2012

My heart sank when listening to the news yesterday about care in the home for the elderly and disabled.
The government said local authorities were responsible for non-residential care and charges should be affordable.
Shadow health minister Liz Kendall said the services were a "lifeline" for many people and the increases in home care charges for older and disabled people were "a stealth tax on the most vulnerable in society".
Meals on wheels has gone up by 13%and transport up by 33% over the last 2 years.
We are all too aware that councils have to reign in on their spending ,but I do hope in 2012 that the most venerable in our society will be protected from cuts that help them to live independent and fulfilled lives.
The unsung hero's in this is the carer who very often has to sacrifice things in their own lives to look after the ones they love.
So as we say goodbye to 2011 ,we open our arms to 2012.

Christmas wishes

Thankyou to everyone who has visited or left a message on my blog site.
I wish you all a happy and peaceful  christmas .

Direct Payments

I have been thinking about Direct Payments and the issue of it being like running a small business.
This is because you are in charge of your own budget ,you hire and fire your own pa`s, you have to submit time sheets for your pa`s,and an end of year accounts will have to be produced.You can have help from the independent living centre with these issues,but there may be a charge for this service so it would be best to check.
There is a good government website which is worth having a look at for ideas and guidance,the link is below
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

You will be able to get help with advertising for a PA position and with CRB checks.

Hustle and Bustle

As we are hustle and bustling with the last run up to Christmas ,my mind has been wandering ... thoughts of the only thing we wanted to happen at Christmas was for our daughter to have a day where she felt well.
She loved all the sparkly lights and candles of Christmas, as I still do :)
As I am writing this post for my blog I am thankful for the tecnology of computers which has made so many life changes for disabled people ,making sending Christmas greetings in the form of e.mails to friends and family easy ,and shopping on line thus being able to choose gifts giving that personal touch and pleasure of being able to chose for yourself ... what great changes tecnology has made to peoples lives and their independence.

My Childs Not Perfect

Hi there,
I watched with interest a programme this week entitled " My Child's Not Perfect " .. it is always interesting to see different parents views, but no matter what the reason for or the severity of your child's needs one thing is always the same .. Why my child ?? I did everything correct ..why me ?? 
Of course there is no answer, and you never get over the fact that things are different for your family, and you never get over the fact that things are not as they should be ,you just learn to adapt.
It is an amazing journey and you will meet some amazing people along the way, but the journey will be made easier if the right help is found ,you will need support from the many organisations out there and from council run social services.In our local newspaper over the last few weeks they are doing information pieces about adult social care and it is very informative.Maybe your council has contact with access social care team in your area or visit www.mylifemyway.co.uk