This week we celebrate Carers! This is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring services, focus on the challenges carers face and recognise the value they provide to families and communities throughout the UK. It is also an opportunity for the people with caring responsibilities to identify as home carers and access the support they need.
Thousands of individuals and organisations have come together to make this week happen. The theme for 2022 Carers Week is ‘Make caring visible, valued and supported’.
We looked at the history of caring services and how they developed over time. It was sun an interesting read, that we decided to share our findings with you.
In 1963 Reverend Mary Webster wrote a letter to press and described the difficulties she had when working and caring for elderly parents. 2 years later she formed the National Council for the Single Woman and Her Dependents (NCSWD). This later became Carers UK and marked the beginning of The Carers' movement.
It took 9 years to recognise the hard work of Carers and establish the first benefit for Carers, from 1967 when the first ever legal right for carers - Dependent Relative Tax Allowance - was established, to the introduction of Invalid Care Allowance in 1976. This allowance was first available only for unmarried people. This changed in 1986 when couples got the right to claim Invalid Carers Allowance after married women and men won their case in the European Court.
In 1981 Judith Oliver founded another organisation, the Association of Carers. This was an organisation for all Carers. The ethos of this organisation was member-led, and is written into Carers UK's constitution to this day.
This Association joins with the National Council for Carers and their Elderly Dependents (previously the NCSWD) in 1988 to create a single voice for carers in the form of the Carers National Association, led by Baroness Jill Pitkeathley.
Since then various legal aspects of caring services were looked at and developed.
It was recognised that Carers had needs in their own right and the right to time off to deal with emergencies and the right to request flexible working; rights for state pension and benefits.
In 2008 Carers won protection against discrimination and harassment at work after Carer Sharon Coleman took her case to the European Court. In 2010 the Equality has given Carers protections from discrimination for the first time.
Loads of efforts have been given to take care services to the present level. You can tailor the care to suit your requirement – for elderly and young, to assist people with various medical conditions or to be a companion; Carers can work on an hourly basis or live with you in the comfort of your own home day and night - this is called Live-in Care.
This week we would like to show our appreciation to our Live-in Carers. We were one of the first private Live in Care agencies in the country. Access Care was started in 1994 by founder Judie Tighe when she realised there was a real problem in the homecare market. Having witnessed the difficulties her mother had finding help for her father following a hospital admission, she made it her mission to transform the process of organising Livein Care so those people who need it and those family members who arrange it have access to a courteous, efficient and safe service.
28 years from her original vision the company has passed from mother to daughter and is now run by Tiggy Bradshaw and a handpicked team, all of whom take a personal interest in each and every Home Carer and Client.
The legacy of our continued success is the wealth of wisdom, experience and traditional values which underpin our day-to-day operations. When you register as a Client with Access Care to find your perfect Living in Carer we know you are placing your trust in us. This trust, and our dedication to improving the quality of life for your loved one are what inspires us to provide exceptional customer service and the most satisfying experience possible. We are particular about who we represent both from a Client and Domiciliary Carer perspective as we want to ensure roles are long-lasting and relationships enduring.
To find out more about Live-in Care, contact our team today on 01264 319 399 or email hello@access-care.co.uk