March 12, 2016

Equality Together took part in Self-care week in November.  Following on from that, a Twitter Chat was set up to encourage us to continue to work together and share ideas.  This is the basis of Peer Support, so who better than Paul Anderson, our Peer Support and Advocacy Manager, to take part and add to the buzz?

There were 5 main questions:

1. What examples are here of citizens actively supporting others in their communities?
2. How can we share good example and encourage others to spread good practice?
3. We’ve been talking about schemes where we encourage mutual support and sharing skills. Is this the key to successful projects?
4. What creative approaches are there which enable engagement with isolated individuals/ groups?
5. What role does technology have to play in building resilience in people’s health and wellbeing?

For the full summary go to   

 

March 12, 2016

Hello, I am Kathy and I work as a volunteer for Equality Together,  At the present my role entails working with our receptionist on the Information and Advice side of the organisation.
I started volunteering for them some years ago when we were DIAL then DaB, and as time has gone on things have changed and we have now become part of a larger setup; Equality Together.
My role as a helper for the reception area entails answering the phone, updating the data base with information about what a client has contacted us for and dealing with the post.  Sometimes we can’t always help, but we do our best to at least suggest other ways to help them.  Sometimes they just need to talk to someone.
When I first started, I had little or no skills on a computer, let alone a database, but over the years I have been able to learn so much and I now have another skill I didn’t have before.
I enjoy helping clients that drop om, and a few years ago I helped clients with form filling for things like a Blue Badge.
I really enjoy my work, and although I am 73 yeas of age. I still feel useful.
I have met many good friends and enjoy the social side of the role as well as meeting the clients.  It keeps my head working, and I always leave with a thank you from those I work with.  I will miss it a great deal, and when the time comes for me to leave I will be very sad.

 

If you are interested in volunteering with Equality Together, give us a call on .

March 10, 2016

What is it?

Attendance Allowance is a benefit paid to people over 65 who need additional care because they are physically or mentally disabled, and who are not on Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence payment.  It is paid at two different rates, depending on the level of care that you need.  It can also affect some of the other benefits you may receive and your carer could get Carer’s Allowance if you need substantial care.  Attendance Allowance does not cover mobility needs.

 What you’ll get

Attendance Allowance is paid weekly at 2 different rates – the one you get depends on the level of help you need.

Attendance Allowance rates

Rate	Level of help you need
Lower rate – £55.10	Frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night
Higher rate – £82.30	Help or supervision throughout both day and night, or you’re terminally ill

You could get extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction if you get Attendance Allowance – check with the helpline or office dealing with your benefit.

Are you eligible?

You can get Attendance Allowance if you’re 65 or over and the following apply:

• you have a physical disability (including sensory disability, eg blindness), a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or both
• your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else’s safety

You must also:

• be in Great Britain when you claim – there are some exceptions, eg members and family members of the Armed Forces
• have been in Great Britain for at least 2 of the last 3 years
• be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
• not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)

Assessments

You might be asked to attend an assessment to check your eligibility. You will receive a letter with all the details of the assessment and you can take someone with you.

You will need to take some ID with you, any of these will be best:

• birth certificate
• passport
• a full driving licence
• life assurance policy
• bank statements

How to Claim

You can call the following numbers to order a form to come to your house;

Telephone: 0345 605 6055
Textphone: 0345 604 5312
or you can download the form and print it off the government’s website and fill it and send it back.

How long will it take?

It will take about 40 working days to process your claim and it will be backdated to the day your form was received or when you contacted the helpline

Special rules – if you’re terminally ill

There are ‘special rules’ so you get Attendance Allowance more quickly if you’re not expected to live more than 6 months. You must:

• complete an Attendance Allowance form
• include a DS1500 medical condition report or send it soon after – these are free and you can only get them from a doctor, specialist or consultant

You can do this on behalf of someone else without their permission. The letter about the money awarded won’t mention ‘special rules’.

Important things to note

It is important to keep the Department of Work and Pensions up to date with the following information, as failure to do so can stop the benefit.

• the level of help you need or your condition changes
• you go into hospital or a care home for more than 4 weeks
• you go abroad for more than 13 weeks
• you’re imprisoned or held in detention

• you change your name, address or bank details
• you want to stop receiving your benefit
• your doctor’s details change

If you need any help with this, please contact our Welfare Rights advisers on .

March 10, 2016

“He was a completely different person, happy, smiley and relaxed about life.”

Mr S, who suffers with severe depression along with a number of other health conditions, approached Equality Together for assistance with his benefits through our Duty officer service.

At the first point of contact Mr S was extremely tearful and distressed and it was apparent he would benefit from additional support. Details of all of Equality Together’s other services were given to Mr S who felt he did not want to access them at this time.

After the caseworker had advised Mr S of his entitlements, they were able to assist with his application for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which was extremely daunting for Mr S. The caseworker assisting was able to offer advice and reassurance throughout the application process.

Once Equality Together had completed the work required, Mr S saw a significant increase in his weekly income, and there was clear improvement in his mood.

The caseworker who had assisted Mr S was able to re-introduce him to our other services, including the trips and activity days we offer, which Mr S showed an interest in. He was placed on a waiting list we hold, from which we contact people when we have trips and activities on offer.

An advisor rang him as there was a trip coming up shortly for disabled people and their carer to see the Blackpool Illuminations with a fish and chip supper.  The client was given all the information about the trip, in a very depressed voice he said he didn’t go out anywhere and generally sat with the curtains closed, he cried openly about his worries over benefits as he was being re-assessed for Personal Independent Payment.  We left the client to think about going on the trip, when he was rung again, he had decided to go on the trip with his carer C.

When the day of the trip arrived, they both really enjoyed it and as the day went on his mood changed, he was friendly and talkative with other people on the trip, he exchanged notes, particularly about benefits.

The advisor saw the client again in Carlisle Business Centre and gave him the details of an upcoming trip to the Yorkshire Dales, he said he had a dental appointment that day, but was prepared to change the appointment in order that he could go on the trip, there was no hesitation regarding the trip to the Dales.

When seen at CBC, he was a totally different person, happy, smiley and enthusiastic about life.  He is looking forward to going on the Yorkshire Dales trip on the 23 March 2016 and had just had a few days in Italy with his carer that he had thoroughly enjoyed also.

March 10, 2016

We recently had a visit from West Yorkshire Fire Service to train some of the Equality Together staff on their new referral system.  They are anxious to get in touch with as many people as possible that they think are in their “at risk” groups.  Many of these are disabled and so more at risk of fire, so they want to help reduce that risk as much as possible.  

The way they can help is in fitting working smoke detectors, vibrating smoke detectors for those with a hearing loss, expert advice and measures to keep your house safer depending on your circumstances.
The people they want to talk to are:

• those who a struggle to get around,
• those with sensory loss,
• those whose medication or illness makes them drowsy or sleep heavier,
• those on oxygen therapies,
• those with alcohol or substance misuse issues
• those with mental health disorders
• those who don’t smoke safely and
• those who have a lot of things in their houses

If you fit into one of those categories, are worried about fire safety in your house or you don’t have working fire alarms you can either ring the Fire Service direct on 0800 5874536 or contact Equality Together on and one of our Information Team will refer you on for a fire safety check.

March 6, 2016

WE NEED YOU!

Equality Together is taking part in the 2^nd The Lord Mayor’s Appeal Dragon Boat Race on the 7^th May 2016, and we need your help!  Our team name is Disability Rocks the Boat.

We need 16-20 people to power our boat, plus a drummer to keep us all paddling together.

We’d like as many disabled people as we can to have the opportunity to have a go, and show the thousands of people who come to watch what Equality Together believes in, which is that if we remove the barriers in our way, anything is possible!

Would you like to take part?

We’re going to have a training session at Doe Park Watersports Centre, Denholme, in April to learn what’s involved and practice how to make the boats go as fast as possible.

We took part last year, and all the racers had a great day, laughed a lot, and stayed mostly dry!

 

Here is a comment from one of last year’s Dragon Boaters:

“I’m 70 yours old, and have been visually impaired for about 25 years.  I got the chance to have a go at the Dragon boat race last year and I’ve never really done anything like that before.  It was a bit cold and wet, but I met loads of new people and really enjoyed myself. There was lots of support, and anyone who wants to can give it a go.” John

On Wednesday 24^th February, all the Captains of registered teams were summoned to City Hall for tea & scones with the Lord Mayor.  This gave us a chance to get to know each other, find out the plans for the big day, and start to build the rivalries!

This year seems to have grown beyond the huge success it was last year, with bands lined up, food stalls, kids’ entertainment, and beer tents to make the day have a real festival atmosphere.  All the races will be shown on the big screen.

It promises to be a fantastic day, and we’d love to see you all there, cheering us on!

If you’re interested, please contact Jane on 494121, e-mail on , or leave a message on our Facebook page – Equality Together

If you can’t join us in the boat, why not sponsor us here:

https://localgiving.com/fundraising/equalitytogether

Or better still, join us on the day in Roberts Park to cheer us on!