Supporting Charity

For 2007 The Outside Clinic has chosen Friends of the Elderly as its Charity of the Year. This wonderful charity has been helping older people since 1905. The core message throughout everything they achieve is to promote independence, dignity and piece of mind to those they support in so many different ways.

In the course of our work, visiting patients in their own home for an eye examination, time and time again we hear and see how lonely and isolated some of our senior citizens have become with family often living far away and friends who are not able to get about themselves.

Richard Furze Chief Executive and Sue Ball Director of Fundraising have visited one of our exhibition stands to see the coverage we are able to give FOTE when we're at our shows and events around the country. Also their attendance at the Dignity and Independence Transforming Eye Care for Older People Conference in June 2007 at the Apothecaries Hall was most welcome and we were pleased they found the conference informative and agreed that eye care needs to become more prominent on the care agenda for older people.

Giles Witcombe has asked The Outside Clinic to run two presentations for Community Services on 30th August at Ebury Street with Jenny Sykes Director of Community Services attending and 13th September at Ebury Street for the Care Services department, with Lorna Long Director of Care attending. We are happy to arrange meetings, presentations and 'talkshops' to promote and educate the public regarding eye health care.
New for 2007 is the Telebefriending service, offering older people living at home alone a life line and friend at the end of a phone, a chat to look forward to, a chance to share an experience, someone to listen.

In 2007 we are once again the sponsors of the Optical Charity Campaign of the Year award.

Martin Pearson, the newly appointed Chief Executive of 4Sight, West Sussex Association for the Blind, was delighted to accept the trophy on behalf of the dedicated and hard working staff, volunteers and fundraisers whose great contribution over the years had been recognised by the award.

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Martin Pearson
Chief Executive
4Sight

In 2006 The Outside Clinic were delighted to be the sponsors of the Optical Charity of the Year Award in partnership with Reed Business Information Publication, and the Optician Magazine.

Every entry could have been a worthy winner but Gift of Sight won on the day because the judges felt that Professor Andrew Lotery and his research team deserved to be recognised for their enthusiastic hard work and commitment to their mission in finding a cure for age related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Visit the Gift of Sight Website:

www.giftofsight.org.uk

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Optician Magazine - Dec 2006

(PDF format)

For 2005 The Outside Clinic was pleased to support The Princess Royal Trust for Carers as our nominated charity. We are proud to be associated with this charity, and the excellent work they do on behalf of carers in the UK.

The Outside Clinic has committed to raise awareness of the Trusts activities to support their great work.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
(Charity No. SCO15975) is the largest provider of comprehensive carers' support services in the UK. Through its unique network of 118 independently managed Carers' Centres, young carer services and interactive website www.carers.org, the Trust provides quality information, advice and support services to 180,000 carers including 10,300 young carers.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers was formed in 1991 at the initiative of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The Trust provides training and support for Carers Centres, as well as raising funds for development work. It also has a range of grant schemes for carers, including an Educational Bursary Scheme, a Carers' Relief Fund for carers in particular, financial difficulties and a Young Carers fund. To apply for funding under any of these schemes, carers should contact their nearest Carers Centre.

There are 5.7 million* people in the UK who care for a relative, partner or friend, or for a child with a disability. They care, unpaid, for people who cannot manage without help because of disability, illness or frailty. Anyone can be a carer - carers are found in all communities and all age groups. Many people who care do not identify themselves as carers, and therefore carry on caring unaware of the support available to them.

Here are some statistics from the General Household Survey 1995, which was published in 1998.

One adult in eight in GB is a carer and one in six households (16%) contains a carer
Men are almost as likely to care as women - 42% of carers are men.
There are about 5.7 million carers overall in GB, with about 1.9m caring for someone in the same household.
1.7 million devote at least 20 hours a week to caring.
Almost one million care for over 50 hours a week.
14% of women (3.3 million) are carers and 11% of men (2.4 million).
The peak age for caring is 45-64. One fifth of adults in this age group are providing care.
18% of carers are looking after more than one person.
Of those carers looking after someone at home, just over half are caring for a spouse; just over a fifth are caring for parents or parents-in-law and a similar proportion are caring for children.
A total of 24% of carers have been looking after someone for at least 10 years, and 23% had been caring for between five and nine years.
Over a third of carers looking after someone in another household spend fewer than five hours caring, while nearly two thirds of those who live in the same household spend at least 20 hours a week caring.
Of carers devoting at least 20 hours a week to caring, over 60% are women.
Over a third of all carers report that no-one else helped them care.
In total 59% of all carers look after people who do not receive regular visits from health, social or voluntary service.

Here are some further statistics, from other sources:

65% of carers suffer from ill health or injury.
59% have deteriorating health as a result of caring.
More than 2.5 million carers juggle care with paid work.
One study of carers showed 50% had given up work to care.

If you require more information about the Trust or a Carers Centre near you and you, please contact one of the following:

142 Minories,
London EC3N 1LB
Tel: (020) 7480 7788
Fax: (020) 7481 4729

Campbell House,
215 West Campbell Street,
Glasgow G2 4TT
Tel: (0141) 221 5066
Fax: (0141) 221 4623

Suite 4, Oak House,
High Street,
Chorley PR7 1DW
Tel: (01257) 234 070
Fax: (01257) 234 105

The Outside Clinic Staff support appeals and raise funds for the following organisations.

The Royal Hospital for Children
www.ubht.nhs.uk/BCH

Jeans for Genes Appeal
www.jeansforgenes.com

Wear It Pink, Breast Cancer Campaign
www.wearitpink.co.uk

Cancer Research UK, Race for life www.raceforlife.org

Alzheimer's Society
www.alzheimers.org.uk

Prospect Hospice
www.prospect-hospice.org.uk