How Does Crossroads Help?
By providing a trained Care Attendant to take over the caring role thus allowing the carer to enjoy a much needed break. The following are some of the areas in which our Care Attendants receive training:
The training enables the Care Attendant to take full responsibility of the carer – Crossroads Care provides far more than a sitting service.
Crossroads provides a quality service which is expensive; nevertheless it is free to users – which means that carers are not charged for Crossroads support.
The shifts can be day or night, for any ailment, as we do not have restrictions on the type of disability cared for. These can include dementia, multiple sclerosis, strokes, circulatory/cardiac problems and the terminally ill. We also do not have any age barriers and one of our largest Client groups (almost half) consists of families with special needs children. These may have learning difficulties, autism, cerebral palsy or a wide range of physical disabilities, our youngest Client is 3 and our oldest is 103 years old.
Funding We Receive
We receive approximately 75% of our funding from the Highland NHS Board and the Highland Council through a Joint Service Agreement. However, to enable us to meet demands and also to support Carers (who either do not fall under social services remit or are accepted at the discretion of the charity) we need to raise the remaining 25% ourselves. This is achieved through the Charity’s shop, small fundraising events, grants, donations and our largest annual fundraiser, the Marymas Medieval Fair which raises approximately £15,000.00. This involves the schools, Inverness’s Provost and Highland Councillors.
The Benefits of The Charity's Work
The benefits from the simple act of giving people a break are immeasurable. Not only does the Client receive a new friend to share their time with but the Carer is able to be a person again. Many Carers relish the time to enjoy a hobby or to see a friend. Some are desperate for sleep or to have a bath; this they can do reassured by the knowledge that their loved one is receiving professional and trusted care.
Some facts about Carers and Caring
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There are an estimated 500,000 carers in Scotland looking after a sick, disabled or elderly relative or friend.
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An estimated 60% of carers never receive any support.
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An estimated 5% of children in full-time education are carers.
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An estimated 95% of us will become a carer at sometime in our lives.
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Caring can be a 24-hour job which can lead to the carer becoming isolated and stressed because they are unable to leave the person they look after.
Referrals
Carers are referred to Crossroads in several ways including their GP, by their District Nurse, Social Worker, a relative or simply by referring themselves.The Scheme Co-ordinator will then arrange an assessment visit during which the needs of both the person being cared for and their carer are taken into consideration. On the basis of this assessment they will be assigned a Care Attendant or Care Attendants suited to their particular needs.
Funding
Inverness Crossroads is an independent charity in its own right. It negotiates locally with the
Highland NHS Board and Highland Council for core funding. We remain grateful to both bodies for their continued support. However, despite being the leading voluntary sector provider of respite for carers, we raise a substantial proportion of our funding by other means. These means include our own fundraising events, events organised on our behalf by local people, income from grant making trusts, contributions from local companies and last but not least donations from individuals. These donations come in all shapes and sizes, from sizeable legacies to smaller, regular cash contributions. Requests for our service are ever increasing and we strive to provide a quality service in the most cost effective way.
Donations are essential to the continuation of our service and it is important to Inverness Crossroads that our existing and potential supporters can have confidence in the work we do.
