Seasons Greeting to all our Carers, Volunteers and their Families.

We will be closed from Monday 25th December and reopening on Tuesday 2nd January 2024.

You can make a referral to KCN here: 

https://www.kingstoncarers.org.uk/professionals/make-a-referral/

or email us admin@kingstoncarers.org.uk and we will get back to you when we reopen.

We look forward to speaking to you again in the New Year.

Click here for a list of contact numbers for other organisations in the Borough that will be open over Christmas.

If you need urgent help over the Christmas period, you should contact Adult Social Care at Kingston Council:

Adult social care
Call 020 8547 5000. If you think someone is in immediate danger, please call 999.

Children's social care
If you have a safeguarding concern about a child, please contact the Emergency Duty Service on 020 8547 5000 to speak to the duty social worker. If you think a child is in immediate danger, please call 999.

Domestic or sexual violence
The Kingston DV Hub is open except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
If you’re in immediate danger, please call 999. If you need support and advice out of hours, please contact the 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. The helpline is open on bank holidays.

The Samaritans

Offers confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day, for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide.
Free helpline number: 116 123.

Adfam - Tips for Coping at Christmas

Adfam have some fantastic tips on coping at Christmas.

From AFC Wimbledon Foundation

Hi,

I’m Chloe, the new Health and Wellbeing Lead here at AFC Wimbledon Foundation.

We’re currently trying to spread the word of our Active Ageing Session, so I wanted to drop you an email with some more information to see if it appealed to anyone you have contacts with.

AFC Wimbledon Foundation are currently running our FREE Active Ageing session held at AFC Wimbledon’s Football stadium.

Our Active Ageing programme looks to support the mental and physical wellbeing of those aged 65 and over (please do get in contact if you know someone younger, but feel they would benefit from this session). As we get older it is more important than ever to exercise both our body and mind. Good health is fundamental to our quality of life. It allows us to remain independent, to work, to be involved in our local community, to maintain relationships with friends and family, and to carry out activities that give us meaning and purpose.

The session aims to:

•             Lower risk of developing a long-term health condition

•             Reduce risk of mental illness/cognitive decline

•             Help maintain ability to carry out the tasks of daily living

•             Reduced risk of falls

•             Improve mood and self-esteem

•             Allow participants to meet new people and socialise

Participants can enjoy indoor games such as boccia, light-hearted quizzes, chair-based exercises, socialising over light refreshments and a good old natter!

The session takes place from 10-11:30am every Thursday at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, SW17 0NR.

Carers are welcome, parking is available on site, with disabled access throughout the stadium and refreshments are provided.

For more information, please contact chloe.turner@afcwf.org.uk or call 07923234051.

It would be great to see some of your residents there if they are able to.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Best Wishes,

Chloe Turner

Health and Wellbeing Lead

AFC Wimbledon Foundation

Email: chloe.turner@afcwf.org.uk

Phone: 07923234051

Web: www.afcwimbledonfoundation.com

We were recently delighted to attend a celebration event to be presented with a cheque for £2,156.08 raised by the staff and customers of The Co-op over the last year as part of their Better Together scheme. It was wonderful to be supported and these funds will enable us to continue supporting young carers in schools with breakfast and lunch clubs enabling them to access much needed peer support.

From Sensory Palaces, Hampton Court

As many of you may know, Sarah Fairbairn who manages Sensory Palaces at Historic Royal Palaces recently started her maternity leave. I am looking after the programme in her absence. There are no sessions scheduled beyond December, this email is an update on the future of Sensory Palaces.

For nearly a decade, our Sensory Palaces programme has enabled people living with dementia and their companions to explore our palaces’ stories and spaces using their senses. Together, we have evidence the positive impact of heritage, storytelling and creativity on participants’ mental health and wellbeing.

Sensory Palaces will be on a short break from January 2024. Our team plans to launch a refreshed programme that will enable more people to access our stories and spaces, more independently in spring 2024.

This is not a decision we have made lightly, or for me personally or professionally. I started Sensory Palaces in 2013/14 and have seen first-hand the benefits these sessions and engagement with heritage has on people living with dementia and companions. This is why I am so keen to take this ‘pause’ so we can grow it to reach even more people.

Sensory Palaces afternoon, Thursday 22 February, 13:00-15:00

In place of the regular sessions, we are hosting a relaxed afternoon / experience at Hampton Court Palace for people living with dementia and companions. This is not the 'full' Sensory Palaces experience you are familiar with, rather a chance for all of us to 'check in' and explore the future for making all of our palaces more dementia friendly.

Please complete this form to register. More details will follow in January 2024.

https://forms.office.com/e/yUDHHZtrnK

Again, I am sorry for the break in the Sensory Palaces programme. I do hope you understand, but please feel free to contact me directly should you wish to speak more about this.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Take care,

Kim

KIM KLUG (she/her)
Community Partnerships Manager

• Keep in contact with older or vulnerable family and neighbours. Take a few minutes to ask if they need any shopping or medicines and make sure they are warm and comfortable and can make all the difference.
• These are challenging times with cost of living concerns, but Simple Energy Advice provides free advice and many organisations are opening their doors and offering ‘warm spaces’ to help keep you warm this winter.
• Remember that cold weather makes us all more vulnerable to a range of winter illnesses such as flu, coughs, and colds, so please get your free flu jab and Covid-19 seasonal vaccine.

Top tips for keeping well during the cold snap:

• Check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell, and if you are at higher risk, ask them to do the same for you.
• Check the weather forecast and the news.
• Make sure you have sufficient food and medicine.
• Take simple measures to reduce draughts at home.
• Heat rooms you spend most time in, to 18C if you can.
• Keep bedroom windows closed.
• Wear multiple layers of thinner of clothing
• If you’re eligible, get vaccinated against flu and Covid-19
• Get help if needed. Call NHS 111 or in an emergency 999.

You can find more information on our website: www.southwestlondon.icb.nhs.uk/news/staying-safe-and-well-in-wintry-weather/

From Kingston Adult Education

For many of our Creative Skills & Wellbeing courses there is no charge. For the courses that have a fee, if you need financial support to attend, please indicate this when registering your interest on the application form.

Find out more...

At Kingston Hospital and Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare (HRCH) we are developing a new joint strategy for healthcare in Kingston, Richmond and surrounding boroughs.

It is important to us that we are delivering services that work for our patients, service users and local population and we would love to hear your views.

Come and have a conversation with some of our health professionals and tell us your thoughts on how we can provide high quality services to help people remain well.

There is still time to book your place at one of our
public meetings:
• Thursday 30 November, 9.30am - 12pm
DoubleTree by Hilton, 1 Skerne Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 5FJ

• Tuesday 5 December, 9.30am - 12pm
York House, Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 3AA

If you would like to attend, please email khft.comms@nhs.net

From Achieving for Children

From Carers Trust

• Thousands of young children spending more than 50 hours a week caring for a family member
• Inquiry calls for a national carers strategy to address postcode lottery of support for young carers

The first ever parliamentary inquiry into young and young adult carers has revealed a lack of support is having a devastating impact on their education, wellbeing and future prospects.

An inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Young Carers and Young Adult Carers, supported by national charity Carers Trust, published its findings today (14th November). It uncovered alarming evidence showing 15,000 children, including 3,000 aged just five to nine, spend 50 hours or more a week looking after family members because of illness, disability or addiction.

There are an estimated one million young carers in the UK and the time they spend caring can lead to them falling behind at school and damage their life opportunities. Yet, despite mounting evidence showing the impact of their caring role, little has been done to improve support over the years.

Many are not being identified by local authorities or schools and this is leading to a postcode lottery of support. The inquiry heard some are being left to cope alone for 10 years before being identified, while evidence to the inquiry showed the average waiting time to get support is three years.

Duncan Baker MP, chair of the inquiry and vice-chair of the APPG, said:

“Our inquiry has heard truly concerning evidence from young carers and those who support them. Some young children spend 50 hours a week caring, while young adult carers have their chances of getting good GCSE results, going to university or getting a job drastically reduced by their caring role. The wildly uneven support available across the country shows an urgent need for the Government and Parliament to work together to transform the landscape.

“It’s up to all of us to give these young people a better start in life so we also need local authorities, health providers, schools, employers, and regulators to join in and help young carers. This is why the All-Party Parliamentary Group is calling on the Government for a national carers strategy to co-ordinate support right across the country.”

The inquiry heard from 70 individuals and organisations including young carers services, schools and parents. Most powerfully, it heard from more than 400 young and young adult carers around the country, with many speaking about the difficulties they encountered in not being identified as a young carer, including a lack of support from schools, local authorities and other services. This lack of help often continued into early adulthood.

The inquiry also heard:

• There are significant waiting lists for assessments and support in some areas with services struggling to meet demand.
• Being a young carer has a knock-on effect on school attainment and attendance, with young carers missing 27 school days per year on average.
• Young adult carers are substantially (38%) less likely to achieve a university degree than their peers without a caring role.
• Young adult carers are less likely to be employed than their peers without a caring role.
• Young people with caring responsibilities have a higher prevalence of self-harm. Of children who do self-harm, young carers are twice as likely to attempt to take their own life than non-carers.

Holly, a 21-year-old young adult carer and youth advisor to the inquiry, said:

"I've been helping to take care of my younger sister ever since she was born but I only got identified as a young carer when I turned 14. The inquiry results clearly show many other young carers aren’t being identified. Even when they are, they don't always get the help they need. Caring impacts not just your everyday life but also your dreams for the future, especially when you’re not given the support you desperately need. It's crucial for those in charge to take their responsibilities seriously, be held accountable, and stop thousands of young people falling through the cracks."

The report recommends the urgent introduction of a cross-government national carers strategy, including a properly resourced action plan for young carers and young adult carers. The Government should also work with young carers and young adult carers on immediate plans to improve early identification, increase access to support and reduce the numbers of young people providing excessive levels of care.

To coincide with the report release, a group of young carers will hand an open letter in at 10 Downing Street on 14 November demanding Prime Minister Rishi Sunak does more to help. The letter has been signed by more than 1,100 young and young adult carers.

Responding to the report, Carers Trust’s CEO, Kirsty McHugh, said:

“This damning report, supported by Carers Trust, should be a wake-up call that young carers are being horribly let down by the system. They are facing huge disadvantages when it comes to education, job prospects and wellbeing, all because they put their loved ones first. As the social care system struggles to cope with demand, these young people are having to fill the gaps. Support needs to be ramped up across the board and there’s a critical need for a long-term strategy to ensure a fair future for every young carer.”

Kingston Council is developing new tools and web content to help adults get to the care and support they need more easily.  

They want your feedback to see how they can make improvements. 

Test their new content and get a £30 Amazon voucher as a thank you for your time. 

Fill in the form to sign up