Category Archives: Caring Together

‘Living With Covid’ – Guidance from today and end of free universal testing

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See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-out-next-steps-for-living-with-covid for full details

From today the updated guidance will advise people with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and a high temperature or who feel unwell, to try stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature.

Anyone with a positive COVID-19 test result will is advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days, which is when they are most infectious.

Advice will be provided for individuals who need to leave their home when they have symptoms or have tested positive, including avoiding close contact with people with a weakened immune system, wearing a face-covering and avoiding crowded places.

Free lateral flow tests will not be available for most people and you will not normally be advised to take a PCR test if you have symptoms but to follow the guidance above. However free testing will still be available for some groups if they have symptoms and these include:

• People who are eligible for community COVID treatments as they are at higher risk of getting seriously ill – these people will be contacted directly and sent lateral flow tests at home to use if they have symptoms

• Certain patients in hospital where a PCR test is required for their care and to provide access to treatments and to support ongoing clinical surveillance for new variants

• People will be tested before being discharged from hospital into care homes, hospices, homelessness settings and domestic abuse refuges

You will be able to buy lateral flow tests at chemists

Caring Together has a small supply of lateral flow tests for our members who might need them – please get in touch if this is the case.

How Neighbourhood Networks contribute to Healthy Ageing

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Sheffield Hallam University, and the Centre for Ageing Better, recently shared the latest insights from their evaluation of the Leeds Neighbourhood Networks (like Caring Together)

There are 37 Neighbourhood Network Schemes covering different parts of the city and this research has been looking at how they contribute to healthy ageing. The short animation below is a summary of the findings or you can see the full report, and other information about the research here https://ageing-better.org.uk/publications

National Day of Reflection 2022

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On the second anniversary of the UK lockdown – a day to pause and reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years and on the lives of those we have lost.

Whether a death is recent or long ago, and whether or not it was due to Covid-19, every year there are millions of people bereaved. The restrictions we’ve all been living under have meant that many people have had to grieve without friends and family around them.

Marie Curie UK are the driving force behind this day and they will be hosting free online events all day – you can see what is happening at https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/day-of-reflection/talks

  • At 12pm, there’ll be a minute’s silence and people are encouraged to come together to honour loved ones who have died and reflect on the challenges we’ve overcome by observing a nationwide minute of silence.
  • Civic buildings in Leeds will be lit up in yellow during the evening.
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Leeds Bereavement Forum will run a virtual death café between 3-4pm to provide a dedicated space to encourage discussion about death and dying in a relaxed environment. For more information visit Leeds Bereavement Forum’s National Day of Reflection Death Cafe | Leeds Bereavement Forum (lbforum.org.uk) and email for the zoom link jane.robinson@lbforum.org.uk

Next week Caring Together will be holding our ‘Nature Filled Spring Get Together. We will be coming together and creating our own small space of remembrance for loved ones no longer with us

Nature-Filled-Spring-Get-Together-2022

Scam warning

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We have been made aware of a man in van turning up at homes in Woodhouse & Little London saying he has been sent to do repairs, in an attempt to gain entry.

Please don’t let anyone in if you are not expecting a workperson to come and carry out repairs.

And even if you are expecting someone, please check ID, and call the company you were expecting, to check if you have any doubts.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week….

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Webinar Logo

‘This week is Neurodiversity Week which aims to bring about worldwide neurodiversity acceptance, equality and inclusion in school, workplaces and community. It gives us some space to take a moment in the year to recognise all members of the neurodivergent community and celebrate the every day experiences and strengths of diverse thinkers’

See below for some stories and then below some events happening online this week

https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/about-us/news/neurodiversity-celebration-week-neurodivergent-creatives/

See below the Neurodiversity Celebration Week
2022 Events Schedule – click on the link

https://www.neurodiversityweek.com/events

They’ve created a diverse schedule of events for you to enjoy during Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2022! From introductory webinars, panel discussions and more, our wide range of events aim to educate and encourage conversations around neurodiversity, providing a safe space where you can join thousands of people in celebrating different minds.

All events are free of charge.

Please note that these events are not being recorded, to encourage our participants to speak openly about their personal stories and experiences

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Advice for older people to stay safe and well as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted

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NHS Leeds CCG | West Yorkshire CANN

We are sharing some advice from Leeds NHS around older people keeping safe and concerns they may have as restrictions come to an end. Key points are below and you can read more at https://www.leedsccg.nhs.uk/health/coronavirus/take-care-of-you/

“As we enter a new phase of living with the virus we would like to share with you some key advice and messages that may make you feel a bit safer and secure, when adjusting to new guidance. We know many older people may have had difficult experiences during the pandemic and we would like you to know we are here to offer advice and signposting.

COVID-19 continues to be a feature of our lives, so this next phase is around learning to live with it and managing the risk to ourselves and others.

Rates of COVID-19 infection are high and we should all continue to be cautious, help to reduce the risk of spread and protect people at highest risk of serious illness.

If you have not yet had your vaccine, we are here to support you whenever you are ready.

You are no longer legally required to wear a mask, social distance or self-isolate, but our advice is to continue to wear a mask in enclosed and crowded spaces such as public transport and health and care settings. Public Health advice still recommends self-isolation if you test positive for COVID-19.

If you are still working you no longer need to work from home.

Where possible, meet outdoors and let fresh air into homes and other enclosed spaces.

Many people will be excited about the return to the way things were before COVID-19, whilst others, may be more cautious.

Please get both doses of the vaccine and the COVID-19 booster if you are eligible to make sure you have the highest level of protection.

It is also important to reduce the risk of spread by washing hands, getting tested if you have symptoms, and isolating if advised to do so.

Top Tips

We want to make the advice as relevant and as clear as possible. We have created these Top Tips for you to use:

If you wish to wear one, keep a mask handy – in a purse, pocket, the car or your bag

Do keep washing your hands for 20 seconds or more

Remember to carry some hand sanitiser and use it regularly

Avoid busy, indoor spaces and meet outside if you wish

Take an extra step – try to keep some distance from others where you can

Let the fresh air in – open more windows or sit near a door

Please ask friends and family to take a lateral flow test before they visit you

Please ask family members to take extra care and follow the hands, face, space guidance if you are helping out with child-care or going on trips.

Councillors’ Advice Surgery at Caring Together

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Our local councillors for Headingley and Hyde Park ward (which also covers most of Woodhouse) will be holding their monthly Woodhouse advice surgery at our premises tomorrow.

They will be at Caring Together on Charing Cross shopping centre (Woodhouse Street, LS6 2PY – across from the Londis shop/Post Office) from 5pm – 6pm, Tuesday 8th March

Any resident who needs help or advice from the councillors is welcome to come along at this time.

Leeds Lit Fest 2022 – online and in person

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a graphic image of a person reading

Leeds Lit Fest starts today and runs until 6th March. The city’s award winning festival of words and thought returns for its fourth year and there is a mixture of online and in person events. Many of these are free or pay as you feel.

It will include author talks, a literary quiz, songs from the commoners choir, storytelling, writers workshops, movie nights and lots more

You can see all the events here https://www.leedsinspired.co.uk/collection/leeds-lit-fest-2022 or visit the website for lots more information www.leedslitfest.co.uk