Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
- By Pysie
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Thu 7 Feb 2008 12:28
Right, fellow carers. Itâs time to stop grumbling amongst ourselves and start shouting. Have a look at http:/www.carerwatch.com.
Below is a copy of an email we have sent recently to many organisations and carersâ web-sites, including the Princess Royal Trust for Carers.
Do have a look at the site and post your story and/or comments. You will be amongst friends and may recognise several names of carers who regularly post on the PRTC discussion board, and other boards, including Cheryl and Pysie (Cathy).
I should point out that carerwatch.com is set up to raise awareness of carersâ issues and we will not have the facility to discuss personal problems. Therefore carers who approach the site for advice or support in their caring role will respectfully be directed to other carersâ groups.
It is our hope that we can all pull together in this venture and the government will not be able to ignore our collective voice.
Love,
Cathy
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We are writing to inform you of the recently launched new website for Carers and all user of the Care System. We hope you will like it and add any comments of your experience.
Carer Watch
We are a campaign group for Carers across the UK run by independent, unpaid carers.
We have experience of the care system as it operates in the UK today and we consider it to be desperately under funded and not fit for purpose. We aim to provide a non-party-political campaign platform to change the way that opinion-formers, politicians, and journalists think about Carers.
Carers want to have a say in changes to the care system.
We believe that Carers campaigning to raise awareness of Carers issues, and their valuable contribution to society is essential to influencing decision makers and the general public.
We recognise the invaluable role that the existing Carer groups perform and the support and information that they offer Carers and we know that all Carer groups will continue to work together and support one another and hope they will all support us.
All Carers can be involved by posting their experiences, and their opinions of the care system and how to improve it, on the website: www.carerwatch.com.com
Carers who would like to be more actively involved in campaigns are very welcome to join us at the forum carerwatchdotcom.myfineforum.org
Let's work together to get things changing for Carers.'
Replies
- By Pysie
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Thu 7 Feb 2008 12:42Apologies - I'll try again with the link.
- By jeanette
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Thu 7 Feb 2008 13:09Hi Pysie. sorry to be a bit thick ,but will you tell me exactly what 'you' are going to do with the information?
It sounds a very good idea,so long as our experiences are passed on to the appropriate person/Department etc.
- By kerry
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Thu 7 Feb 2008 14:44Go for it Cathy! Can only be for the good of carers!
Best wishes with it....
Kerry
- By JeanM
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Thu 7 Feb 2008 20:16It is a closed board so you have to register to see what is there.
I agree with Jeanette, what are you going to do with all these personal details?
- By CHERYL THE PERIL
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Thu 7 Feb 2008 21:12Hi Jean
I'd like to reassure you and everyone else we definately do not not ask for personal details.Naturally everyone can say as little or as much as they are comfortable with.
Everyone can post on the website what improvements they'd like to see.
The website is open to viewing and posting.
Posts on the website are moderated because some people make inappropriate comments.
Naturally we wouldn't allow comments that may offend or upset people to be posted on the website, by that I insults and links to porn sites etc.The forum is a provision for Carers/people to join if they want to be active in discussing and organising campaigns etc.
It isn't meant to be like the usual Carer forums that have all kinds of general threads and subjects.
Because of the lack of respect and concern for others feelings etc that is rife on some forums.
It is meant to also provide a peaceful, friendly and private enviroment for carers to post their ideas and views.Hi Jeanette
You asked what we will do with the information. Its early days to say with any certainty.
What direction we take will depend on what ideas etc that the Carers that join us decide on.Absolutely definately anything posted on the forum remotely personal will stay on the forum.
Regards
Cheryl x
- By angelica
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Sat 9 Feb 2008 00:22Hi Cheryl and Cathy
Logged onto the site and posted story. Was very impressed. Am a fighter by nature and a strong believer in social justice but am feeling defeated lately so glad to see there's someone out there fighting.
Just a thought. Have you thought of using the site to come up with a Carers Manifesto. Would be a good media hook especially if you can get people to agree to using personal (not too personal of course) stories to back it up. Could get carers to forward to their candidates at election time and publish results ie degree of support by writing letter to local papers.
Just an idea. Please feel free to ignore. There's probably a drawback I haven't thought of.
love and peace
Angel
- By JeanM
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Sat 9 Feb 2008 09:21Apologies.
The first time I saw this board, it was closed to viewing, but is not now.
It would help to have a clearer idea of the thinking behind this new board, as you already run 2 others, both closed.
So what are the aims of this one?
- By Pysie
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Sat 9 Feb 2008 21:14Hi, JeanM,
You raise some questions which deserve a reply.
Carer Watch is not an organisation. We are simply a bunch of ordinary individual carers scattered throughout the UK who happened to meet in cyber-space through various message boards. We are all different in age, gender and personality. Our party-political allegiances are different and our caring roles are different, but we all share a common belief that carers should have a collective and independent voice of our own.
(For the record - only four out of the ten of us who launched Carer Watch are involved in running another board for carers. It is a very great pity this board could not be opened for everyone to view, but no doubt you will understand the reasons why it is closed to all but registered members.)
Anyway, we have no hidden agenda. We do not wish to dominate other carers, we do not purport to represent all carers, and we do not claim to speak on behalf of other carers.
We have all been members of different discussion boards for several years now and we have read countless messages posted by carers who are victims of the government’s care policies. One way or another, we can relate personally to all these messages.
As a result, we have simply taken the initiative to set up a web-site as a central point where ALL carers - and people involved with them - may tell their stories, voice their concerns and post any information which will make the government, the press and the general public take notice of the many problems we face.
Carer Watch - www.carerwatch.com - is NOT a closed board. Membership is not requested and anyone may view the board or post there without registering.
IMPORTANT - What is published on carerwatch.com is open for anyone to view, therefore we have made it possible for information to be posted here anonymously. You may post without including a name, or you can use your real name, or you can use a ‘made-up‘ name. Of course a name will add credibility to your story, but you do not have to use any name at all unless you feel comfortable doing so.
It is early days yet and this site has only just been launched. We still have much information to add but we are already beginning to contact MPs, the media, etc., both to enlist their support and to invite them to read stories about how the government’s attitude to social care is destroying lives.
We hope Carer Watch will evolve and take on its own momentum, but it will only succeed if carers and others contribute their own stories and comments for visitors to read. (My own story is published under ‘Testimonies’.)
Carers who wish to become more involved and perhaps develop campaigns are very welcome to join the campaigning forum. Indeed, we invite ALL carers to join, whether they want to be involved in campaigning or not. A link can be found on the home page.
Whist we all believe in democratic principles, in order to protect participants from abuse this forum is ‘closed’ to casual browsers. This means that only registered members may view the discussion threads and the site will be moderated. However, anyone can join, either using their real name or any other name they choose, and we have imposed the minimal registration restrictions we could to keep the site safe from abusive posting and spam.
Please visit www.carerwatch.com, post your experience and concerns and then come and join us in the debating forum.
At last we carers have a chance to stop bickering amongst ourselves and start working together. Please don’t waste this opportunity.
Love,
Cathy
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By ians1
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Sun 10 Feb 2008 03:31This is going the same way as Disabled groups went 6-7 years ago with websites and boards springing up left right and centre. The result? A much diuted effort, disparate groups with widely differing interests, bombastic charities, and later on, some very quiet websites! Its also as well to remember that what happened with Disabled groups is also happening with Carers, they became disillusioned with established charities whom they percieved were not really in it for them, rather themselves, and its still true today that the busiest websites for the Disabled are privately owned companies who do not claim to be charitable. I predict this will go the same way.
The last thing we need is yet another bulletin board for carers.
- By JeanM
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Re: Let's stop grumbling! - Carer Watch
Sun 10 Feb 2008 09:14On a closer look, it IS a closed board, only a little of it is viewable without being registered.
So you have to join to see if it is for you or not, if you think it is the sort of place that might make a difference, or is just another version of the many boards out there.
I think, with all these different boards starting up, that we are in danger of becoming splintered into little groups with little or no cohesion, which is sad.