London TVs are changing to digital in April 2012

The old signal at Crystal Palace is being switched off and replaced with a new digital signal.  This will happen in two stages:

4 April – BBC Two signal is switched off
18 April – BBC One, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 will be switched off

If you are not sure on how to change your tv for the switchover, there is help available:

HAVS – Hillingdon Association of Voluntary Services staff have been trained to give help and advice on the change over. www.hillingdonconnected.org.uk/Switchover-Help_Scheme

HAVS will be able to provide older and disabled people with everything they need to switch their TV to digital through the Switchover Help Scheme

Do you know someone who:

•  Is aged 75 or over, OR
•  Lives in a care home, OR
•  Gets certain disability allowances, OR
•  is registered blind or partially sighted?

The Help Scheme can arrange for an approved  installer to supply and install everything they need to switch one TV to digital.

They can contact the Switchover Help Scheme for FREE on 0800 40 85 900 or www.helpscheme.co.uk

Lines are open 8.00am – 8.00pm Monday to Friday
8.00am – 6.00pm Saturday and Sunday.

If you have a hearing difficulty or find it difficult to speak, you can contact the free textphone service on 0800 40 85 936 

The Arts for Carers service offers carers the opportunity to access structured arts-based courses which allows them to take a short break from their caring responsibilities. These range from all sorts of themes from floristry, creative crafts and music appreciation.
The project is supported by the London Borough of Hillingdon Arts Service and is FREE for carers, that are registered with Hillingdon Carers.

Printmaking Course

Learners will explore a variety of creative, basic but playful and inventive printmaking techniques and processes: monotype, collograph, lino cutting and relief printing in various colours.

Monotype: A printing process where a sketch is made on an acetate sheet with paint – this is then pressed on to paper several times to make identical prints of the same image.

Collograph: A process where you make a collage on a board, which is then inked and run through a printing press (the big press in our Atrium will be used for this) to make prints of the same image. Different inks can be used each time to vary the colours.

Lino Cut prints: A process where a design is traced onto a piece of lino and cut out and then inked and pressed onto paper to make identical prints. Again the ink colours can be differed to obtain different shades of the same print.

Relief Printing: Very similar to lino cutting – but using mark making instruments rather than cutting lino with a craft knife.

Dates: Thursdays 2, 9, 23 February, 1, 8 & 15 March 2012
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Venue: Brunel University
Tutor: Martin Henley

Floral Art

Gain the basic understanding on how to arrange and display flowers for maximum impact and identify techniques in the first steps to floral art.  Enjoy a relaxed experience with excellent resources.

Dates: Wednesdays 22, 29 February, 7, 14 & 21 March 2012
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm ~
Venue: Ruislip Manor
Tutor: Lisa Dancer

All carers are asked to call Hillingdon Carers office on 01895 811206 to register their interest and an application form will be sent to them.

These courses are only found in the newsletter that goes out to carers registered with Hillingdon Carers.

In addition to the usual AGM business, the Carers Forum looked forward to the coming years by discussing the Trustee’s Plan for the charity’s  activities.  As a result we now know that carers who attended the event approved of the Strategic Aims for the charity, but considered the most important one to be ‘Achieving more support for Carers with high needs’ 

The 5 Strategic Aims in the Hillingdon Carers Strategic Plan are:

1. Finding more Carers who don’t know they are Carers
2. Increased assistance choosing best services
3. Giving Carers a greater voice influencing services
4. More support for children and young adult Carers across the whole borough
5. More support for Carers with high needs

Results of the Evaluation Feedback Summary pdf
Notes from the Hillingdon Carers Forum 

The expression ‘you dont’ know what you don’t know’ becomes very clearly understood when we find ourselves in new situations and expected to become experts overnight.

Handbook for carers in Hillingdon

Now is the time to prepare for the unexpected …

… carers are encouraged to use our TEMPLATE to make an EMERGENCY PLAN

For example you could have an accident and be unable to get home or you might find you need to go into hospital at short notice.

• Who would you contact to help in an emergency?
• If you have a plan for an emergency, who knows about it?
• Do you keep up to date lists of medicines needed by the person you care for?
• Where are your keys kept?
• How would someone else know the needs of the person you support?

All these details can written down in advance and kept in a safe place – it may not prevent an emergency but it could give you peace of mind. Download our template for an Emergency Plan.

The Emergency Plan Template has been developed by a group of organisations in Hillingdon that support carers:

• Alzheimer’s Society Hillingdon
• Crossroads Care Hillingdon
• Hillingdon Carers
• London Borough of Hillingdon
• Rethink

It includes suggestions made by carers who attended the Carers Conference on 8th June 2010

The Emergency Plan Template would be useful in all sorts of circumstances – it takes a bit of effort to create but then it is easy to show someone else essential information about the person you support and your individual situation.

A carer can be a husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister or friend who is providing unpaid support to someone to enable them to live at home.

Becoming a carer may happen gradually over a period of time, perhaps if you are caring for someone with a developing dementia.

It can also occur as a more sudden change in circumstances such as a hospital admission following a stroke.  This can quickly find you having new caring responsibilities.

Are you looking for help and support and aren’t sure where to go?
Hillingdon Carers is an organisation that works with the council to provide information and advice to support you, contact us on 01895 811206