Mike O'Brien🏴#UnpaidCarerAssembly
@Mikeo56977865
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Representing unpaid carers as an unpaid carer rep on Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board. DM's are open. Email - info @voices .wales Views my own.
Barry, Wales
Joined July 2020
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If you've read our report from the inaugural Cardiff and Vale Unpaid Carers Assembly then you will have noticed that the second assembly is coming this year. October 2nd 2024. Watch this space. 👀
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There's already millions of us out there propping up the health service and we're called unpaid carers.
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He wants to try being an unpaid carer. He'd soon stop his moaning about not being rewarded.
🚨 | NEW: Rishi Sunak is finding being Prime Minister "difficult" over the last few weeks and doesn't feel like he's being rewarded for anything
[
@ShippersUnbound
]
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Unpaid carers don't volunteer, most of us have no choice. Would you leave your loved ones?
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For those Tories out there who do not understand. I and millions of others caring for friends and loved ones are unpaid carers. We are not and never will be volunteers.
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Can we please stop using images of carers sitting and having a chat and start using images that show the reality of unpaid care.
#RealCarersWeek
This
#carersweek
, we'd like to say a big thank you to all carers for the amazing work you do every day ❤️
We’re here to support you, especially throughout the cost-of-living crisis.
Find out what support is available here 👇
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To all those saying that unpaid carers claiming carers allowance are in fact paid - Would you work essentially 168 hour pw and only get paid for just over 7 hours at minimum wage?
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4am on interview day, wide awake and already feeling the nerves. First interview in many years.
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Bowel cancer screening test came back all clear! Still need to find out what the problem is, but that's one weight off my mind.
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Just had the PIP appeal decision through and the panel have back dated the claim to Feb 23.
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Just had a phone call confirming I got the role of unpaid carer rep on the Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board. Have also been asked to sit on the unpaid carer board.
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FAB NEWS! Was due to attend an appeal hearing re PIP for one of my parents today. Just had a phone call to say no need to attend as panel have reviewed the evidence and the appeal has been successful.
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Just had mums PIP review back which we opened with dread only to be relieved that she has now been given the enhanced daily living award.
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Job Vacancy - full-time carer for one person or more.
Hours - 24/7/365
Pay £69.70 pw if you're one of the lucky 10% entitled
Training - None given
Responsibilities/roles - Pharmacist, admin worker, solicitor, chef, maid, taxi service, counsellor, physiotherapist, nurse/doctor
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Having cared for my daughter for 33 years and claimed carer’s allowance for only half of that period because I didn’t know that I was entitled to it, I am angry that next year, on reaching the state pension age, this will be taken away from me.
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I had a thought just now - people all to often say that unpaid carers are scrounging off the benefit system, but if you think about it it's actually the government scrounging off us. We get paid a pittance (if eligible) and we save the country billions of pounds each year.
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Going over the rainbow bridge. 😢 Run free, wild and pain free sweet Ruby. 😢
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I see
@Jeremy_Hunt
used the same old Tory party line last night when questioned about Carers Allowance by
@MartinSLewis
. He wants to try living on £76 a week whilst providing 24/7 care for two elderly and disabled adults with no support from the local authority.
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Surely she can't be serious?
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FINALLY! Just had the email to say that my application for the £500 unpaid carer support payment has been approved.
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Jam doughnuts are an acceptable breakfast, right?
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Dear
@GOVUK
Please stop talking of unpaid carers as if we're providing a voluntary service. Volunteering is a choice and for many unpaid carers there was no choice. Also volunteers have much better rights than we do. No health and safety or working time protections for carers.
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Can we all please remember that it's not only paid workers who will be working right through Xmas, millions of unpaid carers up and down the country will still be caring for their loved ones and to us it's just another day.
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Well that was a tough visit. Mum telling me where all of her jewellery is, what to sell and what it’s worth in case she doesn’t come home and then she starts crying. Stayed strong in front of her, but had a cry on the way home.
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Kwasi Kwarteng now penalising those claiming benefits who don't look for more hours, yet as unpaid carers we can only work so many hours before losing ALL of our carers allowance and some don't have the time to work as they care full-time.
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Don't believe it. Actually going to get some respite in May. Family member actually offered to take parents to West Wales for a week as they thought I could do with a break.
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Seeing as everyone else that will be working over the festive period is getting a thank you, here's a big shout out to all the
#UnpaidCarers
who will be carrying on as normal and keeping their loved ones safe and sound.
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Time carers organisations and charities stopped showing the nicey nicey pics of carers and start showing the down and dirty side of caring. No wonder the general public don't get what we truly do 24/7/365.
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Unpaid carers - list your daily tasks.
Cleaner/cook
admin worker
mental health nurse
PA
Finances
Shopper
IT support
Physical support
Lawyer/solicitor
Policy expert
Secretary
Taxi
Medical support
Pharmacist
Researcher
and the list goes on.........
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Well, here we are. God knows how given some of the stupid things I did in my youth, but I made to half a century.
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So got some great news this afternoon. No more PIP reviews until October 2028!
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Interview done now and feel it went well. Will find out either today or tomorrow if I was successful.
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Guessing they don't train their staff in inclusion here.🤬
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Time to get ready and hit the road. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please!🤞🤞
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Mum now been allocated a side room and is now settled in bed and under good care, so on the way home shortoy.
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Finally got biopsy results through and nothing out of the ordinary found. One less stress on my plate.
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#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
Needing to take meds to help with you mental health is nothing to be ashamed of.
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So, the clocks go back by 1 hour tonight, but how many
#UnpaidCarers
will get to enjoy an extra hour in bed?
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I see the benefits bashers are out in force again today. Believe me, I’d happily work if I could, but being a full time carer for two doesn’t leave enough hours in the day.
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On way to hospital now. No ambulance so getting ourselves there.
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Please spare a thought today for Lynn (
@Carer49
) whose husband Derek passed away last night. Deepest condolences from all of us here, Lynn. Sleep well and RIP Derek.
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@fmwales
Please keep masks mandatory in retail settings as well and reconsider the decision over masks in schools.
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Good news! Mum been given the all clear and will be back home later on this afternoon. Thanks to all those who have shown concern, sent best wishes to mum and been so supportive this last couple of weeks.
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Just come from a carers group meeting and totally shocked by something I heard. Did you know that if Margaret Thatcher hadn't broken the link between earnings increases and Carers Allowance that CA would now be double what it is today?
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Just heard the news that 3 of the 4 boys who fell through the ice at a lake in Solihull have died. RIP little ones.💔Thoughts with their families and friends.
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To all the
#UnpaidCarers
out there - May you find a chance to rest this festive period.
To all those you have lost a loved one - May your memories be happy and I hope you find some small pleasures this festive period.
To all those working in the NHS and Social Care - Thank you.
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You’ve obviously never filled out a PIP form.
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My thoughts today go out to
@widow_waiting
and
@AddressingLife
and their families as they face the toughest of challenges that any of us as carers will ever face.
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Put in a request for a carers needs assessment this morning. Not sure what will come of it, but I feel that after 2 years of caring during a pandemic that I've now reached breaking point and need some support and respite.
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Q - Who picks up the pieces when
#UnpaidCarers
break?
A - Nobody. We're expected to keep on going no matter how broken we are.
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I DID NOT volunteer to give up my career.
I DID NOT volunteer to give up my social life and friends
I DID NOT volunteer to work 168 hours a week.
I DID NOT volunteer to have sleepless nights
I DID NOT volunteer to have my own mental and physical health put on the back burner.
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#UnpaidCarers
save the country billions of £s each year, so why aren't governments doing more to support us through the CoL crisis. Its time CA was increased to reflect the amount of work we as carers do 24/7/365. No more words, lets' see some action.
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Finally home and mum settled now.
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So carers allowance is being debated in Westminster this coming Wednesday. Anyone hazard a guess at how many Tories will turn up for the debate?
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So here we are on the Saturday of Carers Week 2022 and is anyone feeling more visible, supported and valued? Would be a big no from me.
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Just had another call from mum. Main consultant has been round to see her this morning and things are moving in the right direction and looking good for starting on the heart meds tomorrow. 🤞🤞
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Never heard bagpipes played like this before. 😯
Okay, stop whatever the fuck you’re doing and listen to this!
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Mum sounding much happier this morning and more like her normal self and even having a laugh with me. Still a way to go yet, but at least thinks are moving in the right direction.
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Just spoke with mum on the phone and she was going to have her breakfast and then sit outside in the garden area of the ward for a while with her iPad. Sounding much better again this morning and had a good sleep last night.
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OMG! Actually getting some respite tomorrow for the first time in well over a year. Neighbour/friend going to sit with parents for a couple of hours, so going out for a coffee with friends. Won't lie and say I'm not nervous, but making myself take a break.
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I don't know if any of them will see this, but a huge thanks to all the NHS nurses and doctors at Llandough Hospital
@CV_UHB
for the fantastic way you treated my mum yesterday when we arrived at the Medical Emergency Assessment Unit.
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I DID NOT volunteer for any of this
I became an unpaid carer to keep my parents safe and cared for because your government and the local authorities constantly fail our loved ones.
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#RealCarersWeek
Mum had another fall last night, so got to use the lifting cushion for real and it made things SO much easier. Thanks to all those who donated and helped make this possible when our LA turned their backs on us.
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Dad's colonoscopy done and no cancer. Thank god!
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So today is the day we start getting to the bottom of mums cognitive issues. Whether it's caused by infection, medication or mums heart failure we will, as we've done for a long time now, take this journey together. GP appointment at 3:30 pm marks the start of a new journey.
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Here we go. My ugly mug on the telly.
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Dear governments of the UK nations,
We are now entering the third year of this horror show and unpaid carers are breaking, on their knees and crying out for support. When are you going to start listening to us and give us more support both physically and financially.
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Janey very clearly expressing how many of us feel. Some of the replies to her tweet are bloody heartbreaking and should be read out to Boris Johnson.
We didnae break the rules here.
I didn’t break the rules, I had to wait seven weeks for a cancer operation as I had covid at the time and that was the rules ( you had to wait 7 weeks if you had covid) - the cancerous cyst burst inside me waiting to be removed SO NO I DIDN’T BREAK THE RULES
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All I see is a sleeping dog.
Apparently, if you can see two people hugging, you're left-brained, and if you can see a dinosaur, you're right-brained. What do you see in the mountain?
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Mum update - She’s looking much, much better today. Had a good chat with her doctor and they’ve started her on the heart meds, referred her back to the diabetic clinic and the cardiologist clinic will be seeing her as often they need to as well to keep an eye……..
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#WhatMakesACarerCry
- Seeing your mum having a bad day and wishing you could take all the pain away from her. 😢
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Just been invited to attend a surgery with Alun Cairns (MP for the Vale of Glamorgan) to discuss the last government response to the petition asking for better financial support for unpaid carers. The one where they basically said we are volunteers and have a choice.
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Woke in the early hours with my mind racing and doing what carers do - hoping for the best whilst planning for the worst and wondering how the hell a carer carries on with no support if they themselves could be seriously ill.
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Seeing this come up more and more lately about whether or not you can be classed as an unpaid carer if you are claiming CA. CA is such a pittance that I'd say it hardly makes us paid carers.
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Dear Caroline,
We don't want photographs or shout outs, we want to be treated fairly, we want benefits reform to make it fairer to all, we want to see real change being made and we want to see an end to the mainstream media vilifying disabled people and those who care for them.
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Keys that nobody knows what they're for.
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Quite a lot of new followers lately so a little about me:
Live in Barry South Wales
Unpaid carer for both elderly/disabled parents
Campaigner for carers rights, recognition and equality
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Back from seeing mum now and she's looking much perkier compared to Sunday. She was off to x-ray as I left and then another ecg after that, plus more blood tests this morning. Surprised she has any blood left.
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Going to be doing an interview with an ITV News film crew and reporter re the cost of living and energy prices. Not sure when it will be aired yet, but will keep you posted.
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Getting worried about mum now. Her short term memory is getting worse and some days she's completely incoherent at times. Time for a chat with the GP I think.
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FGS! Do these clowns not understand how dentistry works?Not like you pop along to your local therapist and ask for a filling or extraction as part of the service. You honestly couldn’t make this nonsense up
Rishi Sunak, "One example of reform is in dentistry, where we can have people who are not dentists, like therapists, will do more dental work."
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Mums had a fall and I've put my back out trying to get her up again, so currently waiting on an ambulance. 7-8 hours wait which means no more sleep tonight.
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Made by mum as a token of her appreciation. It's the little things that can make a persons day.
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Dear
#UnpaidCarers
, if you do fill out this survey, please don't forget to point that we are NOT 'economically inactive' and that in fact we save the state over £162 billion a year which is the equivalent of a second NHS.
#UnpaidCarers
@WeAreCarers
During Carers Week on Thursday 8th June there is going to be a parliamentary debate titled 'National Carers Week and respite for carers'.
Fill out the short survey by midday on Wednesday June 8th to get our voices heard.
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Been shortlisted for the unpaid care rep position with the Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board. Next step is the interview which is something I haven't done for a long time.
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Some good news! OT has approved outdoor handrails for mum. Going through as a minor works, so no need for DFG application. Happy with that result!
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Who cares for the carers. That's it. That's the tweet.
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Thank you all for all the kind messages of concern. Too many to answer individually, but here’s an update on mum. X-ray showed fluid on her lungs and her blood gasses were out of whack as well, so they’re keeping her in to get her sorted.
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Hey folks, little old me has had an article published by
@wearepsychreg
Thanks to Dennis for publishing my article, to all the carers who shared their stories and to
@Siobhan_ODwyer
for her time and for sharing her research.
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Hospital starting mum on some new diabetes meds today and then as long as she tolerates those she'll hopefully be getting discharged tomorrow.
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Now waiting on an ambulance as mum having problems with her breathing and blood oxygen levels down to 79. 4 hour estimated wait.
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A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We all owe unpaid carers a huge amount of gratitude for the time and care they give their friends and family”. How many times have we heard this old chestnut, yet nothing ever improves.
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4am fall call. Mum banged her head, so now having to keep her awake to make sure there's no signs of concussion.
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NHS are definitely on the ball in my case. Just had a phone call to book endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures.
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Hasn't left my side since I got home. Worried I'll go out and leave her again.
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One thing I like about the community here is that despite the UK going to hell in a hand basket there’s always somebody or something that will make you laugh.
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Dear media, you're all reporting on the £20 UC uplift coming to an end this autumn, but please remember that Unpaid Carers and those on legacy benefits have had NO additional help at all despite rising costs on essentials like food, heat, electricity, PPE and cleaning materials.
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All done and back home now. Just have to wait for some biopsy results, but been told it's nothing to worry about.
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