Fife Gingerbread Buddy Project

Life can be hard even at the best of times for carers and it can often feel a million times worse when you are a lone parent. If you feel like this Fife Gingerbread can help you!
The Buddy Project is free to any lone parent in Fife and aims to provide a variety of support that lone parents need, when they need it.
Buddies will meet regularly and offer:
A relationship that focuses on you, not the children!
A smiling face, a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on if needed.
An extra pair of hands, because one pair isn't always enough.
The confidence to try new activities - isn't it easier to go places with someone else?
Practical help, because two heads are better than one!
Who can have a Buddy?
If you are a lone parent living in Fife, YOU can have a buddy!
How long do I have a Buddy for?
It’s completely up to you! Some lone parents feel they need the extra support when they first become single, others prefer it a few years down the line. Some people prefer to have a buddy on a regular basis whereas others find they only need one occasionally – Fife Gingerbread can arrange support that suits you. A buddy can be accessed at any point of being a lone parent and you can change your mind at any time.
Who are the Buddies?
All of the Fife Gingerbread Buddies are very special people and have been picked because of their friendly, open-minded approach and their genuine interest and enthusiasm. Buddies come from all backgrounds and walks of life. The one thing all Buddies have in common is that they know what it feels like to be a lone parent. This may be because they are a lone parent and have been there themselves or they may have experience and training relevant to lone parent issues.
Fife Gingerbread Buddies:
· Will meet you wherever and whenever you want.
· Will go with you to a class or outing
· Will offer support in a range of areas.
· Won’t judge you.
· Are selected carefully for their friendliness and understanding.
· Are fully approved and trained.
Are the meetings confidential?
Of course! Everything you say will be kept confidential within Fife Gingerbread. The only exception to this would be if there was a concern about the safety of your child(ren). Fife Gingerbread are here to support you and provide you with the best support you need and want – all information they hold will be used solely for this purpose!
Can I become a Buddy?
Fife Gingerbread are always on the lookout for people to become new Buddies. If you have a few hours a week to help others, learn new skills and have fun then please get in touch for more details. Call them on 01333 303124 or email them at info@fifegingerbread.org.uk or visit the website on http://www.fifegingerbread.org.uk/

Mental Welfare Commission Survey for carers and users

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s first service users’ and carers’ views survey is still live!
If you have used Mental Welfare Commission services they want to know what you think of them.
To complete the survey please click on the link below:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWCsurvey
Or on this link if you would like an easy-read version of the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWCsurvey-easyread
Your answers will be kept private.
You can ask a carer, an advocate, a friend or staff to help you fill in the survey.
The survey closes the 26th of February 2010.
If you have any questions about this survey you can phone Hannah Biggs on 0131 555 5959 or email her on hannah@sdcmh.org.uk
If you would like more information about the Mental Welfare
Commission, you can call 0800 389 6809 or go to their website,
www.mwcscot.org.uk.

Guide Dogs

Hands up who remembers collecting milk bottle lids to send to Blue Peter so they could buy guide dogs for the blind!? Taking part in those fundraising activities gave many of us a lifelong affection and interest in guide dogs. We can all recognise that a guide dog can offer a unique, safe and effective way of getting about independently and confidently – but did you know that to be a guide dog owner you don't need to have lost all your sight? Most people who own a guide dog still have some vision. You don't even have to be formally registered as blind or partially-sighted. There’s no upper age limit to being a guide dog user - people in their seventies, eighties and even nineties become successful guide dog owners. No previous experience of keeping a dog is necessary - providing you are committed and able enough to work with, support and care for a guide dog then our training will teach you all you need to know. It costs just 50p to have a guide dog. All essential equipment and training is provided by Guide Dogs, and they can also cover the cost of vet bills and dog food if people wish.

Owning a guide dog is not just about improving mobility. A guide dog and its owner exist as a partnership, and the companionship, loyalty and fun that each partner brings to this relationship can be immensely rewarding.

You can learn more about the world of Guide Dogs by coming along to the meeting point lunch in Fife Carers Centre on Friday 30th April 2010 when Pamela Munro, the Information Officer from The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association will be the speaker.

If you would like to explore the possibility of you or someone you know getting a guide dog please call Guide Dogs on 0845 372 7499 and they will arrange to come and talk to you, informally and confidentially, to help you decide if a guide dog might be suitable for you. Guide Dogs staff understand how severely people's independence can be affected by sight loss, and they can explore the best way of meeting your specific needs. There is nothing to lose and potentially much to gain by exploring allthe options - so get in touch.

CEN Education Day

Parents and carers of children with complex and exceptional healthcare needs are invited to attend the CEN Education day on the practical and emotional issues related to enteral feeding in children with complex and exceptional healthcare needs on 24 Feb 2010 9.30-4 pm at the e-Science institute, South College Street, Edinburgh.
The CEN Education day will include the following sessions:
Practical issues related to feeding.
Emotional issues related to feeding.
Decision making and risk assessment related to feeding support.
Issues related to the implementation of decisions in school and local authority setting.
Launch of the CEN Education module on the emotional issues related to tube feeding.
The CEN Education day will include presentations, discussion sessions, and the launch of the CEN Education module on the emotional issues related to tube feeding.

If you would like to attend early registration is recommended and before 14 February, however spaces will be available for late registration of parents and carers.
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/action/registration/index.cfm?id=1027

Fife Central Carers Group

The first meeting of the Fife Central Carers Group took place on Friday 8th January with a pretty good turn out considering the weather! We decided that as most of those who come along to the Carers group are also able to come along to the Meeting Point Lunches we aim to have a different flavour to the Carers Group Meetings. Fair enough. What's going to happen at our meetings then?

We thought a few trips out might be good, we're thinking a day out at the Hobbycraft Show later in the year, perhaps a guided tour of local Museums, talks from people with ideas about ways to fill our time productively in a fun way. We also decided that it would be good to have something fun to do here at the centre so we're going to buy a Wii and have a bit of a competition going - I'm a demon at the 100 pin bowling so watch out!

We'd really like to invite any carers who are able to join us to come along on Friday 5th February between 10.30 and 12.30 at Fife Carers Centre - We look forward to seeing you!

Money and Legal Matters Information Day - for people with dementia and their carers

On Monday 15 February 2010 Alzheimer Scotland will be holding an information day with workshops covering a wide range of money and legal matters, including benefits and financial help, powers of attorney, guardianship, paying care home fees, having your wishes heard, taking control of your own care, your rights to assessment and community care services and much more. This is a chance to hear from and speak to experts. There will also be a chance to speak privately with a solicitor of benefits adviser during the day.

The event will be held at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB.

For further information or to book a place at a cost of £5 per head, contact Anne Burnshide on 0141 418 3936 or email aburnside@alzscot.org the closing date for bookings is the 10th February 2010.

Hard of Hearing - Information and Advice Open Day

On Thursday 28 January 2010,our friend Kirsteen McFarlane from Deaf Action’s Including You project will hold a showcase event at the Rothes Hall in Glenrothes, for people experiencing hearing loss in Fife. A host of organisations (including Lesley from Fife Carers Centre!)will be there to provide details about how to access Information, Advice and Guidance, specialist equipment, lipreading, and courses on assertiveness, confidence-building and mobile phone texting. Information will also be available on other services available for people who are hard of hearing.
Deaf Action’s Including You Project Workers work across Fife and Lothian to provide services for hard of hearing people. For more information about this event or about the project in Fife, contact:
Kirsteen McFarlane, Information, Advice and Guidance Worker,
at: Deaf Action Fife Office: Office 7, Albany Business Centre, Gardeners Street, Dunfermline, KY12 0RN
Tel / Text: 01383 730 997 / SMS: 07775 838 338 /
Email: kirsteen.mcfarlane@deafaction.org