TODAY speaking at nhsgg&c releasing time to carer event Hampden June 21st

 HI 

With great thanks to Kate Cocozza Lead Nurse Clinical Practice Development nhsgg&c Victoria Infirmary for inviting me to speak at releasing time to care event on June 21^st

Releasing time to care is a programme designed to help NHS staff design and spend more time with people whilst in hospital   

The event is to look of the programme and how effective it  has and  can be .I have been asked to speak as a son on how I feel time matters

Releasing Time to Care

“Celebrating Success …. Appreciating Improvement”

This event provides an exciting opportunity for a range of Senior Charge Nurses/Midwives/Team Leaders across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to present aspects of their Releasing Time to Care journey showcasing improvements and successes that they, and their teams, have achieved along the way.

In addition to a keynote address from the Chief Executive, there will be an interactive panel discussion and an opportunity to contribute to the sustainability and future direction of RTC in NHSGGC.

The event is aimed at directors, senior managers, nurses, healthcare support workers and Allied Healthcare Professionals and will ultimately raise awareness of how RTC can assist motivated teams to work together to improve the quality of care/services and subsequently improve the care experience for staff, patients, carers and families.

Tommy Whitelaw
Dementia Carers Voices

A busy day St. Andrews house - talk at RCN Scotland then back to teamDCV workshop

Hi

I was up and out bright and early today to travel to Edinburgh. My first stop was a brief chat with David from the Scottish Government's Mental Health Team at St Andrew's house.We had a wee chat about how things are going and a few ideas I have for the future.

I then headed round to the Royal College of Nursing head office for a presentation to the board members.With great thanks to all for their time and enthusiasm also a big thank you to Dr Debbie McGraw from the board who invited me.

I then met with a student from Edinburgh University to do a quick interview for her dissertation and paper on dementia and journalism.

I then hopped on the train back to Glasgow to catch end of the ALLIANCE Scotland's network event where Dementia Carer Voices had one of the workshops and I have to say a big thanks to Christopher and Andrew for hosting the DCV workshop so well, it seemed that all had a great time. A big thank also you to Nancy and Kerry from the ALLIANCE  for putting together what seemed from the feedback to be a great network event.

I was sorry not to be there but had arranged my talk in Edinburgh a while back.

So I'm home now and getting organised for the NHS Releasing Time to Care Event at Hampden Park where I will have a wee stand for the day and I am also one of the guest speakers.

The awareness campaign goes on




Tommy

Today Presentation to Royal College Nursing Scotland board

SHi


With thanks to Dr Deborah McCraw from the Royal College Nursing Scotland for inviting me to do a presentation to the board in Edinburgh on June 20th

My passion is to raise awareness across the care sector and to universities ,colleges and schools .I look forward. To meeting the board and speaking about caring for my magnificent mum ,the life stories I receive and people I have met on my tour

I hope this presentation leads to opportunities to speak to nurses and nursing students connected with the Royal College of Nursing

you can get more information on the work they do at the link below

http://www.rcn.org.uk/aboutus/scotland

Tommy

With great thanks to RCN Scotland  for taking time to attend my wee presentation 

Thank you for the invite and kindness 

Dementia Carer voices 2 year project with the ALLIANCE with funding from the Scottish Government

Dementia Carer Voices

Dementia Carer Voices, managed by the ALLIANCE, is a two year project funded by the Scottish Government which harnesses the work of Tommy Whitelaw and recognizes the importance of the carer voice, in informing future service provision and in empowering carers themselves.

In June 2011, as part of his ‘Tommy on Tour’ campaign, Tommy Whitelaw, a carer for his late Mum Joan, walked around Scotland’s towns and cities to raise awareness of the impact of dementia on families and the difficult but vital role played by carers. Since then, he has engaged with thousands of carers through twitter, his blog and frequent talks to health and social care professionals and carers organisations across Scotland, allowing him to collect hundreds of life stories from people which detail their experiences of caring for a loved one living with dementia. The letters demonstrate that carers of people with dementia often feel isolated and that there is insufficient recognition of the range of complex issues about which they are expected to have understanding, from legal to financial, to health and housing, as well as, cope with the distressing, social and emotional demands of caring.

As Project Officer with Dementia Carer Voices. Tommy continues to collect letters and stories and build on that work. The project aims to –

§  Capture the experiences of carers across Scotland with a view to informing future policy and service provision;

§  Empower carers by providing information based on the Charter of Rights and Carer Strategy about caring for someone with dementia;

§  Highlight the role of carers as natural resources; carers as people with needs;

§  Work with other carer organisations and key stakeholders to ensure that relevant strategies are well informed by the views of service users.

Outcomes

§  Establish a greater understanding of dementia and the carer journey among health and social care professionals;

§  Highlight the importance of family carers being enabled after diagnosis to build and sustain a network of support, preventing crisis situations and enabling carers to ask for additional help when it is needed;

§  Reduce isolation of carers of people with dementia;

§  Increase awareness of carer rights;

§  Gather information supporting family and person centered approaches to health and social care.

The project will achieve this through visits and talks by the Project Officer Tommy Whitelaw to Carer Organisations; the provision of written materials with key carer messages; dissemination of information including through social media; and films to raise awareness/understanding. A Dementia Carer Voices survey is presently in operation via the ALLIANCE website to collect key carer information which will be captured and published to raise further awareness of issues of importance to carers. Evaluation feedback from talks to carer organisations is also available on the web and indicates high levels of satisfaction particularly from health and social care students about hearing the carer voice first hand.

Today Presentation to staff and management Sainsbury Prestwick a wee photo

Hi

I have been invited in partnership with south Ayrshire carer Center to do a presentation to area mangers and staff at sainsbury's  at the Prestwick  store on June 18th .with great thanks to David Roxborugh and the team at sainsbury's  for this opportunity to engage with management ,and staff and speak about caring for my wonderful mum ,the letters I receive and people I meet on my tour

There will be mangers and staff at the presentation and I hope we can roll this out across the country

Tommy

thank you to all the team at sainsbury Prestwick  for the opportunity today to speak to the team

Tommy

Fathers Day - my dad Thomas

Hi

This blog and campaign has my mum at the very heart and soul of it .and as much though does not define my mum , anything but, was her journey with dementia, a journey that broke my heart

My mums heart was surely broken many years back when my dad passed away ,my wonderful dad Thomas .I have often said what is crueller to die of a broken heart or not remember the reason your heart was broken
Now there was a love story .They where the best of parents and best of friends,I am sad but smiling typing this as I think of dad ,he was loyal hard working a true and honest man , a welder by trade , funny respectful and just the best of dads

Like mum children always  came first ,although as kids we used to get upset when asking who do you love the most ? Mum would always smile and say "oh my children " but dad  always said " I love my children and I am proud of you but this woman, I met her one day  and fell in love and have loved her every day since "  and boy did he lover her

My dad was diagnosed with cancer many years back and on the day of the the diagnosis mum and him where sitting with the doctor as the news was broke that  he had less than a year to live .my mum fell to the floor in tears, as dad tried to pick her up the doctor said mr whitelaw do you understand what I have just said ,to which my dad replied, yes I do doctor but my wife is upset and I need to make sure she is ok ,not much I can do about the news but I can make sure Joan is ok

This wonderful man as always had been was so brave for the remaining  9 months of his life making sure we where all ok and that mum would be ok after he's was gone, preparing us in a way  that was only noticed after he was gone ,no fuss, no fear  I truly found out what courage and love meant over those last months .in quieter moments if we had a chat ,asking how he felt  he always just said ,make sure your mum is ok just make sure my Joan is ok don't worry for me son make sure mum is ok

I miss my dad so much ,often during the hardest days as mum became more ill ,I would always say to myself when struggling  if dad was here he would make it  better for mum he make if better for me

My dad always used to say how lucky he was to have met mum and at family patties used to sing to mum either " and I love you you so " or " for the good times" so as I sit thinking of dad on Father's Day I say how lucky I was to be his son , how I Loved him so and those truly where not just the good times but the best of times 

I was was a lucky boy to be Thomas and Joan's son

Today launching “it’s ok to ask “carer engagement film

Hi

The new carer engagement film I am in  is ready, we will be launching  today June 13^th at a city centre venue

The film is based in part  on my own experiences caring for my wee mum and many of the letters I receive .For me it’s of the greatest importance that we get families the correct and quickest support As a campaigner I am trying to engage with Government ,local authorities ,health boards to see what more can be done but also to promote services and support available to families.in My opinion  it’s a tragedy not to be aware of and on many occasions know who or how to ask for help ,this can often lead to crisis

I took the idea and script to NHSgg&c-chp lead Peter Daniels who took time to read some of the letters I receive and chat about people I have on buses, supermarkets on the streets and I am happy and grateful for his time and support to make this film .the film will go in a booklet to GPs across Glasgow and be used on partners websites .I also hope to do some public road shows to reach out to people and help inform them of the support available    

With thanks to NHSgg&c especially Peter Daniels and Jill Carson and the ALLAINCE Scotland for partnering to make this film possible and last but by no means least the courage’s carers who took time to tell their story of how when supports is put in place at the right time and with the right manner the difference than can be made

The launch will be June 13^th 1 pm please see more details at link below 

http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/friday-more-filming-its-ok-to-ask-carer.html

dementia carer voices June newsletter #carersweek

please find link to the latest dementia carer voices newsletter 

http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/fortnightly_updates/view/52/

It's ok to ask Carer engagement film press release launched today

Today sees the launch of a new DVD to reach out to carers in Glasgow to recognise the value of their contribution.. With an estimated 660,000 unpaid carers in Scotland caring for a family member, friend and loved one the short film highlights that 'It's OK to ask for Help.'

The film features Tommy Whitelaw who is well known in carer’s circles across the country for his relentless campaigning for services for people with dementia and their carers.

Tommy cared for his mum Joan and experienced first-hand what it is like to care for someone with dementia. Tommy collected carer stories around Scotland to raise awareness of the impact of dementia on families and the difficult but vital role played by carers.

In the film Tommy tells viewers "All carers in Glasgow have a shared experience: caring for a partner, mother, father, sister or brother and sometimes a neighbour or friend. Asking for support, advice, information and training can be the key to improving your life, health and wellbeing and that of the person you look after.  At the end of the day I found out that's it's OK to Ask."

ALLIANCE Chief Executive Ian Welsh said:  "Carers can often feel isolated and on their own, when caring for a loved one, this short film aims to recognise the importance of the carer’s voice and make them feel that they are not alone!"

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow City Council Social Work Services, Alzheimer's Scotland and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (The ALLIANCE) commissioned the DVD resource for carers "It's Ok to ask for Help".  This short film has been supported financially by Glasgow CHP.

Chair of Glasgow City CHP Peter Daniels said:  "It is essential that carers know that help and support is available to them - that there are services which can help them deal with the everyday concerns to help alleviate some of the pressure and stress that automatically goes with looking after a loved one."

"NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde works closely with partners and voluntary organisations to ensure that carers know it’s OK to ask for help, and the best way to access that help.  Carers need to be cared for too."

Councillor Kerr said: "There is hardly a day goes by without someone being diagnosed with dementia or having a stroke and a person close to them becomes their carer. This can be a distressing time for all concerned but we have found that people often shy away from asking help or don't know where to go to get that help."

"In Glasgow we have range of support services for carers and we have to make sure that carers know that help is available for them. We hope the DVD proves to be of great assistance in getting the message across and encourages carers to access support."

The film also includes footage of carers from Glasgow talking about supporting a family member with dementia and the benefits of accessing carer support services in the city.

Dementia Carer Voices, managed by the ALLIANCE, is a two year project funded by the Scottish Government which harnesses the work of Tommy Whitelaw and recognises the importance of the carer voice, in informing future service provision and in empowering carers themselves.

Glasgow City Carers Partnership provides a universal offer of information and advice to all carers in the city. Carers information and support line - 0141 353 6504 www.glasgow.gov.uk/carers

RELATED LINKS

STV
http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/magazine/229173-tommy-whitelaw-launches-new-dvd-to-help-carers-with-nhs-glasgow/

Real radio http://www.realradio-scotland.co.uk/my-real/news/carers-told-to-ask-for-help/9b2e6

With great thanks to Peter Daniels Jill Carson viv Paterson Matt Kerr  nhsgg&c  -chp for funding the film "its OK to ask 

Today attending carer’s event hosted by Cabinet secretary for healthAlex Neil June 12th

Hi

I have been invited to attend an event hosted by the Cabinet secretary for health Alex Neil in Edinburgh June 12^th as part of carer’s week. the event to celebrate carers week will be held Edinburgh Castle

I look forward attending and both meeting and celebration  meeting ,carers and people working across the care and voluntary sectors .the event is being held as part of carer week  in Edinburgh  to celebrate the carers ,

Tommy

A wee phone with Cab Secretary for health & wellbeing Alex Neil and my friend and mentor Irene Oldfather  

Speaking today to lead nurses Victoria royal infirmary #nhsgg&c #gettingtoknowme

hi

with great thanks to Con Gillespie lead nurse consultant nhsgg&c for setting up and inviting me to speak to lead nurses, acute services Victoria Royal Infirmary  Tuesday June 11th

I have been working closely with con on a few talks lately and will be helping over the next months roll out the new  "getting to Know me"  programme for use across acute services nhsgg&c

this new programme  is all about time and getting  to know the life and needs of people admitted to hospital.
something I am passionate about with my life stories campaign and work

our life ,needs, likes ,dislikes and much more are at the heart of "getting to know me ,so very proud and privileged to take part in the promotion any time i can

'Getting to know Me' is a Nationally developed document aimed at promoting excellent individual care for vulnerable adults.

It was launched as the preferred document to gain relevant information from carers about the needs, likes and dislikes of any vulnerable adults when they are admitted to / attending hospital.

 Hospital staff will now be asking carers to complete (with assistance of staff if required) and it will be used at the bedside during a hospital stay or when attending out patient services.

It will be helpful if carer's ask staff for a copy to complete when their loved one is admitted to a hospital ward, as staff will be able to supply once wards are stocked with copies.

We are confident this will enhance care and if used properly will facilitate better care for an individual's needs and reduce the risk of not addressing what they require.

 link to "getting to know me" document 

http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/2013/06/getting-to-know-the-person-not-just-the-patient/

tommy