Local NHS treats Calderdale carers
To celebrate Carer’s Week, staff at Kershaw Grange in Luddendenfoot hosted a special event yesterday to treat carers of people who use their services. Kershaw Grange is a day service run by South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust that provides services for older people with mental health problems.
Carer’s Week has been celebrated this week from the 9th-15th June.
The event aimed to acknowledge the contribution of local carers and give them a day of fun and entertainment. People who use the services provided at Kershaw Grange were also invited to the day. It involved a dance and movement session facilitated by the Trust’s Dance and movement therapist, Richard Coaten and entertainment from singer, Ken Romano. A buffet with tea and cake was also enjoyed.
Senior staff nurse John Yearsley, who helped organise the event said "It was a special event to salute the work and devotion of carers. It offered a time-out to receive some one-to-one support and enjoy some first rate entertainment with their loved ones."
Around 40 carers and people who use the service attended the event, taking advantage of the food, entertainment and the opportunity to socialise. Carer Maureen Froggatt said "The carer’s day was really good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely come again."
Carers Week is now in its 14th year. Supported by MPs, celebrities, local stakeholders and thousands of carers across the UK, Carers Week aims to inform carers, who are often isolated and not in touch with professionals and support organisations, about the huge amount of help that is available to them. It is also a chance to celebrate the work of carers and acknowledge their value.
Thousands of events and activities have been taking place throughout Carers Week. For details about local organisers and for more general information about Carer’s Week, visit www.carersweek.org.
• In the UK adults with mental health problems receive about 21 million hours a week of informal (unpaid) care from family and friends.
• Up to 420,000 people in the UK care for someone with a mental health problem