgement sent to them. If a mobile number is supplied with the application / review, an acknowledgement of receipt and the application status/progress of the case will automatically be delivered to the applicant via text message as their case proceeds through the assessment process. The PCRS is also developing a facility which for people to apply on-line if they wish.

Dormant Accounts Training for Carers

The purpose of the Dormant Accounts Training for Carers Measure is to provide funding for locally based training programmes for family carers. The training programmes are aimed at providing family Carers with the skills necessary to provide the best care possible to their loved ones, reduce risk of injury to the Carer and help Carers cope with the emotional, psychological and physical aspects of the caring role.

If you are a family Carer and feel that you or your family members would benefit from any of the following training please do not hesitate in contacting us.

Some of the training planned is as follows:

• Stress Management Workshops—a must for every Carer!
• FETAC Level 5 Practical Home Care Skills Training
• City & Guilds Care in the Home Training
• Patient Moving & Handling Training

Other information sessions which might be of interest

• Rights and Entitlements
• Basic First Aid & Emergencies
• Managing Challenging Behaviour
• Fire Safety
• Understanding Dementia
• Nutrition
• Food Hygiene
• Continence Management
• And many more...

Please take advantage of this unique opportunity to avail of this training.

Contact Sharon or Laura in the Training Unit on 057-9322920 or email training@carersireland.com to receive a Registration Form and further details.

This project was approved by Government with support from Dormant Accounts Funds.

Fundraising News

The Carers Association is a charitable organization and increasingly relies on public donations to continue its work. We’ve got plenty of fun events throughout the year and any support you can give is sincerely appreciated. Donations can be made by post to Market Square, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, through our website www.carersireland.com (click on the Heart of Gold top right on home page) or by contacting the National Office on 057-9322920.

Come Away to Italy with The Carers Association!

Beautiful Lake Garda, Verona and Venice await you as our International Walk Volunteers explore the best of the Veneto Region, October 23—30th 2010.

Let us help you raise €2990 to support our services for Ireland’s family Carers and come away with us to Italy! For more information contact Annette on 086-8393964 or email fundraising@carersireland.com

National Dog Walk - Easter Monday April 5th 2010

Your dog is our hero! Our patrons Mary Kennedy and Marty Whelan launched the first annual National Dog Walk taking place at 2pm on Easter Monday April 5th at 11 Petmania locations: Carlow, Drogheda, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, Navan, Portlaoise, Tralee, Waterford and Wexford. Registration is €5 per person or €10 for a group of 4 with sponsorship raised by each dog being designated to local Carers Resource Centres. Register online at www.carersireland.com or your local Petmania store.

Kilkenny, Sligo, Roscommon Mini Marathons May Bank Holiday Monday 3rd 2010

Show your support and run, jog, walk or toddle along with us on a 10K mini marathon in support of these local Carers Resource Centres. Register online at Carers Association Mini Marathon or by contacting Kilkenny Centre on 056-7721424, Sligo Centre on 071-9143123 or Roscommon on 090-6489296.

Gifts in Memory

Memorial Donations in lieu of flowers are a meaningful and lasting way to pay tribute to a loved one. All contributions made in memory are acknowledged by The Carers Association and can be designated in support of your local Carers Resource Centre. Contact the National Office on 086-0403652 or email fundraising@carersireland.com to arrange Gifts in Memory.

Carers Resource Centre in Review—Blanchardstown Resource Centre

Our Blanchardstown centre is located at Marian House, The Rise, Main Street, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. Centre Manager Jacqueline Millman along with Michelle McNamee and Judith Walsh operate the centre on a daily basis from 9am—5.30pm.

Phone: 01-811555.
Email: carersblanchardstown@carersireland.com

We have added some news and information on events and activities of interest this month.

AIB Better Ireland Programme—Blanchardstown Resource Centre

The Carers Association has been short listed as one of the local deserving projects in contention for a €10,000 shared award prize from AIB Blanchardstown through the Better Ireland Programme. The Blanchardstown Centre saw there was a need for supports for young carers and in 2009 initiated a program of scholarship places on our Care in the Home training course to Transition Year students in Coolmine Community School. This program is continuing but to expand it we need the financial support this grant would bring.Vote by Texting BLANCH followed by a space, followed by A to 51303 (standard rates apply) or online at www.betterireland.com. Voting is from 15th February – 15th March 2010.

New Coffee Morning for Family Carers in Malahide

On the first Tuesday of every month the Blanchardstown Centre will host a coffee morning for Family Carers in the Grand Hotel Malahide. The coffee morning runs from 10.30am—11.30am. All family carers will receive a warm welcome with tea/coffee & biscuits, lots of chat and information. Social outings for the group will be hosted to nearby places of interest followed by morning coffee when the weather gets warmer! The full list of speakers will be updated on our website www.carersireland.com or phone 01-8119555 for the latest news. We look forward to meeting you there.

Art Competition for Transition Year Students

Centre Manager Jacqueline Millman visited transition year students from Castleknock Community School to discuss caring and the challenges faced by family carers. Encouraged by their teacher and with the support of their school they organised a non-uniform day and bag pack. Their combined efforts raised €3,600 to support family carers in the Dublin 15 area. To acknowledge this wonderful support the Blanchardstown centre proposed an Art Competition entitled “Caring”. Students submitted over 30 pieces of excellent work with three prize winners awarded vouchers for the Blanchardstown Centre.

FETAC Practical Home Care Skills

Blanchardstown are delighted to be commencing the first FETAC Practical Home Care Skills on 3rd March in our centre. Over 70 Family Carers have expressed their interest in this course in North Dublin. Not all applicants can be accommodated on this first course, our next course will commence in June. Our one day Stress Management class will commence in March in Coolock & Blanchardstown. We will be delighted to receive enquiries on these and other courses.

Membership Services

Join The Carers Association Today!

We are calling on Ireland’s family Carers and those interested in the issues family Carers face to join our Membership and have your voice heard by helping us campaign for better supports, equality and ultimately a better quality of life for family Carers.

Now more than ever your voice matters. A strong membership is vital to achieve our vision of a better life for family Carers. Joining is simple, go to www.carersireland.com or phone our free phone Care Line 1800 24 07 24 or call your local Carers Resource Centre to request a Membership Application Form.

Membership is €25 for 5 years which includes a renewable discount card on goods and services across Ireland. We will keep you up to date on our services, community activities, training courses and events. Through your involvement with us, we will listen and advocate on the issues that affect family Carers in Ireland.

Renew your Membership Discount Card

Please contact our Membership Officer, Karen Phelan if you would like to renew your Membership Discount Card. Your discount card is valid for one year from date of joining and costs €10 to renew.

We will send you out an updated booklet with new special offers which include a fantastic new offer from Dunnes Stores. Save 5% when you purchase a Dunnes Gift Card to spend in-store including your weekly Grocery Shopping.

To renew your Discount Card:
Phone: 056-7753600
Email: kphelan@carersireland.com

Contact Your Nearest Resource Centre