Caring with Confidence

posted: 28/09/2009

If you are gay or are caring for someone who is gay, Caring with Confidence could help you and be for you.

Do you care?
Carers are often seen as those who have to give up their jobs to care for a relative or friend full time – doing everything from washing and dressing someone to making sure they take medication or can get out of the house. But there are lots of other ways we care for people.
 

Perhaps you go shopping for your neighbours once a week, or clean your Mum’s house? Perhaps you support your HIV positive partner – sorting out medication, or finding out the latest information? Perhaps you take your grandmother for a day out once a month? All these roles can define you as a carer. And that’s where Caring with Confidence, a free Department of Health backed knowledge and skills based learning experience for carers in England, comes in.
 

Research shows that carers within the LGBT community don't take up much support and encouragement for their caring roles.
People who are LGBT carers or carers of LGBT people are now offered the opportunity to make a positive difference to their life and that of the person they care for with the Caring with Confidence programme.
 

Caring with Confidence is aimed at improving support for carers aged over 18, and carers can develop their skills and knowledge by taking part in free local group sessions. In the north west, LGBT sessions are being provided by The Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester, The Armistead Centre in Liverpool and SHIVER in Blackpool.
 

seven sessions menu

There are seven sessions to choose from, and to get started, carers can sign up to the first introductory session Finding Your Way, which is an opportunity to look at what matters to you and decide which other sessions you might want to do. You can then choose to do any or all of the following sessions:

• Caring and Coping,
• Caring and Me,
• Caring Day to Day,
• Caring and Resources,
• Caring and Life and
• Caring and Communicating.

Caring can sometimes be a lonely and isolating experience and the Caring with Confidence programme offers a fantastic opportunity to get support and share experience, meet new people who are in similar situations, learn new skills and best of all, it’s all free!
 

Money to pay for care while you attend

There is also finance available to provide alternative care if the person you care for needs help full time. The programme will offer support and help to carers, with particular emphasis on the millions of people who provide care on a daily basis but don’t know where to begin when it comes to accessing the services and benefits available to them, which can be particularly challenging for LGBT people.
Research also revealed that more than 60% of those people asked believed their caring role affected their health. As a result the need to support people looking after loved ones in a flexible manner has never been greater.

Free local sessions and distance learning options.
For more information or to book a session contact Annie Emery
annie@lgf.org.uk 0161 235 8024

The Lesbian & Gay Foundation
4th Floor Princess House
105-107 Princess St,
Manchester
M1 6DD
0161 235 8035
 

Our HIV and Immigration Conference

posted: 18/09/2009

George House Trust is holding a one day conference on providing better support to people living with HIV who are subject to immigration controls.
 

Asylum Survivors - inside and outside the system

Frequent changes to asylum law and policy make it difficult to keep up to date and make sure you are offering people the best advice or most effective help. Living with HIV makes dealing with all these issues even more complex.
 

People caught up inside the asylum system are faced with issues such as poor housing, poverty, alienation and fear. Since the “Slough” court ruling people outside the asylum system are facing real destitution.
 

The conference aims to explain the official language and systems, and to provide workers with the information needed to effectively support people living with HIV who are inside and outside the asylum system.
 

There are creative solutions that professionals can offer people. 
 

The Conference is on Friday 4 December at George House Trust in central Manchester. 

Speakers include:

• Hermione McEwen, Senior Solicitor, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit will talk about law in the Asylum System and how it can be used for support people with HIV
• A speaker from ASHA (Asylum Support Housing Advice, Manchester) will deal with Asylum support systems
• Daniel Murphy, Service and Development Manager of George House Trust will focus on the HIV aspects
• Richard Copson, solicitor from Glasiers will talk about the implications of the Slough court ruling

Cost and bookings

Cost is £40 for voluntary sector organisations, and £60 for the statutory sector.
If you would like to come but are unable to pay the fee please contact Daniel

To book a place on this course please email Nathan
For more information, or specific access / disability requirements please email Daniel Murphy or ring 0161 274 4499 and ask for him.
 

The Conference will be at our building in Ardwick - ten minutes walk from Piccadilly station and just two or three stops by bus from the city centre. 77 Ardwick Green North, Manchester, M12 6FX Map

Booking Form - please download and use this

Treatments Update Session

posted: 15/09/2009

The latest news on HIV treatment will be given in a talk on Thursday 1 October at George House Trust. Simon Collins, one of the editors of i-Base, who produce many different HIV treatment information booklets, is giving an evening talk and questions and answers session. This Treatments Update session starts at 5pm and will finish at 7pm.

He will talk about the latest treatment news and choices, and answer any questions you may have about HIV treatment.

i-Base answer lots of questions about HIV all the time - they have section of people's questions and their answers on their website. You can ask your own questions online there.

i-Base also have a telephone Treatment Phoneline 0808 800 6013 from Monday - Wednesday  12-4pm. Calls to 0808 numbers are free from a BT landline. Other networks and mobiles may charge.

All their treatment booklets are listed here.

This talk is open to people living with HIV who are known to George House Trust.

Any questions about this event, please email Lynda or call her on 0161 274 4499.

HIV Workers Course

posted: 14/07/2009

Terrence Higgins Trust has just been approved to offer a new City & Guilds course in understanding HIV and AIDS. The course was developed as a partnership between THT and City & Guilds and it is the first of its kind. Courses will be run at locations across the UK.

The qualification is designed for people interested in HIV and AIDS or working in a role where knowledge of the issue would be beneficial to their work. It’s ideal for people who work in a variety of roles including nurses, GP reception staff, voluntary workers, probation officers, police officers, teachers, social services staff, staff in drug support services and residential care services as well as interested individuals.

Joanna Hurren Head of Function at City & Guilds said “The course could help to open the door to a career in the HIV sector, or could help to support a person’s career development if already working in a role where it’s beneficial to be aware of the issues relating to HIV and AIDS. We’re very pleased to have given THT the official accreditation they need to run this course. HIV is a complex issue and it makes sense to have the experts delivering the qualification.”

This distance learning based course is structured into three units with 20 hours of study time for each unit. Areas of study include: 

• Transmission and prevention of HIV
• Stigma and discrimination in HIV and AIDS
• Managing HIV and AIDS

Jackie Redding, Director of Social Care and Service Development for THT said: “We’re delighted to be running this course. It aims not only to raise awareness of HIV but also to reduce the stigma that still exists. I’d encourage anyone interested to get in touch and find out more.”

The dates of the first courses are awaited, but to sign up or get further information visit the City & Guilds website or contact Justin Barrett on 020 7812 1727 or email THT

HIV Treatment Training

posted: 30/04/2009

If you want to understand the details of HIV treatments, or if you are interested in supporting people with treatment concerns, new training packs are available.

Online, free from i-Base, there is Treatment Training for Advocates.

And available from NAM is their printed authoritative 2009 issue of HIV Treatments Training Pack.

Here's what you will find in I-Base's online training manual

1 Immune system and CD4 count
2 Virology, HIV and viral load
3 Introduction to anti-retrovirals (ARVs)
4 Side effects of ARVs
5 Opportunistic infections and coinfections
6 HIV and pregnancy
7 Drug users and HIV
8 Clinical trials and research

• Full section index
• Glossary
• PDFs and PowerPoints

Learning resources included: WHO classification system for HIV infection, AIDS-defining infections for CDC clinical categories, Opportunistic infections by disease type, ARV drugs and doses,TB drugs, PowerPoint slide sets, Worksheets, Related websites, Glossary, PDF versions.

Questions

The i-Base online Training Manual is here

NAM's HIV Treatments Training Pack

NAM's HIV Treatments Training Pack is not for the everyday person - it's designed for professionals and is only printed, and it is priced at £150 - although you can use a discount code.

£150.00

NAM's Manual