A place for those with a caring responsibility to share experience and views, information and advice, and to offer each other support - or simply a listening ear or a place to vent.
Foster carer and O.U. study how do you do it?
Hi I am new to Forums but just wonder if anyone has any advice on how to juggle study and care, i seem to be constantly behind on each deadline for TMA,s. I currently care for two little people with attachment/ADHD lables and only seem to have time to study if they are asleep, which is rare and unpredictable. I love reading O.U. material and having something that isnt just being a mum or carer and would like to keep learning?
Hi I am new to Forums but just wonder if anyone has any advice on how to juggle study and care, i seem to be constantly behind on each deadline for TMA,s. I currently care for two little people with attachment/ADHD lables and only seem to have time to study if they are asleep, which is rare and unpredictable. I love reading O.U. material and having something that isnt just being a ...
Where did my husband go? - a carer's blog
"You could explain what happened to me as being widowed and then presented with a helpless stranger to care for in the same split second. Where did my soulmate – my lover and best friend – go? I’m not sure, but I think over time I’ve found most of him." carolm_12582
How do you cope when you suddenly become your loved one's carer? Check out this really well written and interesting Carer's blog I've just discovered on the Princess Royal Trust for Carers website.
"You could explain what happened to me as being widowed and then presented with a helpless stranger to care for in the same split second. Where did my soulmate – my lover and best friend – go? I’m not sure, but I think over time I’ve found most of him." carolm_12582 How do you cope when you suddenly become your loved one's carer? Check ...
Peace of mind for carers
The survey covers 49 schemes in the UK where carers have an agreed plan in place should an emergency affect their ability to continue caring. Many surveyed said that having such plans in place gave them the confidence to be able to live their own lives.
JW, a 90-year-old carer for his wife, who is registered for one such scheme, said the main advantage for him was that it provided peace of mind: ‘When one is a carer, one’s constant worry is what happens to one's cared-for if something happens.’
To read the full story click here.
Having someone to turn to for alternative care in an emergency gives carers peace of mind. This is the finding of a new national survey conducted by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. The survey covers 49 schemes in the UK where carers have an agreed plan in place should an emergency affect their ability to continue caring. Many surveyed said that having such plans in ...
Introductions
Hello fellow carers,
I thought I'd get the ball rolling by introducing myself,
Hi, I'm Janine. I care mainly for my eldest son who just turned 14 and has been diagnosed with ADHD and an ASC (Asperger syndrome). My youngest son, aged 11, also needs some extra support as he has Dyspraxia. I am a single parent and have been studying with the OU since 2007, hopefully I'll have completed a degree in Psychology by 2013.
Hello fellow carers, I thought I'd get the ball rolling by introducing myself, Hi, I'm Janine. I care mainly for my eldest son who just turned 14 and has been diagnosed with ADHD and an ASC (Asperger syndrome). My youngest son, aged 11, also needs some extra support as he has Dyspraxia. I am a single parent and have been studying with the OU since 2007, hopefully I'll have completed a ...
What could the OU do to make it easier for carers?
A conference has just heard some suggestions for ways in which the OU could better support those who are studying while caring. What would you change or suggest to us?
A conference has just heard some suggestions for ways in which the OU could better support those who are studying while caring. What would you change or suggest to us?
Studying while you care conference
An OU conference to look at supporting carers who are studying has heard that learning at all life stages is a universal right.
One of Parliament's most vocal champions for carers, Dr Hywel Francis MP, told the conference that more still needed to be done to convince policy-makers that higher education is not populated only by 18-year-olds but 'arguably the most pressurised and marginalised section of society' - carers - who are 'entitled to learning at all stages of life'.
As ever, he noted 'finance is the biggest barrier for carers wishing to study'.
Carers UK Director of Policy and Public Affairs Emily Holzhausen echoed his message, quoting University of Leeds research which showed carers were less likely to have higher education qualifications than their peers. "Caring is unpredictable so flexibility of really important. It's critical we continue to be pioneers to offer more flexible forms of learning."
improving services for carers
In workshop sessions conference participants had a range of suggestions to make the OU even more open to carers, including
- the opportunity for students to identify themselves as having a caring responsibility in their records
- advocates to support them in asking for and accessing additional help
- awareness training for those who have direct contact with students
- dedicated advisers for carers
But the most powerful argument for providing greater support for carers throughout all education came from the carers themselves - among them OU student Maxi who spoke of her plans to use her OU humanities degree to enter teacher training: "I love learning - it affirms life!"
What would you change to make university education more accessible for carers? Comment in the forum.
Participants at a conference for those who are studying while caring had plenty of suggestions for making higher education more accessible to them.
An OU conference to look at supporting carers who are studying has heard that learning at all life stages is a universal right. One of Parliament's most vocal champions for carers, Dr Hywel Francis MP, told the conference that more still needed to be done to convince policy-makers that higher education is not populated only by 18-year-olds but 'arguably the most pressurised and marginalised ...
