Thousands of unpaid carers benefiting from peer support as Carers UK celebrates 500th online meetup event

Thousands of unpaid carers benefiting from peer support as Carers UK celebrates 500th online meetup event

This week marked the 500th online meetup delivered by the national charity Carers UK for people caring unpaid for an older, disabled or seriously ill family member or friend.

‘Care for a Cuppa’ is one of the charity’s weekly meetups that aims to give carers a virtual space to take a break from caring and talk to people who understand what they’re going through.

The sessions started in April 2020, shortly after the Government’s first COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, to help carers who were feeling isolated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are now regularly between four and six sessions every week, which are attended by carers from across all nations of the UK.

Together with virtual Share & Learn sessions which aim to foster carers’ health and wellbeing, develop their skills and provide them with vital information and support, Carers UK’s Care for a Cuppa meetups have seen carers join more than 7,000 times, since April 2020 and the sessions are now an established part of the support Carers UK provides.

93% of attendees say they feel better for joining the sessions, benefitting from being able to speak openly with other carers and receiving emotional support from people who understand their challenges.

Jaycee resigned from her 30-year nursing career to become a full-time carer for her mother who is in her early 90’s. She regularly attends Carers UK’s Care for a Cuppa sessions as well as Carers UK’s virtual Share and Learn sessions: “As a carer, I received no training on managing difficult emotions and coping with the ongoing pressure and responsibility of caring for loved ones. But through connecting with a positive network of support with other carers, I have gained strength in knowing that I am not alone.”

Annette cared for her late mother for more than 11 years and sought support from Carers UK following her mother’s death: “The past 12 months or so have been the most challenging, sad and life-changing months of my life.  Having cared for my dear mum for the past 11½ years, my role as a carer came to an end on 20 June 2022.  The loss was immense and left a huge gaping hole. I felt alone and all at sea. 
“I turned to Carers UK, and I’m so immensely glad that I did.  I found a welcoming community of caring people who simply understand. Carers UK is amazing and really kept me going when I was struggling in the early months of my grief. I joined in Care for a Cuppa sessions and took part in numerous Share and Learn sessions, which gave me a focus and really helped to keep my spirits up.  I also made use of the Helpline and Listening Support Service. I can’t recommend Carers UK highly enough.”

Michael Shann, Head of Membership and Volunteering at Carers UK and host of the Care for a Cuppa online meetups, said:

“We’re really excited to have delivered our 500th online meetup this week. Running the Care for a Cuppa and Share and Learn sessions has transformed how we support carers and it’s been a privilege to hear from so many carers about how the sessions have helped them in their caring roles. Many carers have urged us to continue running online sessions as the demands of their caring roles make it difficult for them to attend in person meetings in their areas. We also welcome the ideas suggested by carers for new sessions, such as support for when caring comes to an end. We always welcome new carers to these sessions and look forward to supporting many thousands more carers in the next 500!”

To celebrate the 500th online meetup on Monday this week there was some uplifting singing arranged by a regular attendee, Norman Blackmore, who joined from Wales. The group also spent some time reflecting on what the sessions have meant to them.

Carers UK are also holding a special afternoon of online wellbeing sessions on Monday 16th January from 2pm to 5.15pm in a Brightening Blue Monday event. Blue Monday has been dubbed the most depressing day of the year and over 800 participants have already signed up to take part in various activities including guided mindfulness, accessible and energising fitness, and much more. Unpaid carers will also have the chance to meet and connect with other unpaid carers with a focus on wellbeing and getting support to get through the winter.

If you care for a loved one and are interested in meeting with other carers in one of our Care for a Cuppa meetups, you can find out more on the Carers UK website: https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/your-health-and-wellbeing/online-meetups/care-for-a-cuppa/

You can register up until 13:00 on Monday 16th January 2023 for the Brightening Blue Monday event.

Rugged Hank

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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