Information

Direct line on information for carers

A Carers Direct hotline has been launched as a one-stop information and advice service

for carers looking after ill, frail or disabled friends and relatives.

Funded by £2.8 million a year, Carers Direct includes:

* Details of support available, including assessments, benefits, direct payments,

individual budgets and time off.
* Help to maintain, leave or return to employment
* Help in education or training.
* Advice on how carers maintain or improve their social and emotional well-being

and their physical and mental health.
* Access to health and social care for the person being cared for.
* How to access information about, and support from, health and social care services

for the person being cared for.

Phone 0808 802 0202

or see www.nhs.uk/carersdirect

There is also a training course, Caring with Confidence,available face-to-face,

online and by distance learning www.caringwithconfidence.net

    Suffolk County/Suffolk Coastal Demograpics,Trends & Carers

 The most recent population estimate indicates Suffolk has 702,000 residents.

 The number of people aged 85 or older is predicted to rise by 14,200 in Suffolk
between 2001 and 2021; and the largest increases are likely to be in Suffolk
Coastal and Babergh.

 The overall population of Suffolk will increase by 9.5%

over the twenty-year periodbetween 2001 and 2021

 Urban areas in the County have a younger age structure than rural areas. This may
have implications for the many elderly people living in isolated locations away from
services and support.

 According to the 2001 Census, 39% of the over-65s in Suffolk currently live in
either Suffolk Coastal or Waveney.

 The growth in the elderly population increases with successive age bands, with a
49% growth in the over 65s by 2021 and a 90% growth in the over 85s.

This implies a significant rise in demand for all age related services and support,
including Carers...

There were 66,133 unpaid Carers in Suffolk according to the 2001 census...

The Commission for Social Care Inspection report, “The State of Social Care In England
2005-06” described support for Carers as "one of the biggest public policy challenges
of our time". Supporting Carers is important because it enables them to attend to
their own health and lifestyle needs, such as access to employment, leisure or education
opportunities.

According to the 2001 Census, there are 66,133 unpaid family carers of all ages in
Suffolk, comprising just under 10% of the total population. The Census figures include
32 children aged between 5 and 9 who provide between 20 and 50 hours care per week
and 127 children aged between 10 and 15 providing the same amount of care.There are 18,842 carers who provide over 20 hours of carea week, including 64 who are over 90 years old.

There is a statutory duty on all local authorities to inform family carers

about their right to an assessment and for the local authority

to carry out such an assessment when requested.

When carrying out the assessment the local authority must consider the
needs of the Carer in their own right, as well as in relation to their caring role.

This means the assessment must take in to account the Carer’s own unique lifestyle
aspirations, with particular regard to employment, education and leisure

when determining a package of services for the cared for person.

The nature of this assessment means that demand for carers’ services

is increasing, and is expected to continue toincrease.

Some of the other factors contributing to an increase in demand are:

 More people with a severe learning disability or other previously life-limiting
condition are living longer and remaining in the community with very complex needs.

 Increased life-expectancy means some very elderly couples are caring for each other.

 The over 65 population for the County is forecast to increase by 49% between 2001
and 2021. The over-85 population is forecast to increase by 90%

 Raised expectationsby Carers regarding their own careers and life-styles,
particularly for women, who increasingly have a dual role as both Carers and
active (often part-time) workers in the economy.

 Families are now much more geographically dispersed and fragmented so that
members no longer live near each other or have the time to help out.

 A significant move over recent decades away from institutional care in all forms,
including minimising the length of in-patient hospital care.

 The respite care provided by health services on their own sites,

for example for people with severe learning disabilities,

is being transferred to Suffolk County Council for community provision

in line with the objective of promoting inclusion and achieving ordinary lives.

 An increasingly diverse community means that services have to be increasingly
flexible to ensure that they respond to the needs of people

from all cultural and religious backgrounds.

Respite

Crossroads is a voluntary organisation who support Carers by offering home based respite services. They recruit fully trained Carer Support Workers

to spend time with the person with care needs to give the Family Carer a much needed break.

This can either be in the home of the Carer Support Worker

or can take the cared for out if appropriate, to somewhere of there choice.

They are funded by Suffolk County Council who provide them with annual grants

for adults and children.

Their service level agreement states they can offer up to 3 hours per week, on average,

to each family, depending on assessed needs.
One member of staff if allocated to each family on a planned basis to ensure consistency.

Flexible visits can also be arranged but they are unable

to guarentee it will be the same Carer Support Worker attending each time

as they all have busy rotas.

They also run group activities but currently these are all in Ipswich.

for futher information, please contact:

Paula Benneworth
Care Manager
South East Suffolk Crossroads
Tel: 01473 730455