Carers Rights Day - New Carers Journal launched

A new journal, developed by carers and professionals, is being launched today by Dorset Council, to mark Carers Rights Day.

Carers report that they are involved with many professionals for the person they care for, have lots of appointments, with masses of forms and paperwork.

The Carers Journal is designed as a helpful aid, keeping all relevant information in one place. It acts as a record, with sections covering contacts, emergency planning, health conditions, GP and hospital appointments and finance issues.

It has links to our key providers Carers Support Dorset and Forward Carers, along with a Frequently Asked Questions section and glossary of terms.

Councillor Steve Robinson, Cabinet lead for Adult Social Care and former chief executive of the Dorset charity PramaCare, welcomed the additional help for carers, saying it fitted well with the theme of Carers Rights Day, "Recognising your Rights."

"This journal acts as a useful resource for carers and, as well as providing useful contact details, acts as a care record, where each section has prompts for entering the key information that is often needed at times of consultation or crisis. Carers will find this useful when meeting with professionals and organisations, to document the contacts they have and the support they are receiving."

"Being a carer is a different experience for everyone and there are times when you have to go from zero to expert at a moments notice. All too frequently carers are sometimes not sure of who to contact or when to do so. The journal includes a section called "what to do when". This offers guidance on who provides support at different times and for various situations."

Dorset Council has worked with carers to put together the Carers Journal. One carer, Marmie, said: " Looking back at the things that have been included in the journal, I was extremely glad that I filled it in when my husband had yet another fall a few weeks ago."

"His medication as well as mine was listed as well as both our doctors and the names of practices and lists of those tablets he had been taking that hadn't suited him. There was a list of his conditions and people he had seen and outcome of treatments. I just put it in front of the paramedics so they could note down the things they needed to know and know what had been happening previously."

"It is so easy to get events and appointments out of sequence when trying to remember. It really saved me from having to rack my brains trying to remember dates and treatments when in panic mode. A very useful item," she added.

And Ann said: "It was interesting listening to other carers stories about their journeys with dementia and I realised that while each individual experience was different, the end result overall was the same - caring and doing the best we could for our loved ones with the tools we had available."

"Initially, when dementia appears on the scene, one is given an abundance of information, and in my case not having any experience of this wicked disease, it's a treasure trove. However, the journal would and has helped me to record the actual events/appointments relevant to my husband which later were lost to my memory as happenings overtook us."

"For example, on his admission to a care home, when I was highly stressed , I was asked when he was first diagnosed. I really couldn't remember but fortunately the date was in the journal so I could remind myself of when it was."

Carers will also benefit from the an online self-help training session, which has been put together by online carers one-stop shop Bridgit. This session aims to help carers understand what Bridgit can offer.

There is a new landing page to make it easier for carers to get the help they require.

Notes to Editors

The Carers Journal can be found - https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/documents/d/guest/my-carers-journal

Carers Rights Day is run by Carers UK - https://www.carersuk/org/news-and-campaigns/our-campaigns/carers-rights-day/

Information about Bridgit can be found - https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/bridgit-online-self-help-for-carers