The Unscripted Carer – 4th May 2008
Time just seems to be flying past! It is amazing how much time the college course actually takes up. It is not just the time in the college, or the “home work” but the general disruption before and after the lesson. It is quite amazing how long it takes me to unwind, optimistically I put this down to the stimulation of the course and not down to the less polite thought that I no longer get out a lot!
It is really fascinating to see how much things have changed since I was last in a classroom. In those days we were “taught at”, with some Question and Answer sessions, now it seems to be the complete opposite with the emphasis being on discussions and fairly simple workshop techniques. For me, I seem to understand the lessons once I have slept on them – quite literally.
The course is an introduction to teaching people in the Adult sector (“College / night school” to you and me!). There are three stages to it, and I was led to believe that I would be able to take on the first 2 sections, but now it turns out that the second part needs me to be employed in the education style industry. It seems a bit odd, how do you break in? However, perhaps it explains why the first stage is slanted towards current teachers, who now need to take this qualification. This slant is not deliberate, it is just that teachers use their own jargon and don’t seem to recognise this. However, my main goal (or “aim” as the course would have me say!) was to provide some of the mental stimulation that I miss from having to give up work – and this is working really well. I must admit that I find “teachers” style very different to what I was used to, and a lot more interesting than I remembered – with the exception of my old “Russian” teacher at school. He had the added bonus of taking a new school subject, and he had been kicked out of Russia for leaving some jeans with his friends in Moscow!
The College work and the bits and pieces I am doing with Social Services are really helping me, and I feel that I am helping Social Services to help us carers. In my more optimistic moments I feel that I have changed a few things for us carers, and it would be really good if I could do something similar for the College guys.
Talking of Social Services…..
Warwickshire Council / Social Services have created a Carer’s Partnership Board and together they are creating a Three Year Carer Strategy and Implementation plan for carers in Warwickshire. After a lot of consultation and hard work 14 initiatives have been agreed and now we are running a workshop to put flesh on each of these initiatives. We are running a day’s workshop on the 2nd June at the Holiday Inn, where the workshop outcome will be at least 3 measurable outcomes for each of the identified carer initiatives. Social Services will be measured against these outcomes as part of the 3 year strategy. If this workshop is successful, then we already have an agreement in principle to run it every year, just before Carer’s week, to assess progress during the year, and modify the Strategy and Implementation plan where necessary. However, to misquote a famous quote from WWII – WE NEED YOU! Social Services are working very closely with carers in setting up this workshop, and we need you to come to the workshop, make your contribution and prove that we (current) carers can help ourselves, and other carers in the future.
Why should you give up a day of your time?
The main reason is that it is your opportunity to make a difference to the way carers are treated. It may not help you personally, but you should be able to help others. Secondly, it should be a very rewarding day – the team behind it have worked very hard to make it both a productive and enjoyable day. Finally, we are hoping to have a (very) small surprise at the end of the day.
Social Services are providing total support for the event, so there is an “In Your Place” service provided, and transport if needed, as well as lunch. Theoretically carers will hear about this by letter, but if this is the first time you have heard of this, then please contact your own social worker for more details. In the North of Warwickshire, Guideposts could also provide information and contacts, but I am not quire sure how the South works.
Finally, on a personal level, Nicola is booked in for some more cortisone injections – so our world changes shape for a while. We had this brilliant idea of making “our” bread and cakes in advance and freezing about 6 weeks supply – so today is a bread making day for me, while Nicola is able to stand up and tell me how to do things! Last night I found one of the snags behind this idea when I cleared Tescos out of the Gluten free Bread Flour and White Flour I need, so my “cake” making planned for tomorrow may have to be put on hold. Plan B may be to try the Tescos just off the M6 near Coventry, as the big Tescos at the Ricoh stadium is just too big for my small brain!
One set of loaves is “beeping” at me from the kitchen, I better see if they really are ready…..
Bye for now
Graham
