RECOGNITION DURING NATIONAL CARERS WEEK

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Carers in Halifax are being pampered as part of National Carers Week. Staff at the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust have arranged various activities to give carers a well-deserved break.

Saville Close Day Unit are holding a number of events this week for carers of the elderly clients who attend the day centre. Events include flower arranging, Tai Chi – Qi Gong (Chinese yoga for improved energy and concentration) and also a tea tasting session in the Snoezelen room which is specially created for relaxation and stimulation. Kershaw Grange Day Unit is also holding a special ‘Treats afternoon’, which will include aromatherapy massage, reflexology and cream teas. All the events are free and have been organised to give carers the chance to relax and feel pampered. As Anita Scotford, Senior Staff Nurse at Saville Close Day Unit explained, ‘We want to treat carers and thank them for all their hard work and effort. A lot of these people provide constant care and are often frail themselves, we have the greatest admiration for them and this is a chance for us to make them feel special’.

There are 6 million carers in the UK who care for a relative or a child, a partner or a friend, who needs help because they are ill, frail or have a disability. As such, an awareness display has also been set up in Boots in Halifax. The display offers an immense amount of information for people who may be caring and it is manned by a multi-disciplinary team who are on-hand to offer advice.

Staff include representatives from the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, Calderdale Carers Project, and Social Services. This allows people to receive information on anything from occupational therapy to benefits.

Polly McKay, Carer Liaison Nurse, helped organise the display and said, ‘We are very happy to be here at Boots and to be able to bring together so many staff from mental health services; from the NHS, social services and voluntary services. It clearly demonstrates the excellent joint-working that is going on in this area. We have been working closely with Ebenezer Day Services for some years now, raising public awareness and breaking down barriers’.

RECOGNITION DURING NATIONAL CARERS WEEK

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