Carers Oxfordshire

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Although June has not been the sunniest ever, Carers Oxfordshire brightened the dull wet days by wearing yellow and ‘Shining for Carers’ throughout National Carers Week and beyond. Thank you to all of you who helped with events, activities and awareness raising throughout another very successful week.

‘Time Out For Carers’

I am attaching information about our exciting new service which is just launching, ‘Time Out for Carers’. This is a voluntary support service for carers provided by our partner organisation, Guideposts, offering short respite breaks through a range of options in the home and out in the community.  For more information please email breynolds@guideposts.org.uk or telephone Ben Reynolds on 01993 899980/0781 5559 479.

‘Rally Round’

Also, very exciting news about our new online service which is bringing together Oxfordshire carers to help their loved ones stay safe and well at home. Rally Round https://www.rallyroundme.com/carersoxfordshire is a free digital network which enables family members, friends and carers to create and organise support for themselves and the person they care for. Rally Round, is backed by Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) and Carers Oxfordshire and was designed to help frail older people and their family carers, but can be used to help anyone who needs more practical support. Again I have attached a leaflet and if you would like any more information please don’t hesitate to contact my colleague Michelle Evans on 01235 849470 or email michelleevans@carersoxfordshire.org.uk. Hard copies of both these leaflets are available from this office.

Please keep the date – Thursday 1st December 2016 for our 4th not to be missed annual ‘Caring Matters Conference’ celebrating National Carers Right Day. I have attached a flier for the event and further details will follow next month, including information about how to book your place!

I would like to take this opportunity to extend a huge thank you to the new High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Mrs Sarah Taylor who has chosen to support carers in her year in office.  Sarah held a magnificent fundraising event for carers at her home at Rycote Park on Saturday 25th June and we are eternally grateful to her for her ongoing support this year.

“I have chosen in my year to highlight the plight of carers: those unsung people, both adults and children, who look after relatives, friends and neighbours who are ill or disabled. Carers often experience isolation and ill-health and those 1 in 10 of children who are carers suffer both socially and academically.”  Sarah Taylor.

Catherine Blaxhall

Head of Carers Support, OxBEL & MLMD

Action for Carers (Oxfordshire)

Tel: 01235 424 715

Direct Line: 01235 849472

Mob: 0755 7430 881

www.carersoxfordshire.org.uk

Level 2 | The Charter | Abingdon | Oxfordshire | OX14 3LZ

Sad news – Keith Walton

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Keith Walton passed away at Sobel House on Weds 29th. Keith started as a volunteer in 2009 and was a loved and valued volunteer, he will be missed by all at the Centre.  We send our sympathies to his wife Val and his family.
Keith’s funeral is being held at Baptist Church, Wantage Road, Didcot at 1pm Wednesday 6th July followed by a celebration of his life at Steventon House Hotel from 2.30.

MS – New therapy but a dilemma for patients

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Multiple sclerosis in the body's cells

Source BBC News:

There has been a widespread welcome for news that a new therapy involving stem cell transplants has halted or reversed the symptoms of advanced multiple sclerosis in a small number of patients. Read on.

Caroline Wyatt ‘utterly overwhelmed’ by support as she reveals she is stepping down from BBC reporting duties after multiple sclerosis diagnosis

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Caroline Wyatt ‘utterly overwhelmed’ by support as she reveals she is stepping down from BBC reporting duties after multiple sclerosis diagnosis

Source BBC:
Caroline Wyatt, the veteran BBC war correspondent, is to step down from reporting duties after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The BBC announced yesterday that Wyatt, who has spent more than twenty years at the corporation, had battled with the symptoms of MS, which can include fatigue and impaired mobility, for a number of years, but had only recently been diagnosed with the condition.  Read on.

Myelination Relies on Mechanical Stimuli Like That Used for Bone Repair, Study finds.

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Myelination Relies on Mechanical Stimuli Like That Used for Bone Repair, Study finds.

Source Multiple Sclerosis News Today:

Researchers at the University of Buffalo’s Hunter James Kelly Research Institute (HJKRI) discovered that the cells that form myelin in the nervous system respond to mechanical stimulation by activating molecules from a specific pathway, which are transferred to the nucleus, triggering myelination.  Read on.

Four new risk genes associated with multiple sclerosis discovered

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Source EurekAlert:

Scientists of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry have identified four new risk genes that are altered in German patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The results point to a possible involvement of cellular mechanisms in the development of the disease, through which environmental influences affect gene regulation. The research project was supported by the German Competence Network Multiple Sclerosis (KKNMS).  Read on.

New report calls for neurology care to be delivered closer to home

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Source MS Trust:

The Thames Valley Strategic Clinical Network launches a new report (link is external) calling for improvements in neurological services provided in the community.

The report slams the current provision of care for people with long-term neurological conditions, describing it as unsatisfactory from all perspectives, including those of patients, carers and commissioners (the people who plan and buy services). It draws a picture of care that is centred around institutions rather than patients, and cautions that this lack of integrated care results in delayed access to expert advice, particularly in times of crisis.  Read on.

Designer Creates a Line of Jeans Specifically for Wheelchair Users

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Source: The Mighty

Heidi McKenzie has always loved fashion.

As a child, she insisted on picking out her own outfits. As a teen, she designed her junior year prom dress with the help of her aunt. And as an adult, McKenzie is the mind behind an innovative new fashion line.

McKenzie studied fashion merchandising in the hopes of becoming a buyer for an apparel store. But after a 2007 car accident that left her a paraplegic at the age of 21, she discovered a new vision.  Read on.

Centre Publicity at GP Surgeries

Posted by & filed under Centre News.

On your next trip to see your GP’s can you inform them about the facilities available at the Centre and take some centre leaflets (available from Sue) and ask your surgery if they would display them please?