Information & advice Information for Carers Condition specific Condition Specific Information Cancer If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer, find out what to expect, get information, practical advice and support, hear from experts and read about other people’s experiences by contacting MacMillan Cancer Support for advice. You can access support locally by contacting Jacqueline Coyle who is a Benefits Advisor on 01475 715365 or 07919218451. Macmillan cancer support - Inverclyde libraries www.macmillan.org.uk Access @ Ardgowan provide a supportive, caring and friendly environment that focuses on being informative and reassuring for those people coming to terms with the diagnosis of a life limiting illness and their families. They are there to help answer questions about living with a life limiting illness and can be contacted on 01475 726830. www.ardgowanhospice.org.uk www.cancerresearchuk.org Dementia Dementia doesn't just affect the person with the illness - it affects the people most involved in their day-to-day care and support. Inverclyde Carers Centre is part of Dementia Friendly Inverclyde and works with a range of partner organisations. Alzheimer’s Scotland Inverclyde Dementia Resource Centre provides day and evening care, Information and advice and Carer support groups. You can contact the Dementia Resource Centre direct on 01475 261100 or contact Inverclyde Carers Centre for more information on support for Carers. www.alzscot.org www.healthscotland.com/dementia-resources www.inverclyde.gov.uk/dementia-friendly-inverclyde Heart Disease Carers need information, practical help and support. Your encouragement and support, combined with the right professional guidance, can make a big difference to the person you care for. As a carer it is important that you feel supported and able to cope. Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland are there to support you as well as the person you care for. They have a free advice line on 0808 801 0899 as well as information on support in your community area. www.chss.org.uk/support-family-friends-carers/ www.bhf.org.uk Mental Health It can help to talk to other people who have faced similar situations. Even if their experience isn’t exactly the same as yours, finding common ground with other Carers can make you feel less alone and isolated. The Carers Mental Health Support Group offers support to people who are caring for someone with mental health issues. The group meets on the 1st Thursday of the month within Inverclyde Carers Centre and is open to any Carers in a similar caring situation to speak freely away from stigma or judgement. For more information speak to Carers Centre staff. Breathing space is a free, confidential phone and web based service for people with concerns about their mental health and their Carers. They provide information on local support available as well as a listening ear. Breathingspace.scot Mind.org.uk Stroke Stroke Matters Inverclyde is a support group for those affected by stroke and their Carers. The group meet at Your Voice, 12 Clyde Square in Greenock every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month for more information contact 01475 728628. Stroke-matters-inverclyde Stroke Association provides support and information to Carers as well as the person who has had a stroke you can contact the helpline or website for advice. www.chss.org.uk/support-carers Asbestos If your partner or family member is diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease it can be difficult for them to cope with, but it may also have a profound effect on you. Although most asbestos-related illnesses are long term conditions, the impact it can have on family finances is usually immediate. Clydeside Action on Asbestos can provide further information on what support is available and they also run a monthly support group. Clydeside Action on Asbestos NHS Inform NHS inform is Scotland's national health information service. Their aim is to provide the people in Scotland with accurate and relevant information to help them make informed decisions about their own health and the health of the people they care for. Visit the website for information on a wide variety of illnesses/conditions. https://www.nhsinform.scot/ Youth Person's Guide to Huntington's Disease The Scottish Huntington’s Association Youth Project (SHAYP) has launched a new range of literature designed to support children and young people living in families impacted by the degenerative neurological condition, Huntington’s disease (HD). https://hdscotland.org/shayp/