This is the first of our brand new “What we learned this Month…..” postings in which we intend to open the doors of Oxford Head Injury Services so you can take a look inside and see what we have been up to, we hope you enjoy them and look forward to hearing about what you think about Oxford Head Injury Services.
Oxford Head Injury Services is now a Homeowner!
Since 2002 Oxford Head Injury Services homebase has been in the heart of Kennington on Bagley Wood Road at our Activity and Rehabilitation Center (A.R.C) Here we run all our Activity and Rehabilitation sessions and from out of the offices we despatch our carers and Personal Assistants out to our members group sessions and home visits throughout the county.
We are proud of our home, it’s where we lay our hat, but as the new year dawned we got the exciting news that we can now share with you, until 2016 we have been renting the property, but we we are now entering a new and exciting era in our history as as the owners of the building.
We couldn’t be more excited as we have always had ambitious plans to upgrade and expand the building so we can offer our members new and enhanced services. We have plans drawn up and ready to go!
We will share these with you in future posts, so watch this space!
A cut to far: The Enough Is Enough Campaign keeps on the pressure
As you are probably aware Oxfordshire County Council have recently announced a further £69 million cuts that even it says goes beyond it’s worst case scenario.
The Council is recommending wide ranging and catastrophic cuts that will affect the entire community, including the vital services that we offer at Oxford Head Injury Services.
You can read here what Jamie Miller our CEO thinks of these “Catastrophic” cuts and the brutal effect it will have services for vulnerable people in our community.
Oxford Head Injury Services is proud to be a member of Enough Is Enough an unprecedented alliance of care providers and voluntary organisations that came to together to voice collective opposition to the cuts and make people aware of the impact the cuts will have. You can read more about the campaign here
The campaign has focused media attention on the issue and Oxford Head Injury Services have featured strongly as the story has played out in the local press, TV and radio.
ITV Meridian news visited the center in Kennington to interview Jamie our CEO and Headway member and fundraiser Andy Baker who raises money for us through his Charity Play2Give about the effect of the proposed cuts
You can watch the Meridian report here
Jamie was also a guest on BBC Radio Oxford on the eve of the cuts announcement to give our view, listen to Jamie’s interview here.
The Cuts will have an effect on our services, but we are confident in the future of Oxford Head Injury Services and our hugely exciting plans for the center show our commitment to not only continue our services but also to expand them. But your continued support will be vital as we move in to this new period in our history.
Headway news
:Our Personal Assistant service is continuing to flourish, with three new clients in the past month alone. We provide a truly person-centred service that focuses on enabling our service users to socialise with others and improve their lives. This allows us to give more in-depth support to those who need it and has the added advantage of bringing in some much needed funds to help us run the rest of our service.
If you are interested in finding out more about our Personal Assistant service please speak to Claire or Zoe at the ARC, or give us a ring and we will visit you in your home to talk about how we can help you to build a better life.
Some of our recent referrals to both the ARC and our PA service have been for service users with complex needs, requiring a high level of support, skill and knowledge and understanding of brain injury from our staff team. We are very proud that we provide comprehensive training to our staff, so that they understand how to empower our service users and support them to deal with difficulties caused by their brain injuries.
:Also we are now recruiting for a brand new Personal Assistant for Headway
Do you go home each day feeling great about yourself, knowing that you have made a real difference to someone else’s life in your community? We DO!
Take a look at the full job description here Get paid for Just being you
:Polly and Emma from Oxford Head Injury Services have linked up with a Charity in Didcot; SOFEA are a charity that support people to volunteer and gain work experience and / or educational qualifications, It is run by Richard and Ruth who are both ex – teachers.
This month Andy Baker and two of Emma’s clients went to meet with SOFEA and are to begin volunteering there and it is hoped they will make great progress. The charity is always looking to make good links to its community and won a “Didcot Oscar” in the Business and Community Awards in November as did Andy for his Play2Give Charity.
: We started the new year with our first ever drop-in group at the A.R.C. The group meets every second Monday each month and is well attended by both current and past Headway members. We are hoping to see the numbers rise during the year. If you would like more to know more or would like to join this group call Tim on 01865 326623
: Debbie has completed her training to become a My Guide Trainer, she is now qualified is to be able to guide blind and partially sighted people safely and securely in the community.
A.R.C Activities in January
Activities in the A.R.C have included:
New Year New New health shake sessions: How to make your own health Fruit and Veg shakes, by experimenting we discovered some quite amazing flavour sensations, though as you can see by Patrick’s face not all where totally successful!
Mindfulness sessions: Loueze is putting her studying to good use and has started incorporating Mindfulness classes into the ARC timetable.
Coming soon at Oxford Head Injury Services
Occupational Therapy (OT) program that will begin in the ARC in February
Occupational therapy (OT) is the use of assessment and treatment to develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills of people with a physical, mental, or cognitive disorder.
OT’s can help people with long term conditions:
- Carry out activities of daily living, such as dressing, cooking or using public transport
- Remain in employment
- Manage their own conditions effectively
- Remain living in their own homes safely through home adaptations
- Use specialist equipment or develop “coping strategies”
- Manage fatigue
Carer Advice Evenings- dates announced
Oxford Head Injury Services are running two free evenings for carers, friends and family members who are new to acquired or traumatic brain injury, or would like more information.
We will also let you know the support and services Oxford Head Injury Services can offer you and your family and friends
and you will have the chance to meet fellow carers and swap stories and experiences.
Both the evenings will take place at our center in Kennington
Tuesday 8th March 7:00pm-8:30pm
: How Oxford Head Injury Services can help you and what services we offer
: The various effects of brain injury
: Ideas on where to get assistance, solutions and suggestions on how to manage
: Where you can get support
Tuesday 12th April 7:00pm-8:30pm
: How Oxford Head Injury Services can help you and what services we offer
: Other sources of support in Oxfordshire
: Benefits information and tips
As always at Oxford Head Injury Services there will plenty of tea coffee and biscuits on hand!
For more information on these free evenings and how to attend please phone
01865 326 263 and ask for Emma or Polly
or e-mail emma@headway-oxford.org.uk
And Finally
It still early in the year but caring is a full time job, so make sure like Dude the Dog one of our chief carers you get plenty of sleep!
