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RCC - Spring Social Evening and Art Exhibition

20/2/2014

 
Off to work by Barry, one of the members of the Richmond carers Centre art group
'Off to work' by Barry

Last night I attended my first social evening at the Richmond Carers Centre which also happened to be the first exhibition of works by the Centre’s Art Group. Cornelia Eberhardt, a highly skilled artist and tutor working for Richmond Adult Community College has been assisting Carol, Barry and Rachid for the last two weeks with preparing their work for display. Her knowledge and experience has been a huge benefit to the group and they all expressed quite passionately the gratitude they felt towards her as we gathered at the beginning of the evening. 
Rachid, who has been attending the art group just 3 months and is the group’s newest member said “I had no experience, but with Cornelia she has shown me how to prepare the frame and cut it, measure it. She’s very patient and professional. I’m very grateful.”

The group meet every Friday morning and its longest serving member Carol has been attending for ten years. Carol works in a number of mediums and had some education in art during her teens. Her exhibition pieces included painting using relief and 3D cube structures with painted surfaces depicting aspects of her caring role. One artist that has recently inspired Carol was Dale Chihuly, an American glass sculptor. The group created a number of ‘Chihulies’ from tissue paper and wire. She describes the Richmond Carers Centre Art Group as ‘an anchor’.
Through the eyes of a child by Rachid
'Through the eyes of a child' by Rachid
“Whatever else is going on in my life which is very chaotic a lot of the time, this is always a steady point. I’ve hardly ever missed it, only when there’s a real crisis and then I’m back the next week. It’s a sort of stability and you really do relax when you’re here and you switch off so it’s very good.”
Carol, Barry and Rachid at the exhibition
Carol, Barry and Rachid enjoying the exhibition
Barry with his first painting Market Day, inspired by Lowry
Barry with his first painting 'Market Day'
Barry too, touched on the benefits he feels from coming to the group. 

“It actually gives me a chance to get away from my role as a carer which is not a 9-5 job, Monday to Friday, its seven days a week 24-7 and this helps me relax.” Many of the paintings exhibited by Barry were inspired by Lowry following a trip to the Tate Britain in September with the Richmond Carers Centre Culture Club. It is his ambition to have his work exhibited in a recognised art gallery. 
Painting has long been considered a form of meditation and Cornelia described to me the importance of removing all barriers when using art as a therapy. She explained that we are so shaped by our perceptions that our ability can be inhibited by what we consider to be good art or bad art. We create barriers as we grow up, barriers that we didn't have as children.  
“There is no right or wrong with art” Cornelia told me the day before the exhibition and Barry echoed this sentiment on the night, telling me with great conviction that “it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks as long as you like them.”
Lion of St. Mark by Carol
'Venice - Lion of St. Mark' by Carol
The exhibition was a great success, giving the artists a chance to display their work and witness the reaction of other carers. Opening yourself up like this is a brave thing in my opinion and I was thrilled to walk around and hear all the positive feedback the artists received. It proved an incredible experience for the artists though not an easy one to describe as Barry shrugged “I can’t put into words how I feel”. 

Call for routine screening of carers for signs of depression

11/5/2013

 
BBC News has today run a headline story about regular screening of carers' health and that 40% of carers are thought to be at risk of depression or stress. (Click here for the full story).This probably is really news to most of us and many carers are left to find their own pathway through the role of being a carer. Stress is a common issue that we see carers suffering from and I am sure many carers could identify with the thought of being depressed. Richmond Carers Centre and the Carers Hub Service partners all offer different services that can help carers to learn about ways to manage stress and cope better, maintaining their health and well-being. Locally there are services targeting carers health and you may like to call Richmond Carers Centre on 020 8867 2380 for advice on what is available. Many carers have found ways to cope, the question today is:
What is your way of coping with stress and what do you do to try to reduce the impact it has on your own health?

Confused and bewildered

7/5/2013

 
Having worked in Social Care for many years I thought it would be easy to know what to do and where to go for help. Sadly this wasn't the case as different Boroughs have different systems and arrangements. So everything I knew from working in Richmond upon Thames did not always translate. It has made me realise that you don't really know what help is available, we hear from carers who frequently say they have never heard of the Carers Centre or didn't know about certain services or benefits.Its a bit like a dictionary really - you need to know how to spell the word to be able to look it up in the first place. So as carers you don't know what help you can get until you know what help is available. 
So at the heart of this is the question:
 "How do we make carers aware of the service that are available to them?"

Choice

3/5/2013

4 Comments

 
I supported both my parents. My Dad suffered from Alzheimer's and my Mum was his main carer, but I chose to leave university and be part of supporting him. Mum gradually got older and frailer, her physical health deteriorated and she needed a lot of support.  Dad had been gone many years and Mum and I were close and I needed to choose what role I took in her care. I am lucky as I have worked in social care for much of my career, so I was very sure of my boundaries and what I would and would not do. Working with supporting carers for the past 10 years I have noticed that some people recognise what choices they have, while others see no choice in being a carer at all.

So the question is "What choices do carers have?"
4 Comments

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