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Welcome to this week's Independent Living news roundup.
06.05.20 Contents:
Less clapping, More action
New loneliness campaign
Hate crime documentary
More suppliers' COVID-19 arrangements
Loan equipment - please help!
Latest - Safe respite care
1. Less clapping, More action

Matthew Harris knows what it's like to be an unpaid carer. He looked after his mother until her death from Huntington's Disease.

Now a care support worker, though currently shielding, he finds the sight of politicians clapping for carers after years of neglecting their needs rather sickening.

You can read his passionate article here

 

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2. New loneliness campaign

The government has launched a campaign to try and combat the loneliness caused by COVID-19 lockdown.

If you live alone, the current situation will find you very much reliant on your own company - the more so if you are shielding. Maybe not too much of a problem if you are tech savvy and accustomed to connecting with others online. 

But many older people in particular are not on the internet, and for them, the loneliness must be acute...

Read more here

 

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3. Hate crime documentary

Disabled Producer/Director Richard Butchins is making a one hour documentary for BBC2 on disability hate crime. The production team are looking for disabled people to share their experiences of hate crime on camera.

Richard has a long track record of making films around disability. His most recent work for BBC1 investigated why the DWP has lost so many employment tribunals for disability discrimination. You can see it by following this link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programm...

The team would like to speak to people of all ages and disabilities. Initial conversations will be confidential and the parameters of contribution will be discussed individually without obligation. Please get in touch by emailing: dhc@hardcashproductions.com

 

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4. More suppliers' COVID-19 arrangements

As in last week's newsletter, details of some of the arrangements made by equipment suppliers during coronavirus lockdown.

Bakare has good stocks of profiling beds for express delivery, and has found that virtual assessments are going down well with both clients and OTs.

Prescription medical device supplier iMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally is maintaining customer support with free telephone and tele-video consultations, and deliveries as usual.

Kinderkey, who specialise in bespoke sleeping solutions, find that their live virtual assessments and product demonstrations are increasingly popular, thanks to their relaxed atmosphere.

And Moore UK, dedicated campaigner against DVT (blood clots) is combining socially isolated "business as usual" with sourcing new products and designing an innovative solution for child lymphoedema.

Independent Living is extremely grateful to all our commercial subscribers, who enable us to continue our work of providing free information and advice.

 

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5. Loan equipment - please help!

Community equipment stores are a great resource for providing equipment such as care beds, wheelchairs and other daily living aids on loan.

These items should then go back into the stores when no longer required, so that somebody else can benefit from them. 

But the current crisis has led to a significant drop in returns, so the British Healthcare Trades Association has launched an urgent appeal - equipment is required so that patients can be discharged from hospital and cared for safely in their own home.

More about returning community equipment

 

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6. Latest - Safe respite care

70% of family carers are providing more care than formerly, during the current crisis, and nearly nine out of ten of them are worrying about what would happen to their loved one if they were unable to keep caring for them for any reason.

Revitalise in Merseyside has just received extra funding that enables them to ensure disabled people can stay if necessary and receive their required care support safely at the charity's Sandpipers Centre

More details here

 

Don't forget that you can apply to join the Independent Living Facebook group, if you would like to spend more time discussing these themes with other interested people.

There are various ways you can get in touch with us: email me; visit our Facebook page and leave a message there; or if it's short and sweet, Tweet!

Previous newsletters are archived here.

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That's it until next week! 

Thank you for reading and best wishes,

Frances

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Frances Leckie
Editor

e: editor @ independentliving.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 208 133 0628
Skype: francesleckie
w: www.independentliving.co.uk
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