Leading Scottish social care charity, Cornerstone, yesterday (Wednesday, July 27) officially opened its new Self-Directed Support (SDS) office in Inverurie, which will support thousands of people to make choices about their care.
The charity also launched a brand new SDS website, providing information and resources on all the SDS options and giving a platform for users to advertise for carers.
Self-Directed Support is the Scottish Government’s strategy for putting people in control of their own lives if they are in need of social care or support to help them live in the community.
It allows people, their carers and their families to make informed choices on what their support looks like and how it is delivered, making it possible to meet agreed personal outcomes.
Cornerstone chief executive, Edel Harris, said that the opening of the new dedicated office will provide a great opportunity for people to drop in and discuss SDS options with the team.
“Our advisors will be based here to help individuals make the right choice for them and their family and be there to help them at each stage of setting up the support,” she said.
“The opening of our new SDS office and launch of the website is a significant step in providing a high quality service for our existing and potential SDS clients throughout Aberdeenshire.”
The new office will be officially opened by the Provost of Aberdeenshire, Hamish Vernal.
He said: “Aberdeenshire Council has worked closely with Cornerstone over a number of years providing services for people in Aberdeenshire and we are delighted to be working in partnership to provide support to people receiving Self-Directed Support.
“Self-Directed Support has significantly changed the way we all work and provide services for people in Aberdeenshire. This model for the delivery of social care services empowers service users with control over their required services. It gives a person who needs care and support more choice and control over the kind of support they receive and how it is delivered.”
More information on Cornerstone SDS can be found by visiting www.cornerstonesds.org.uk.
Case Study - Hamish McDonald
In 2014, Hamish’s late wife, Petula, was battling a brain tumour and her health was deteriorating rapidly.
Petula made it clear to Hamish that she wanted to be at home, but to do this they would require two carers at a time for three or four visits each day – a team of six to eight carers to cover all shifts, which could not be accommodated by the local council.
It was at this point they were told about Self-Directed Support (SDS), which at first seemed quite daunting as Hamish would effectively become the ‘employer’ responsible for interviews, timesheets, payroll etc. However, after meeting with a Cornerstone SDS advisor and attending one of the SDS workshops, Hamish was determined to make it happen.
“It took several weeks to interview and recruit our carers, but we ended up with about 10 that we could call on, although we had a core of six,” Hamish said.
“We eventually got the green light to bring Tula home in late March. Although by this time she was desperately unwell, it was written all over her face how glad she was to be at home in her own house.
“Sadly, Tula passed away, but during her last three months, her carers went above and beyond the call of duty in looking after her. We were able to do things for Tula that simply wouldn’t have been possible if she’d still been in hospital, or if we’d had the council’s own carers calling at set times.
“The nature of her illness was ever-changing; people used to ask me if every day was different, when in reality sometimes every hour was different, so it just wouldn’t have worked with a rigid care set-up. It simply had to have flexibility, and the SDS system certainly gives you that.
“You can juggle your carers’ hours to suit day to day changing needs, and you can even “bank” hours. I even became good friends with a few of our carers, because you find yourselves thrown together in a bad situation, working together as a very tight-knit team. In fact, I’m still good friends with a couple of them and I hope always will be.
“I miss my wife terribly every day, but I’ll always be glad SDS made it possible to get her home like she wanted, and it gave us those precious final three months together in our own home. I’m glad I pushed for it to happen, and would do it all over again.
“Along the way, several professional people cast doubt on the likelihood of us finding enough suitable carers, and even suggested it was possible she’d end up back in hospital soon after getting home, but if you’re determined enough and have the right team of carers you can do it! It’s not easy, and it can seem intimidating, but there really are lots of people to help you.”