Podcasts about carer

Jamila's craniopharyngioma had been growing for years, unbeknownst to her. In hindsight, it was her son who gave the first clue, when he stopped breastfeeding overnight at 11 months old.Today Jamila is an author, a broadcaster and the deputy managing director of Future Women, dedicated to achieving gender equity in Australian workplaces.A few years back, her life was on a powerful trajectory — she had been the chief of staff for a federal MP, written best-selling books and was a regular guest on TV panel shows.Then in 2017, she realised something was wrong with her health.At first she wasn't worried. Then, at 31 she was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma — a rare and recurring brain tumour.When Jamila left the world of the well, her life changed completely, in funny, strange, and harrowing ways.Jamila's book Broken Brains: For anyone who's been sick or loved someone who was is co-authored with Rosie Waterland and published by Penguin Random House.This interview was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations' EP is Nicola Harrison. The presenter was Richard Fidler.Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia's most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more on the Conversations website.

Stock markets around the world have plunged in reaction to the import tariffs imposed by President Trump and then the retaliation of China which responded with its own tariffs on American goods. Economists have warned that this trade war could seriously damage the world economy, and make all of us poorer. By the end of Friday shares traded in London had fallen nearly 5% in price. What does that mean for investments?The earnings limit on Carer's Allowance is to rise this week. From 7th April working carers can earn up to £196 per week after certain deductions, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage, and continue to claim Carer's Allowance. That's an increase of £45 compared to the previous earnings threshold. But what, if anything, does that mean for the thousands of carers who're in debt because they unwittingly got overpayments of the benefit?Last year we tapped our cards 19 billion times in shops, pubs, cafes, and retail outlets without using our PIN. At the moment the upper limit for contactless card payments in person is £100, but regulators are considering raising it or even scrapping it altogether. What would that mean in practice?And, a reminder to get your postage stamps before the cost of them goes up.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Peter Ruddick and Dan Whitworth Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast at 12pm Saturday 5th April, 2025)

On this episode of the Seeing Eye Dogs Show, Harriet is joined by two guests. Puppy carer Maria from Geelong joins us to talk about her life, story, and role as a puppy carer. Maria is a first-time puppy carer of Pharaoh and enjoys the social and community aspects of the role. Then, we have a repeat abridged version of the Harriet's interview with Seeing Eye Dog handler and SED Youth Program graduate Phoebe talking about her experiences on the youth program and how the program prepares young people to become handlers, and her life with her Seeing Eye Dog Angie. If you’d like to learn about Seeing Eye Dogs, the work we do, becoming a handler, or supporting us head to our website at sed.visionaustralia.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To become a foster carer is an impactful way to show support and kindness to those that need it the most. Hampshire Fostering Service is looking for more carers to take on this important role. Is this something you may be considering, Pauline King from Hampshire Fostering Services tells us moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a young age, Najla Turk had an appetite for learning but was surrounded by people and systems who made her doubt herself. It wasn't until she married, and started her family, that she realised that she needed to overcome her self doubt, and become the role model she wanted to be to her daughters, and to herself. As Najla pursued her education, she found herself juggling the incredibly difficult 24/7 role of a carer - first for her father, and then her own husband. Using the same tenacity that saw her achieve her education goals, Najla now uses self-care and compassion to be an advocate and role model for other unpaid carers and their needs.

Explanations of how do you become a carer and what does it mean. Transcription link: https://liveuclac-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/rejusya_ucl_ac_uk/EcsopN9KWjtLpSyK2luAzH8BSNBv43rY9s2KLrVwRlU5LA?e=MzCHIS Date of episode recording: 2025-04-09T00:00:00Z Duration: 35:46:00 Language of episode: English Presenter:Sarah Yardley Guests: This podcast miniseries is presented by Dr Sarah Yardley, Associate Professor in Palliative Medicine, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London. Sarah collaborated with Lucy, Patricia, Elizabeth, Shona, Catherine, Marion, Raj, Shania, Amrita and Martin to narrate the stories. Some words have been voiced by Sarah's academic colleagues at the request of the contributors.

Chances are, you’ve supported someone going through a tough time. And while the meaning sustains the sacrifice, today we want to support you ….. supporting them. A bit of support inception, if you will. To guide us through this incredibly complex and meaningful topic is our resident psychologist, Dr Emily Musgrove. Navigating relationships requires awareness. Showing up as a partner, friend, parent, or sibling while holding space for pain – without being overwhelmed – is a skill that takes practice. Reminding us that no one hates their struggle more than the person suffering, Dr Em delves into some practical strategies of support, such as walking the line between respect and care, as well as always understanding the difference between effort and capacity. To all of the supporters and carers listening, we see you. We love you. And we hope you felt held, too. To watch this full episode on YouTube, follow this link - https://bit.ly/3XILzEe To pre-order Dr. Em’s book Unstuck, click here - https://bit.ly/4bhmCp2

The daughter of a terminally ill Maidstone woman whose pain medication was stolen by a carer has spoken out after her sentencing.Lisa Cook's mother was undergoing treatment for breast cancer when she noticed tablets were going missing.Owners of a family-run restaurant in Staplehurst say they are frustrated and disheartened after allegedly falling victim to a large 'dine and dash'.A family of eight have been accused of leaving just £30 for a meal which should have cost almost £300 - we've been speaking to the restaurants regional manager.A reporter for KentOnline has shared her story following a cancer diagnosis that she says came out of the blue.Megan Carr found a lump on her neck while on holiday at the age of 23, which turned out to be thyroid cancer.A pensioner who successfully sued a Kent bus company after one of their vehicles drive past him and his wife has finally received his compensation.Arriva were ordered to pay David Poole £84 after a bus left the couple as they waited for the number 6 to take them from Maidstone to East Peckham.And in sport, the new Gillingham manager got a point in his first game in charge.It finished 1-1 at Harrogate on Saturday with both sides scoring from the penalty spot.

Hello and welcome to this episode of Converations from the A&F podcast. In this episode I speak to foster carer Zoe Bell, she shares her experience of being a foster carer and the impact of her faith on that. She now works for the charity 100 Homes based in Nottinghamshire that supports local churches to recruit carers and build networks around foster carers for the local authority.   Links: Facebook and Insta: @100HomesNotts Email: info@100homes.org.uk As always if you've experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com   Listen/subscribe on iTunes here Spotify here

Life is busy. We all seem to be living increasingly hectic lives and when you add in brain injury, it can be even more overwhelming. In this episode, Elizabeth and Julia open up about their challenges as they try to balance life, work, children, managing a house and a husband with a brain injury. With searing honesty, the two hosts talk about managing fatigue, communication and trying to plan days and weeks. They also discuss the importance of taking time for themselves, although admit it is often hard to find. They share some of the ways the overcome the challenges but fully admit they don't have all the answers but know talking and listening really helps! They hope this episode helps you! Previous episodes referenced in this show include, Sara Chalice on Who Cares for the Carer, Serena Banfield story of finding the positives after stroke following her dad's brain injury when she was a teenager. Plus, Fleur Iananzzo's episode on how to navigate changing money situations On A Good Day Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever. Please share this podcast with others it will benefit and subscribe, rate and review to help make it more visible! We'd be so grateful! Connect with Us On Instagram @onagood.day and X @onagood_day And you can join our Facebook community too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are over 67,000 young careers in Ireland aged between 10-17, and the Labour Party will be putting forward a motion today aiming to come up with better solutions to help young careers.Kieran makes a trip to Leinster House to speak with two young carers, Lucy Connor and Conor Curran, giving testimony on their experiences.

Paul is a musician, author and performer best known for his comedic alter-ego, Flacco. In recent years he's joined an eclectic band of people who ring the bells at his local church tower in inner Sydney. (R)Paul is a musician, author and performer best known for his comedic alter-ego, Flacco.In recent years he's joined an eclectic band of people who ring the bells together at their local church tower in inner Sydney.Every week Paul and his fellow bellringers climb high into the tower where they stand in a circle and create a beautiful noise that ripples across the city.He's also been working as a hospital volunteer, listening to and writing down the stories of people at the end of their lives, after his own brush with mortality.This episode of Conversations touches on comedy, death and dying, caring, being a carer, cancer, palliative care, biography, volunteering, bell ringing, churches, ringing bells and personal stories.

After being a caregiver, what happens when you're made redundant from that role? 

I am a carer to my son who's disabled.Which makes this episode discussing the often unrecognised role of carers in society and the workplace a very personal one.I am joined by Charlie Beswick, the author of Our Altered Life. Charlie is a mother and carer to her beautiful son, Charlie, and we discuss her hard-earned wisdom on the topic of carers in the workplace.We share our personal experiences as carers, and talk about the superpowers carers bring to businesses, through their resilience, problem solving, pragmatism, empathy, negotiation skills, and plenty more.As the hidden army of the workforce there is plenty to uncover here on how organisations can better support carers and how being curious and supportive to all will enable carers to thrive in the workplace.“My values are forged through the fires of the caring journey” - CharlieYou'll hear about:·      What does it mean to be a carer?·      How many people are carers?·      The challenges for carers at work·      Companies giving proper support to carers·      Carer's transferable skills to the workplace·      How to channel all your strengths as a carer·      How Charlie rises above other's preconceptions·      Having to let people go as a carer·      What can organisations do to support carers?·      What is Charlie's biggest superpower?·      The impact Charlie wants to have on the world About Charlie Beswick:Charlie Beswick is mum to 19-year-old twins, Oliver and Harry who was born with a rare craniofacial syndrome and is autistic.She is the author of the best-selling book Our Altered Life, a brutally honest account of how she came to terms with a life she never expected. She is also an award-winning blogger and her family's story has been featured internationally on Sky TV and national press.As part of Our Altered Life, Charlie has, to date, educated over 8000 children and young people on visible differences and behaviours typically associated with autism. She has also founded S.E.N.D Gin and Cheese CIC to provide parental mental health support before, during and long after their children's diagnosis of disability or additional needs. She is a passionate advocate for employed parent carers and supports organisations to care for the carers in their workplace and improve employee experience, performance and retention as a result. She has been a teacher for 20 years in both primary and secondary settings and is a keen lover of gin and cheese! My resources:Take my new Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.For more details about me:●      Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals●      About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.●      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)●      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)●      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)

On this episode of the Seeing Eye Dogs Show, we have three segments to share. Seeing Eye Dog Instructor Mikaela Smith shares an exciting announcement about the 2025 Seeing Eye Dogs Roadshow in regional NSW and ACT Canberra in March. Puppy carer Phil Taylor shares his story and tells us about his life as a volunteer puppy carer. Phil is in his 80s and has been a puppy carer for 14 years showing many puppies the ropes through a busy and active retirement. Learn about puppy caring and other volunteer roles on our website. Then we have vet tips from Dr Jacinta Millard from our vet team talking about arthritis in dogs. If you'd like to find out more about Seeing Eye Dogs head to our website: https://sed.visionaustralia.org/ The NSW/ACT Roadshow will be held in March with our team touring across Regional New South Wales and to Canberra, ACT. These events are open to all and free to attend. Email us now at SEDClients@visionaustralia.org to secure your spot or head to the NSW/ACT Roadshow article on SED website for more info. You can also email us at info@sed.org.au or call on 1800 037 773 to chat about dog guide mobility, eligibility or assessment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The play features an all-Filipino cast and is part of the ongoing support for Filipino artists in both Australia and the Philippines. - All-Filipino cast ang nasabing dula na bahagi na din ng pagsuporta sa mga Pinoy artists sa Australia at Pilipinas.

Join us for the first of our two-part special podcast shows, recorded live at the International Lewy Body Dementia Conference in Amsterdam! In this episode postdoc researcher Dr Josh Harvey (University of Exeter) is joined by three expert guests:

CONTENT WARNING - This episode contains references to both suicide and homicide. If you think you will find any of these subjects difficult to listen to, please do listen to another of our episodes. We will also have a “Trauma Tap-Out' on Friday. Join Rachel and Lucy as they battle through various infections, to discuss the very important topic of parent carer suicide. They are joined by Dr Siobhan O'Dwyer, an Associate Professor of Social Care, with expertise in unpaid carers, their experiences and the increased likelihood of them having suicidal thoughts. We know this one is tricky, but we also know that when people share that they feel suicidal, they think they are the only ones to feel this way. We know they aren't alone, and we want to raise awareness of this amongst our listeners. The following resources are available for support: Samaritans TEL - 116 123 Affinity Hub NHS Urgent Mental Health MIND Urgent Help You can find more about Siobhan here. Her full article is available here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13811118.2024.2363230?src=exp-la  And her championing of the work of Leeds Carer's here. Thanks to the lovely folk at Accessoloo for sponsoring this week's episode. You can find more about them and their work here.  If you'd be interested in sponsoring an episode of The Skies We're Under, please contact us at TSWUpodcast@gmail.com.   We'd love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly. You can leave a message with us in a number of ways: Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU  (Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds) You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick', then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) . Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.  We're so happy that The Skies We're Under is a free, independent podcast. Any sponsorship received is used to cover the costs of the production of episodes and compensate our valuable guests for their time. The hosts provide their time and efforts for free. They do, however, appreciate any offers of caffeination to keep them going – you can buy them a cuppa here…     Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

My guest this week is Katie Healy Nolan, whose life is chaotic but filled with gratitude, as she parents her five young children, ages 8 down to just six weeks. Her eldest child, her daughter Penelope, is living with a life-limiting illness and requires 24-hour care, with Katie provides, as she says herself "with a heart and a half". Katie and her husband Dave also parent their four boys, while advocating for the care their eldest needs. Penelope's illness is extremely rare and therefore isn't straightforward when it comes to accessing the supports she needs. Katie, through all of this, remains astoundingly positive, and is an absolute hero as far as I'm concerned, as she talks about how lucky and grateful she is to be able to have her family, and how a big family was always on the cards for both herself and her husband. Having survived the terrorist attack in the Bataclan in Paris back in 2015 which killed 130 people, Katie says her perspective on life is a little bit different and is grateful to have the choice to keep going, where so many others didn't and don't. A truly uplifting episode. Enjoy it, and I'll be back with the season finale next week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode Cindy Lorenz talks to the boys about her life as a foster carer for children with severe disabilities including childhood dementia.... Cindy's story is an amazing one!

A carer who, along with a colleague, stole £12,000 from an elderly couple in Sittingbourne has been ordered to pay back just £1.Money was withdrawn from the victims' bank account over a four month period.Also in today's podcast, huge changes to the way local councils in Kent run are set to take a big step forward today.Bosses at County Hall in Maidstone are going to decide if we should be in the first step of the process - known as the Devolution Priority Programme.It's likely to see smaller councils scrapped and replaced with fewer unitary authorities, with a mayor overseeing them.Hear from the leader of Maidstone Borough Council and from a protest outside County Hall.The MP for Ashford is calling on Sir Keir Starmer to help get Eurostar trains to stop in Kent again.Services from the county to mainland Europe started 29 years ago but haven't run since the pandemic. Sojan Joseph raised the issue at Prime Minister's Questions.A Kent expert's played down the chances of another pandemic despite a surge in cases of HMPV in China.The virus was first discovered in 2001. It can cause a cough, fever and runny nose, but more vulnerable people could get bronchitis or pneumonia.A Herne Bay man has decided to speak to the podcast about his frustration at not receiving any post since before Christmas.Roger White claims he hasn't had important letters about health appointments or festive cards and gifts from family. Hear from Roger and the response from Royal Mail.And, a Kent woman who launched a hotel service for hens is set to appear on the new series of Dragon's Den tonight.Katriona Shovlin launched her business in Upchurch after noticing an increase in the number of chicken owners needing help during holidays.

New Year, New Us - or not. The Skies We're Under is kicking off 2025 with the brilliant Dr. Jo Griffin, a parent carer and counselling psychologist who is going to help us understand why some of this is so flippin' hard even when our children are bloomin brilliant. Jo covers what trauma is and why trauma is so common in parent carers, what support is needed, and why traditional forms of support may hinder rather than help. Full of support and guidance for parent carers, and advice for practitioners with where to go for resources, and everything we can do to be properly trauma-informed. Rachel, Lucy and Sarah also reflect on how the themes touch them in their personal and professional lives, and how they can provide more understanding of their own experiences, and also help connect with other parents going through similar stories. You can find out more about Joanna here. Affinity Hub resources are available here. You can also find Joanna's book ‘Day by Day' here. The parent carer trauma discussion paper can be found here. Thanks to the lovely folk at Heba for sponsoring this week's episode. You can find more about them and their work here. If you'd be interested in sponsoring an episode of The Skies We're Under, please contact us at TSWUpodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly. You can leave a message with us in a number of ways: Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU  (Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds) You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick', then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) . Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.  We're so happy that The Skies We're Under is a free, independent podcast. Any sponsorship received is used to cover the costs of the production of episodes and compensate our valuable guests for their time. The hosts provide their time and efforts for free. They do, however, appreciate any offers of caffeination to keep them going – you can buy them a cuppa here…  Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

Kaddy Thomas is the founder of Carers Collective and Elijah's Hope, both very empowering organisations. Kaddy shares her inspiring journey of resilience, from overcoming personal adversity and her child's adversity to championing the role of carers. Discover how she turned her experiences into advocacy, empowering carers and raising awareness for their vital contributions. Her story highlights the power of determination, compassion, and using personal challenges to drive meaningful change. Carer's Collective Website: https://www.carers-collective.co.uk/ How ready are you for PR? Check out our FREE quiz here to find out: https://pr-quiz.com    Want to connect? Find Nicola here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolajrowleypr/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCommunicationsCommunity Email: nicola@njrpr.com Website: https://www.nicolarowley.com

Find it hard to make time to be present? To plan your days with purpose? To find a bit of time for you? When you're juggling ALL the plates, caught up in the busy day to day responsibilities and 'to-do' lists how are you meant to practice mindfulness?I am no expert in this area- but thankfully I know someone who is! This episode I'm joined by the wonderful Nicole HR, Mindfulness Practitioner and Life Coach and all around insightful human being and mum. Nicole explains to us what mindfulness is, how to practice it in small ways and in big ones, and how to implement tiny changes into your day that will make a big impact. She walks us through the science behind mindfulness and why it's so important- especially as women who are jugling a lot. This episode is full of perspective, advice and actionable steps you can take today to start seeing- and feeling- a big difference in your wellbeing. Thanks for joining the conversation!   Don't forget to like/follow the podcast to stay up to date on new episodes, and if you like what you hear please give us a share!Episode Links: Guest:Nicole HR, Mindfulness Practitioner and Life CoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicole_h.r/Website: https://nicolehr.co.uk/ Connect with me: Rhiannon Louden, Brand Strategist & Photographer, Business Mentor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhiannonlouden.co.uk & https://www.instagram.com/rhiannonealeWebsite: https://www.rhiannonlouden.co.ukSubstack: https://theraremumchronicles.substack.com/  Intro/Outro music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

What happens when the care you trust isn't care at all?   When Sarah Whitaker hired a live-in carer for her 89-year-old father, she thought she was securing a lifeline. What she got was a stranger who could not cook, drive, and care – because she wasn't the carer Sarah had booked.   This bizarre and troubling story takes us deep into the cracks of Britain's care industry, where an unregulated system leaves families vulnerable to shocking deceptions.   Sky's Nick Martin investigates how one family was duped out of £2,000, how they found out, and what it says about the future of "home-first" care in the UK.   He joins host Niall Paterson alongside Tim Wilson, board member of the Home Care Association and managing director of Assist Care Group, a regulated home care agency, to discuss what the industry needs to do to improve.  Producer: Soila ApparicioAdditional research: Fiona Mackie Editor: Philly Beaumont

It was a big week for carers as the Government announced an independent review into Carer's Allowance overpayments after families were told to pay back thousands of pounds, often pushing them into debt.The review will look at what happened, but in the meantime the Department for Work and Pensions has told Money Box it will continue to collect almost quarter of a billion pounds it says it's owed from more than a hundred thousand carers. We hear from Karina who cares for her 22-year-old daughter and ended up in £11,000 worth of debt. The DWP said it is committed to working with anyone struggling with repayment terms.A major investment firm has said it will review its Child Trust Fund accounts after Money Box revealed one young man's £250 investment had all but disappeared when he claimed it at 18 due to high administration charges.In the run up to the Chancellor's budget we look at fuel duty and whether the 5p cut could be scrapped. And beware the thieves pretending to offer a solution to lost Winter Fuel Payments. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Emma Smith Researcher: Jo Krasner Editor: Sarah Rogers

The Netwatch Clare Family Carer of the Year has been announced. Cora Nix from Meelick is the latest recipient of the prestigious prize. Cora received the award from Family Carers Ireland, now in their 17th year, for dedicating her life to the care of Damien. To tell us more, Alan Morrissey was joined in studio by Netwatch Clare Family Carer of the Year, Cora Nix. Photo (c): Clare FM

Martina has a part-time job and receives carer's allowance but has discovered she owes them money. Callers react to An Post's announcement that they are abolishing their Savings Stamps.

Kathleen Watkins' daughter, Suzy, remembers her mother who died today. Marie's fathers' ashes were not kept where she thought they were. Geraldine has been asked to pay back overpayments in her carer's allowance depite previously being told that she was underpaid.

In this week's conversation, we had the absolute pleasure of speaking with  Carer and Head Manager of the Rhino Orphanage, Yolandé van der Merwe. We have been following the Rhino Orphanage since their foundation in 2012, so when we started this podcast they were immediately on our list!  The story of the Rhino Orphanage is one of great tragedy and great triumph.  It's a story of the moment you see a life hanging in the balance, and in an instant the course of your life changes.  This conversation is a testament to the power of love, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to the belief that we must help each other, humans and animals alike and that through action, time, and healing, we can all thrive and one day return to the life we once knew. Because of the Rhino Orphanage, baby rhinos are brought to a safe place and through the amazing veterinarian and carer teams, are given a second chance. It's a brutal transition when a baby rhino loses their mother to violence, and is often attacked themselves, but the Rhino team is there to nurture them back to health, both physically and mentally. The team at the Rhino Orphanage are the Heroes of our time.  They are the reason rhinos might have a chance. Deeply grateful for this conversation, and all that you do Yolandé! If you need a coffee or a sammie while you're busy with the babies, text us.  Lots of Love. Episode Time Stamps: Intro: 00:52 Interview: 7:18 TA: 58:58 Show Note Links: ⁠https://therhinoorphanage.org/⁠ ⁠https://abcnews.go.com/International/radioactive-material-inserted-rhino-horns-anti-poaching-project/story?id=111467880⁠

Marie Markey got in touch with the show to explain her poor experience buying wheelchair accessible tickets at a show.She joins Andrea along with Graham Merrigan and Bernard Mulvaney, full-time Carer and Disability Rights Activist to discuss.

This episode is a chat with Chris, who took on a primary carer role for fifteen months. We talk about the highs and the lows of his experience, both the amazing bond he formed with his son but also the struggles he faced along the way. Chris opened his heart to us and we reflect on some tips that will help any dad looking to take on more when it comes to parenting, or any mum looking to empower their partner. We thank Chris for his vulnerability and bravery in sharing his story, ya legend!   Beyond the Balls is a fatherhood podcast brought to you by Jayde Couldwell and Chi Lo, a Beyond The Bump production. This podcast is targeted at dads, dads to be, their partners and anyone interested in the journey of fatherhood.  We believe that every dad wants to be the best they can be so our purpose is to entertain, educate and empower our audience. We promise to have open and honest discussions in the hope to leave you feeling more supported after every listen. Join us in celebrating the ups and downs of fatherhood today! Yeah the dads!   Follow us on Instagram: @beyondtheballs.podcast Follow Jayde on Instagram: @londonxboston Follow Chi on Instagram: @chi_lo Follow @yummmchi for some cooking adventures!   This episode of Beyond the Balls is proudly sponsored by 28 by Sam Wood! Sign up by clicking this link. Ballers you gotta get onto this one and share it around, seriously this chance is too good to miss!

Could you be a foster carer? What are the rewards and challenges? And what unique skills do social workers bring to fostering? This week on Social Work Radio, our host Vince chats with social worker Claire Nelson about how she combines her busy job with being a foster carer. Does being a social worker make her a better foster carer? What skills are interchangeable? And how does she find it working with social workers, when she's in her foster carer role? Join the conversation, every Friday morning. Created by social workers, for social workers.

SAD JOKES is the story of Joseph, a gay filmmaker, who co-parents with Sonya who is struggling with depression. The film captures a moment in time when Joseph has to juggle his family life, love life, and artistic ambition while Sonya's away at a clinic during a mental health crisis. Writer, director, and star, Fabian Stumm, tells us about the making of the film and how his personal life colored this film. Growing up with a dad with depression, Fabian understood at a young age that sometimes the people who are meant to take care of you can break down. He took that perspective into Joseph's character as he tried to keep everything together when his partner was in that state of crisis. The film also shows a family dynamic we rarely see on screen: two friends co-parenting a child. Fabian believes that if you want to change something, you can talk about it or you can show how it can be. If you create something an audience can aspire to, then it shows new possibilities and a path you can head toward (we believe the same, too!). DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT HERE: Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com Follow: @BraaainsPodcast Music: @_Deppisch_ Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Caroline's nephew is in an outpost in Lebanon and she wants him to come home. Eamonn thinks the ban on e-scooters on public transport is unfair. Mary cares for her disabled adult daughter but her carer's allowance was cut in half when her husband died.

Businesses in Clare are expressing fears that they won't be able to absorb the additional cost brought about by the latest increase in the minimum wage. As the dust continues to settle on Budget 2025, those who didn't get what they'd hoped for in the way of supports are assessing the viability of their respective sectors going forward. While many are grateful for measures introduced in the Government's €8.3 billion package this week, not everyone is rejoicing. The announcement that the national minimum wage will increase by 80c to 13.50 per hour may be welcome news to workers but isn't necessarily music to the ears of business owners. Coupled with no reduction to the Hospitality VAT Rate which remains at 13.5% and uncertainty around eligibility for the Energy Subsidy Scheme, many feel there's not much there to ease the spiralling cost of doing business. Owner of Willow in Ennis and CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland Jean McCabe says if the Government wants to move towards the introduction of the Real Living Wage of €14.75 per hour, it must assist businesses in offsetting the cost. Frustrations are also being vocalised by those in the education sector. Within the €11.8 billion budget for the Department of Education, which includes an increase of €712 million in core current funding, €9 million has been allocated towards storage of mobile phones. The funding will be used to provide schools with pouches where phones can be stored as part of the 'Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free' initiative. Treasurer of the Parteen National School Board of Management Ciaran O'Connor believes it's a waste of money and demonstrates a lack of trust in schools. Among the supports announced for carers are a €150 increase to the Home Carer Tax Credit, a rise of €150 in the Single Person Child Carer Credit, and a €12 increase in the maximum rate of the Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit from January. Prior to the budget, many calls were heard for the means test for the Carer's Allowance to be scrapped. Bunratty resident and Network Clare Family Carer of the Year 2023 Sinead O'Brien says given the difficulty of the job of a carer, means testing in this day and age is entirely inappropriate.

Amanda Fox, Carer

The fastest-selling male album debut of the 2010s, winning two BRITs and touring with Shania Twain, you might expect Rag'n'Bone Man to be arrogant but Rory Graham is shy and self deprecating, seemingly unaware of his star - and therefore immediately likeable.Before the astronomical success of “Human”, Rory spent years in the underground music scene, alongside being a carer - the best job he's had besides being a popstar. Rory and I chat about school bullies, and he opens up about losing his mum and how the grief hits differently being a parent himself. We also chat about blended families and shares the story of how he met his fiancé.Joking about how he was tired of moving people to tears with his music, Rory's third album, 'What Do You Believe In?' is a new sound and shows he's much more than just that incredible voice - he's a man who's lived, loved and learned to appreciate every step of his journey.If you enjoyed this episode, please click follow - we have so many great guests like this one, you won't want to miss out!You can also follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @greatcompanypodcast--THE CREDITSExec Producer: Jemima RathboneAssistant Producer: Gurlina HeerVideo: Jake Ji and Ryley Kirby Social Media: Laura CoughlanGreat Company is an original podcast from JamPot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Karen Borochowitz founded Dementia South Africa over 20 years ago, after caring for her mother who had Alzheimer's Disease. She shares a lifetime's worth of wisdom and insight into how to care for someone living with a dementia, how it impacts families and what they can do, and discusses stigma and the challenges experienced in South Africa.

In this episode we are talking all about supporting caregivers through the lens of occupational therapy. We discuss:  Ali Buchanan created The OT Carer Pathway. It is a specialised program designed specifically for caregivers, addressing the unique challenges they face in their roles. This initiative is crafted to provide targeted support to carers, who are … 119: The OT Carer Pathway: Empowering Caregivers through Holistic Occupational Science-Informed Support with Cat and Ali Read More »

Ankith is a young man who was forced to grow up fast. With ailing parents, he willingly took on the role of carer at the age of 8. Growing into a young man with a passion for advocacy and mental health awareness, his life was altered by the onset of his own mental illness. Undaunted by this new challenge Ankith has become a champion for those living with mental illness and an articulate and vital voice in the lived experience of mental illness. Today he tells his story! The LIVE show https://www.2xxfm.org.au/shows/mienu/ Wednesdays at 1100 AEST SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the book https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BC229P1/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=shattered+the+book&qid=1627454085&sr=8-14 #ShatteredThePodcast #Podcast #STP #PTSD #PTSDsymptoms #CPTSD #cptsdrecovery #domesticviolence #suicide #depression #mentalhealth #anxiety #sad #suicideprevention #love #mentalhealthawareness #depressed #mentalillness #suicidal #sadness #ptsd #death #broken #mentalhealthmatters #lonely #help #selfharm #healing #recovery #suicideawarness #depressionhelp Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3BVQmO16Isxhu8ra2DTwPQ Anchor https://anchor.fm/mark-brosnan iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/shattered-the-podcast/id1551737334 You tube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZvR1KH1rufN3lX2IMzozfg https://twitter.com/ShatteredThePo1 https://www.instagram.com/shatteredthepodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/shatteredpc https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20360507

Product Minute:  Big Purple Phone Silver Fox   Large print phone for low vision, seniors or people with cognitive challengers.   In the box:   Phone, stylus, charger/charging chord, phone case, welcome booklet, Nokia booklets,      Physical Buttons;   Emergency SOS, volume, and power.   Connectivity:   Head phone jack, USBC, and 3.5mm head phone jack. Also Bluetooth and Wifi can be setup.   Features: 6.5 inch screen. Trouble with touch screens, easily tap or swipe. Talks as you touch the phone (optional). High contrast keypad. No spam or unwanted calls or texts (optional). All settings hidden so users don't get lost in phone settings. Volume is still available. Every screen is designed for people with cognitive challengers. Customisable, toggle on or off buttons. Full screen notifications, picture based navigation, and contacts. Emergency SOS call button, and the owners location is sent to their family. Phone, messages, , one click video calls, SoS, camera/photos, torch, radio, Web browser. Carer portal so carers can manage the phone remotely. Live help with an Australian  customer care member at the touch of a button.   Battery:   5500 may battery. 5V charging. Up to 3 days battery life.   Based on Nokia hardware, Android, and the  Big Purple phone launcher. Nano SIMM. 5GB monthly data plan recommended.     Orcam in the News   Senior management at both Quantum RLV and Vision Australia/Vision Store are aware of the situation concerning Orcam, and will update us in the near future.     List of My followed mainstream and Technology podcasts   Round about 20 podcast from my apple podcasts app.   Two blokes talking techv https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/two-blokes-talking-tech/id422268706   Blind abilities https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/blind-abilities/id972152176   Braillecast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/braillecast/id1259853662   Daily tech news https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/daily-tech-news-show/id790864884   Double tap https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/double-tap/id1309267346   Download this show https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/download-this-show/id499804600   Freedom Scientific FSCast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/freedom-scientific-fscast/id292355470   Freedom Scientific training podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ freedom-scientific-training-podcast/id1521340640   IACast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/iacast/id1070053713   ISee various tech from a blind persons perspective https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/isee-using-various-technologies-from-a-blind/id423121261   Intouch https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-touch/id261292201   IOS today https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ios-today-audio/id381972795   Last week in AI https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/last-week-in-ai/id1502782720   Living blindfully https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/living-blindfully/id973360653   Macbreak weekly https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/macbreak-weekly-audio/id179237749   Unmute presents https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/unmute-presents/id1646722812   Sight and sound tech podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sight-and-sound-technology-podcast/id1437977653   RNIB techtalk https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/rnib-tech-talk/id1151874507   Talking Tech https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/talking-tech-vision-australia-radio/id919830401   Techtalk https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tek-talk/id1500954706   The AI daily brief https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-ai-daily-brief-formerly-the-ai-breakdown/id1680633614   The tech doctor blog and podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-tech-doctor-blog-and-podcast/id370507954   The Virgcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-vergecast/id430333725Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https://www.visionaustralia.org/donate?src=radio&type=0&_ga=2.182040610.46191917.1644183916-1718358749.1627963141See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rebekah Dowhy started caregiving young when her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at her birth. Over time, she became a primary caregiver, handling tasks like feeding, medications, and wound care. It was emotionally challenging as she dealt with her mother's terminal illness and felt isolated in her caregiving role.Despite challenges, Rebekah maintained a strong bond with her mother, finding joy in their shared moments. Following her mother's passing in 2017, Rebekah grappled with loss but discovered purpose in nonprofit work. At 27, she founded the Caregiving Support Network to address caregivers' isolation and provide practical assistance through services like home care and emotional support.Rebekah's caregiving journey from childhood through founding CSN shows remarkable strength and resilience. By turning her hardships into help for others, she is making a difference for caregivers nationwide. Her work honors the care she provided for her mother and ensures no one feels alone in their caregiving role.About Rebekah:Rebekah is the founder and President of the Caregiving Support Network, a ministry dedicated to giving hope and practical relief to unpaid family caregivers.Rebekah understands the relief respite care brings to caregivers. Her mother was diagnosed with MS the year she was born. Rebekah's caregiving started with simple tasks like brushing her mother's hair, but expanded to managing complex medical needs as her mother's illness advanced.In 2015, the Caregiving Support Network idea was born while caring for my mother. I knew other caregivers shared the same challenges and joys. In 2022, that idea became reality.Social Media:Website: https://www.caregivingsupportnetwork.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caregivingsupportnetwork Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caregivingnetwork/?hl=en Email: info@caregivingsupportnetwork.orgThe sisters proudly partner with the Caregiver Action Network. CAN's Caregiver Help Desk offers free support to family caregivers via phone, chat, or email Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 7:00 pm Eastern. Get answers, resources, support group info, or a listening ear. Visit www.caregiveraction.org/helpdesk/ or call 855-277-3640.********************************************************************************************Ready for even MORE honest caregiver conversations?  Become a supporter of "Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver" and unlock bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes peeks, and resources you won't find anywhere else! Plus, your support makes this podcast possible!  Sign up at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2101429/subscribeSupport the Show.Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver Sisterhood of Care, LLC Website: www.confessionsofareluctantcaregiver.com Like us on Facebook! Tweet with us on Twitter! Follow us on Instagram! Watch us on Youtube! Pin us on Pinterest! Link us on LinkedIn!Tune in on Whole Care Network

“Carer” what is that? You may well ask especially if you live in America. We call them “caregivers”. Sarah Jones was born in a small town in Northern England. Both of her parents had some disabilities that resulted in Sarah even at an early age becoming one of their primary caregivers. You will hear about Sarah's experiences and how she felt that she never truly had what we would regard as a child-parent relationship. Sarah also had a younger sister who did not have a physical disability. However, her younger brother was born with disabilities including autism and epilepsy.   Sarah began college to study nursing but found that she really didn't wish to pursue that career and so left college after six months and went to work. While Sarah feels she faced many challenges and didn't necessarily have what she would describe as the best life possible, she does point out that she knows where she came from by the choices she has made. In fact, she points out that now, as a part of Access Sport UK she works to help bring inclusion into sports to persons with disabilities and her attitude stems from her past experiences and decisions. She especially loves to climb and teaches climbing to many persons with disabilities. She works to get coaches to understand that just because someone may have a so-called disability it doesn't mean that they should be excluded from sports activities.   Our podcast time is probably one of the most intense and heart-felt conversations we have had on Unstoppable Mindset, but Sarah shows that no matter what our circumstances, we can be unstoppable and move forward. I hope you are inspired by what you hear this time.   About the Guest:   Sarah grew up in a small town in Northern England in the UK. As a young carer, she spent her childhood and teen years caring for her parents and younger sibling, all of whom have disabilities and varying levels of need. Her mental health, wellbeing and educational prospects came second to her caring responsibility and she had to navigate growing up whilst providing support to others from a young age. These early challenges shaped her transition into adulthood and, after leaving college education with few qualifications, she has worked hard to get to where she is today.   Sarah has worked in the outdoor industry, adult social care, education and the charity sector and her journey has lead to a clear purpose and goal – to improve the lives of disabled people and their families. Her current role with Access Sport gives her the opportunity to work with sports clubs across the UK to engage more disabled people in sport. Sarah helps break down barriers for disabled people to access sport, and helps change attitudes and perspectives on disability, care-giving and those kids that are often seen as ‘troublesome' or ‘a lost cause'. She ensures that the voices of disabled people and their families are heard through her a public speaking opportunities, and does not shy away from sharing her experiences in the hope of inspiring change for other young people from similar backgrounds.   In her spare time, Sarah is also an avid rock climber and enjoys climbing with her daughter and friends. She is also an experienced inclusive climbing coach and works with a number of disabled climbers who prove that when the environment is accessible, welcoming and supportive, climbing is for everybody.   Last year, Sarah experienced the unexpected loss of her younger brother who she once cared for, and navigated grief and guilt in the months following. This experience is something she openly shares in the hope that others can relate to the complexities of grieving for a sibling. Sarah also talks openly about her experience of becoming a mother, overcoming post-natal psychosis and how motherhood been her best lesson.   Ways to connect with Sarah:   Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jones-3071a315a Instagram: @climbzuk   About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Welcome once again to unstoppable mindset. I'm really glad that you have taken the time to listen to us and be here today. Unstoppable mindset is really a lot of fun for me. And I think for the people who get to come on and I hope for you, we get a chance to have conversations with people from a variety of different walks of life. And kind of never know from one week to the next or one episode two, the next exactly what's going to happen. That's why we call it unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet because we love the unexpected. It's kind of more fun. Today we get to talk with somebody from England, Sarah Jones, who among other things, is a carer. We call in this country, a caregiver. And I'm sure we're going to hear lots about that. Sarah was referred to us by excessive BS Sheldon Lewis, which I really appreciate. And he's bringing and has brought us a whole lot of interesting people. So we love to have conversations with the people that Sheldon brings. And Sarah, you're part of that. So welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here. Thank   Sarah Jones ** 02:31 you. Thank you for having me. Thanks. Happy to be here.   Michael Hingson ** 02:35 Well, why don't we start by you talking a little bit about you, maybe you're the early you're younger Sarah, where you grew up, and all those kinds of things that we ought to know about you and, and maybe even things we shouldn't know about you, but you want to tell us anyway.   Sarah Jones ** 02:54 Yeah, so so. See, so I was born in the early 90s and Manchester in the UK, which is a northern town. And I yeah, I kind of grew up in, I guess what we would know, in the UK as a bit of a difficult area, I think in particular, it was quite an area of kind of low income. So it wasn't much really to do in the, in the local area. I guess. At the time, neither of my parents worked. So both my parents have disabilities, kind of varying needs of their own, which have changed over the last kind of almost 30 years. But when I was born, my mum, well still has cerebral palsy. So she's a she's a person with a physical disability. She also has a learning disability. And my dad is partially sighted and has kind of struggled up and down with lots of different mental health needs as well throughout kind of my life. And before I was born, so early life was at the time, early life you don't know any different when you're when you're younger, do you but then I think retrospectively looking back it was it was a hard time for for not just me as a child, but also my my parents as well. I think they struggled to kind of get the support that they need. And off the back of that kind of me. I struggled to get the care that I needed from from kind of who was supposed to be looking after me. So. So yeah, life was varied, I would say very varied childhood. So yeah, created   Michael Hingson ** 04:32 some challenges. So did you end up being part of or a significant part of their support system growing up?   Sarah Jones ** 04:40 Yes, yeah. So I think I was, I was five when my sister was born. And then we had a younger brother, who was born when I was nine as well. And I think most of my childhood memories focus around support being a support in some way, whether it be to their mother to my siblings, so And again, at the time, you don't know any different, I think being a young carer or I guess you would know, as a young caregiver, you don't really have a frame of reference because you're a child. And that's just, that's, that's how you're living. That's the way you brought up. And you know, you might be going out, doing the shopping it, you know, before the age of 10, or, you know, helping somebody go to the bathroom or helping somebody cook a meal, but it's, you don't think anything of it at that age? Because it's, it's just, it's   Michael Hingson ** 05:27 what you did? Yeah, yeah.   Sarah Jones ** 05:30 So I think both me and my sister were were really involved with, particularly my younger brother's care when we were younger. So we were involved with kind of supporting him to get to school to get dressed, to get showered to have really early memories of kind of looking after him when he was a baby, doing his nappies, doing these, you know, feeding them and things like that. We did kind of, really, we had a leading role really in, in his upbringing, and I guess I had maybe not as much of a leading role as in her upbringing as much, but but we do have a Yeah, it's not it's not a typical sibling relationship that we have. I think because of our Did   Michael Hingson ** 06:13 you Did your brother have? Or does he have a disability?   Sarah Jones ** 06:18 So he did have? Yes. So he, he was a young man with quite complex disabilities, he was autistic, he had epilepsy. He also had a learning disability. So he was a wonderful your man essay was with because he's no longer with us. Unfortunately, he passed away last year. But yeah, it he really, he really struggled to kind of engage in things traditionally struggled with school. And I think because of his, I guess, because of his needs, he, he then when he became anxious, he displayed some quite challenging behaviors that were difficult to deal with sometimes, but that was simpler, because it was, at the time, he wasn't getting the support that he needed. So, so for all of this kind of as young people, you know, we were children, ourselves, we were around him, you know, within in that environment, and it became just kind of that, like, that's what we got used to, we got used to kind of supporting him and looking after him. And just that was our family life. I think it was very different to family life that, that I know of what family life could be now, really, to what it was when we were younger.   Michael Hingson ** 07:35 Now, did your sister have any kind of physical or disability? No,   Sarah Jones ** 07:41 no, she didn't know she is a guest say it term typical, but a typical person that is she's not disabled? She's not you know, she doesn't. I think we've both probably struggled a different, like mental health things in our in our past, and we've probably had struggles with that. But But no, both me and my sister were I guess, you could say perfectly healthy individuals when we were born.   Michael Hingson ** 08:14 In that sense, so But you, you did provide a lot of the support services for Wow, a younger brother, and your parents. And you went to school, somehow?   Sarah Jones ** 08:28 Yeah, yeah, I did. I did. You know, still managed to go to school still did all of that. And again, it all this is all in hindsight at the time. It's, you don't think anything different? It's all just that's just what what it is, you know, you go to school and you come back and then you have a different family home life, I guess we're masters so we're very much kind of being the support network for each other. But yeah, I went built it. In the UK, we have primary and secondary school, and then I went to college and kind of was was okay. In in second in primary and secondary school really, like I remember some, some kind of, we had quite a lot of involvement from the social care services in during school life. So there's lots of little bits that I remember that when I look back now, I think, oh, that's, you know, that was a bit strange and lots of meetings and people involved and stuff, but again, at the time, you don't think anything of it. And then yeah, kind of passed. Secondary School. Fine. I got really good grades at the end of it, despite kind of not really being very present in my final year of secondary school. I think you're 11 which is the last year I really had quite a lot of time out. I was supporting my younger brother to get to school and stuff because he was struggling with getting on Trump whose public transport and things because of his anxiety And so I was taking him to school. So there was, I think, the second half of year 11. And I was barely there, but still managed to kind of scrape by my exams and then went to college. But yeah, I remember being in college and my dad kind of plan to go into nursing. That was my kind of always what I thought I could do. I think I'd always looked after people when I was younger, I was like, oh, that's what I'm good at. I might as well continue to do that. In adult life, why not? So I started kind of with that idea, I picked all of my subjects with that in mind, and just very quickly decided that it wasn't for me, and I dropped out of college 17 and went straight into work. And I've been working since   Michael Hingson ** 10:48 really, what kind of work did you go into?   Sarah Jones ** 10:51 So at that point, I went into the outdoor industry, so I just decided I saw this job, I was really struggling at home at that point, you know, 70, I was I was really trying to I was what I was going through a lot, I think with home life and really processing a lot of a lot of trauma that had happened really in my other life that had never really been supported through. So I'd kind of just wanted to throw caution to the wind and just wanted to leave. And I just came across this this job. I was volunteering at the time, I was the volunteer youth worker and kind of came across this job that was residential. So it was it was living where you worked, which was fantastic. And it was a being a climate instructor in an outdoor center. So just I mean, it sounds really impressive, but it's a lot of standing around to be honest.   Michael Hingson ** 11:43 So what is it you did? What was the job? So   Sarah Jones ** 11:47 I went off to be an instructor at an outdoor center. And just spent kind of the first three and a half years stood in the sunshine outside teaching kids how to climb and chucking them off high buildings on the wires and stuff. And I absolutely loved it. It was it was amazing. It was the best kind of I always said if it paid it off, I do every day because it was great. And yeah, I think I really found my love of the outdoors and my kind of love for a climate as a sport and kind of that really, I guess, helped me. In hindsight, I decided what I wanted to do with with the rest of my career really, so. Yeah, that was that that was kind of the start.   Michael Hingson ** 12:35 So when you were in high school, and I guess grammar school, but mostly in high school and so on, did your, your peers other students understand it all? Kind of what your home life was like did? Did they appreciate it? Did it? Was it a problem in a lot of ways in terms of interacting with people?   Sarah Jones ** 12:59 I think I had very, I had a very small group of friends at school. I think looking back I had a lot of people that I thought were friends and didn't really build that connection with people. So not many people actually care ever came to my house. So a lot of people didn't really know what life was like But what in this at the same time I didn't know the gravity of how different it could be really did have a few really, really close friends that were not going through similar stuff in terms of you know, having to provide care but but they were going through difficult times with family and I you know, I did I did have some really close relationships. Unfortunately, I don't I don't speak to anybody from school anymore, which is quite sad, really. But at the time, it I didn't really Yeah, I didn't really I guess I didn't really talk about it that much. Because I didn't think it was worth talking about really. I think in in the area that we lived we did. Because we it was a it was a an area that was you know, there was a lot of crime, there was a lot of kind of antisocial behavior. It wasn't a it never felt particularly safe and because we were vulnerable young people without parents to protect you. We did go through a lot in terms of our kind of areas and where we lived and we did kind of get quite a lot of bullying and physical kind of abuse from people and things and it wasn't it wasn't a nice time childhood really wasn't a nice time for either of us. But school was in all honesty school was okay. I can't really complain. I didn't really ever have any major issues in school, you know, kept myself to myself and kind of got through it. It was just coming home. Home wasn't a safe place for us. It wasn't a it wasn't somewhere where you you feel warm and kind of welcomed. Really   Michael Hingson ** 14:59 if If you could go back and talk to the younger Sarah, what would you tell her today? What would you teach her hope that she would learn?   Sarah Jones ** 15:10 Oh, have done have worked through this question in therapy before, and it's always really hard. I think. I think I would always, whatever. Whenever I'm asked this question that comes to mind, I always think that I'd probably want to know that all of the bad stuff that has happened, shouldn't have happened. Because I think that's something that both me and I think my sister have worked through in that we've been through a lot of stuff on top of the, you know, having extra responsibilities and some of the things that we went through as children, you would you would, you would then go to your parents for that emotional support. Unfortunately, we couldn't get that not through any fault of their own. We just weren't able to give us that. And you then go through that phase of, or why is it happening to me? Why is that? Have I done something? Do I deserve this kind of like, and I think it would be just knowing that when bad things happen, that's not this is wrong? Can it shouldn't happen? And it's not. It's not something that you ever deserve? I think, because that's a big thing that I think both me and my sister have have had to convince ourselves of over over the last few years.   Michael Hingson ** 16:25 Yeah, there. We all we all face different challenges in the world at different times. And it can be an interesting experience to go through them. But it ultimately it comes down to what can we learn? And what did we learn from it? And how do we go on from here?   Sarah Jones ** 16:42 Yeah, yeah, definitely. And I think whenever I kind of talk about any of this stuff hadn't I'd never have I never say I have any regrets. You know, I don't know what happened happened. Yes. Do I wish I'd maybe had a little bit more support sometimes? Or, you know, do I wish some really awful things hadn't happened to me? Okay, fine. But they did. And I think what we really try and do with everything that we've gone through is turn it into something purposeful. And whether that be consciously or unconsciously, everything that's happened to us has led us to where we are now. And it's given us a reason and a purpose of, particularly in the work that we do, kind of in my career. So although it's rubbish at the time, and kind of working through that we, it still has, it serves a purpose. Now, anyway,   Michael Hingson ** 17:36 well, it's a lot better to be able to go back and put it in perspective. And the very fact that you think about it, and you do that, I think is important, because you can decide what you want to do with things. There are things you don't have control over, you didn't have control over the situation with your parents and so on. But as you're pointing out in your own way, right now, what you do have control over is how you deal with it, how you dealt with it, but more important how you deal with it today, right?   Sarah Jones ** 18:10 Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think that's all we can. That's all we can do is control the now really   Michael Hingson ** 18:18 well. So you said you did the work and outside and teaching, climbing and so on for three and a half years? And then what did you do?   Sarah Jones ** 18:28 Yeah, so then I went into I went into adult social care. So I I started to I had a few sessions with some young people that had disabilities and were needed that bit of extra support. And it just really, it kind of opened my eyes to it was the first time I'd really seen I guess, an extreme sport be so inclusive. And I'd kind of got bored of standing in the rain for quite a long time. It just rained a lot in the UK. So a lot of the climbing was done studying wet mud, and I decided that I want to do something different. I wanted to kind of move back home and start saving a bit of money. So I went into adult social care and worked in a house for adults with complex needs. So I did that I was a support worker for about six months and then I moved into management and manage the house for just over a year which opened my eyes a lot to the I guess the issues with Adult Social Care, particularly in this country and the kind of lack of lack of care about about care about that kind of that group of people and knowing that at some point, particularly my mom will probably need that support. It really kind of It didn't feel good to be a part of that machine. I really didn't enjoy once I once I've moved up to that kind of manageable level. I then felt like I was the bad person I said, Oh, you can't do that, because I don't have the hours this week, I don't have the funding. And I just, I just really didn't enjoy it. So I did that for the kind of year just under two years, and then went into work in when I went to work in the charity sector and works for a charity called scout. So I'm sure you have the head of the Boy Scouts. And so yeah, so I work for the scouts in the UK. And that was kind of my first taste, I guess, of project work on a wider scale. And that was that was working from home before working from home was cool. It was working from home before COVID. And it was, again, tough, really, really tough. I'd never been in a role like that before I'd only ever been with people. So I'd been working with kids face to face to Climate Center or working with adults who you know, required support. This was behind the scenes, this was like background work, where I was making phone calls and sending emails, and I really struggled with that kind of just feeling really lonely, like just sat in an office by myself at home. And although the work was great, and I worked with a fantastic team, I didn't really connect with the corps that much because it was it was solely supporting young people to get into scouting. I've never really gone to skeleton before I'd never really been involved in it apart from as a as an adult volunteer. So as much as I loved it, I had a short term contract, it was only 18 months. And at the just towards the end of my contract, I fell pregnant with my little girl. So kind of once I went on maternity leave, I decided that I'm not going to go back to that. And, and then yeah, had a baby. And I've had a kind of year out of working on Yeah, nine months out of working and stepped into being a mum instead.   Michael Hingson ** 21:59 So do you do you work today? That was five years ago, right? Your daughter's five?   Sarah Jones ** 22:05 Yeah, so she just turned five, which the time has flown by and where that time has gone? Yeah, so So after kind of I'd, I'd had I've learned and and had kind of struggled through that time I was I was desperate to get back into work, I really realized that as much as I love being a month. You know, now I absolutely love it. My work is so important. And it's its purpose. It's what drives me, it's what kind of, you know, I feel like I have work to do. So I decided to go into teaching, which was a bit of a yeah, just this random kind of thing I saw I saw this advert I didn't even think it was a teaching role at the time. And I applied to kind of go and support that what I thought the role was was supporting young people to be more active in a school and it was it was kind of like, almost managing their gym and fitness programs. And I thought it would be like the to come in and just kind of use the gym and stuff because I've done my personal training qualification before. And then I got to the industry and they told me it was a teaching role. And I was like, oh, okay, well, let's go do it. Let's have a girl. So I Yeah, then was a teacher kind of throughout, throughout the years before COVID. And then during COVID, I taught in a in a special needs school. While especially as college for Key Stage five students, so they were kind of between the ages of 16 and 19. And I taught them sport and physical activity and then help support them into employment in the sport industry. So kind of help them get jobs in gyms and things and, and I loved it, I loved it, I really, really felt like I'd found kind of what I was really good at. I enjoyed the teaching side of it. You know, the students were fantastic. They did. The school was fantastic. And then kind of COVID hit and and it was it was a bad time. I guess for teachers. It was hard. It was a hard real hard time for for kind of teaching staff and education staff to work through that with the schools particularly in the UK and how it you know how quickly things changed and the guidelines change all the time. And and yeah, I really really struggled with it. And yeah, to COVID ruined teaching for me, I think because I I'm no longer a teacher now. So, so yeah, I think the the process around because the schools closed in the UK quite a few times. They kind of closed, reopen, closed, reopened. And throughout the different phases of us working from home and teaching at home online and then teaching. We'd like a phased return where the young people would come back in like smaller numbers, the whole kind of format of our teach and changed, I guess there's in terms of our staff team. So originally, the vocational teachers, sort of sport teachers here, and these teachers were full time their own subjects, so I only did sport, which is exactly what I wanted to do. And then kind of throughout COVID, when when we changed to, we were, rather than teaching all of the students, we were keeping them contained in in one group, so that if we did have kind of an outbreak or anything, we will, we would just contain that group and send them home. So we then taught everything. So not only was our teaching sport, I was also covering English maths PSH see, you know, different kinds of subjects, the school found that that actually really worked for those students. And it was really positive for them to have one teacher for multiple subjects, rather than multiple subjects with multiple teachers. So they decided to kind of change the roles, I guess, of all of the vocational teachers. And I essentially became a 50% sports teacher, and then 50% maths in English. And it just wasn't something I wanted to do. It wasn't my area of expertise, and it's not something that I enjoyed. So it was at that time that I'd come across just another one of these moments where I just saw something and was like, this must be for me. And it was a rule with Manchester United, who were wysteria, a football team in the UK. And they have a really fantastic foundation attached to them. So it's a charitable arm of the club. And they were looking for somebody essentially to work in some of their specialist schools and support the young people to access sport and access physical activity. And the school that I applied for. They this school was school in South Manchester, absolutely fantastic facility for young people with really complex health needs. So it was working with with individuals that needed to rely on a whole lot of support, and some, you know, two to one support in terms of either for their health or for their, to help manage their behavior or manage their anxieties or help them engage with different different things. It was, it was really eye opening. And I just loved it. Absolutely loved it. I was just I was having so much fallen, I worked with a fantastic team. You know, I used to have days of just doing trampoline and and climbing and like, you know, doing all of this kind of thing is incredible activities with, with young people who, who needed it the most really. And yeah, the kind of working for, you know, Football Club was great. I'm not a football fan. I tried when I worked for them, and I got easier when they pay your wages. But you know, not really that bothered. But, you know, it was a surreal experience. I got some really good opportunities through that. But kind of throughout that, that journey, I guess from from being a teacher, I started to kind of really understand education understand how I guess how rubbish the education system can sometimes be, particularly for disabled young people and how it's not really fit for purpose. Particularly in this country, I think it was, it was difficult times and you kind of not only as a teacher yourself to failure, sometimes setting up the young people to fail as well by not not really understanding their needs and their outcomes. So throughout being a teacher and being kind of with Manchester United, I'd started to kind of explore the idea of climate and how that can be more kind of inclusive. It already is inclusive in lots of places in the UK, there's lots of pockets of incredible work going on. That's like just showing that anything, everything can be kind of accessible and inclusive for anybody. But it wasn't widespread. And this kind of stemmed from I guess, my little brother really he he came to visit me when I was an outdoor instructor back when you know, when life was simple. And he as I said before, it was quite a complex human struggle to engage with with stuff really needed a lot of support from people. And he came climbing visited me at this where I lived and absolutely loved it. It was just the best day I've ever had with him and he was on visit wire over and over again. It was on the climbing wall over and over again. It was constantly asking for more just a massive smile on his face. Getting him out was difficult because he didn't want to leave. But yeah, it was it was something that was the first thing that I'd seen him truly enjoy outside of just you know, watching something on the telly or engaging with something like you know this sedentary so, so I then thought, Oh, this is this is good, he needs to do this when he gets home, he needs to do this with school. And unfortunately back then there just wasn't anywhere around that would understand his needs, there wasn't anybody that could really get that he needed extra support extra time, extra resources. So from that experience, being a teacher and then working with kind of this with the, the, with Manchester United, we had a climbing wall at the school. And I'd started to kind of, I guess, change the way that that looks. And we we started to embed regular climbing sessions that were a little bit different. And then we expanded to kind of access in an external center and, and just it very organically grew. And, and I guess, that project, or that idea outgrew my role with Manchester United, and I just I kind of had to keep moving with it really so. So now I work for access sport. So there, we're a UK based charity. We're, we're a mere 20 years old next year. So we are very young. But we do have a real presence kind of in the UK and that we we work right across both different places and both different sports in helping to make them more inclusive across the board. My area is disability inclusion. So I work with a number of sports now. Kind of we have different partnerships, and we work both from the top down. So we have those discussions with with national governing bodies around disability inclusion, but then we also go into those places on the ground at grassroots and talk directly to coaches about why it's so important and help them help them to kind of open up their doors to to more disabled people playing sport in whatever way is meaningful for them. And I think that this role now is I get it, I guess a combination of all of those roles that I've done before, into one. And I think it's   Sarah Jones ** 31:59 that's exactly why I don't look back and think, Oh God, I wish I had gone on to wish I'd stayed in college, or I wish I had not got that job, right. It's just everything that I've done has brought me to this point. And now it's a really exciting time for the kind of where this work is going. really   Michael Hingson ** 32:17 isn't that the way of it, you know, you can trace life through the choices that you make. And when you decide that whether they were all good choices or not they were the choices that you made. But it brought you to a point that you value and you rate very highly. It doesn't really get better than that.   Sarah Jones ** 32:42 No, I think that's the only way you can do it, there's I think there's it would be very, very easy to fall into that. Or fall back into that phase of feeling. angry and like, like, it's unfair. And like you know that it's just the there's just as much as both annual me and my sister do fall into that. And we have done at times, particularly going through grief and times of trauma and things. We always just managed to pull ourselves back out of it, despite how low we might feel. Because we've got a job to do. And we've got we've got to take all of those experiences that we've had both as caregivers, both as young people who grew up in a difficult area, I guess we have kind of that intersection of of all we had that intersection of barriers, will we have to take that and put that into something that's going to make some form of a difference really? Are you gonna go ahead? No, no, no.   Michael Hingson ** 33:48 Are your parents still with us?   Sarah Jones ** 33:50 They are Yes. Yeah, they are. They? It's a difficult time, I think at the moment since my brother passed away last year, which I'm sure we'll talk about in a second. It was our relationships are very complex. And I think when the absence of a parent child relationship, when I was younger is definitely more apparent now in that there isn't a parent child relationship. Now, it was always the other way around for us really. And you know, we we have that biological love for them and I care I still care for them. I don't live with them anymore, but I still provide care. You know, if something happens, I'm there and, and throughout, you know, the process of grief. We as siblings snapped back into our original roles and I became a caregiver again. But we don't have a strong relationship anymore because it's it's difficult. It's challenging to have to kind of go back to all of those feelings when as an individual and going, I've done the work I've gone through Without therapy, I have processed a lot of stuff. The moment I go back into that place, it takes you back to feeling not great. So yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 35:11 So things happen. And it's difficult unless the relationship can work both ways. And that sounds like it's been a real tough thing for you to have to deal with. Because it doesn't really work both ways.   Sarah Jones ** 35:30 Yeah, I think that's the thing. And it's just, I think a lot of the journey for me particularly, has just been acceptance really, and kind of forgiveness. And understanding that whatever choices were made when I was younger, are now the best choices that they could have made at the time. Most informed choices that they could have made at the time, and that's unlikely to be any different moving forward. And that's fine. And I have my days, where something happens, or particularly Christmas, Christmas is always a time I absolutely love it. But I will have a cry on Christmas Day. I'll have a good 10 minutes, and I'll feel sorry for myself, and then I'll be fine. But I do we do. I do have those moments where I feel, you know, a bit a bit low, but then you just go it's fine. There's nothing I can do about it, I can't control it. All I can do is, is be there when when I'm needed. And that's just that's the relationship. That's that's what it is. And that's fine. It's better than some other relationships that I know people have with their parents. So   Michael Hingson ** 36:36 yeah. Well, and you, you certainly seem like you're you're working through it. And I'm sure you spend a lot of time reflecting and thinking about what what you did, what you're doing, and probably some where you can go. But again, you're well aware of the choices that you made. And you appreciate that conceptually, which is something that a lot of us don't necessarily do. And it's all about really learning that you can trace where you are from where you were through the choices that you made.   Sarah Jones ** 37:14 Yeah, definitely. I think that there's a lot of times that things that stick in my mind of like pivotal points, I guess that really determined what what paths I chose, I think one that that always I talk about a lot when I when I talk with when I work with young people, I remember being in college and going through a really tough time with with my brother and dad kind of was struggling to do an assignment or something. It was something along the lines of I couldn't quite reach a deadline or something. And I was it was really hard at that point. And I remember my tutor at the time, pulling me into the office, and I got really, really upset. I was really struggling at home, I was just all over the place. And she said, Well, all of us have got stuff going on, which is you just got to get on with it. And that was the week I dropped out. That was the week I just left. I was like I cannot I'm not doing this anymore. Like I can't, I just can't do it. And I think it was at the time, it was a really, really harsh thing to do. And I think probably wouldn't, probably wasn't the best thing for her to say. But I'm grateful because it was, yeah, people do have stuff going on and people get on with it. And it's not, it's not it's not right to certainly not right to say that to a student who's in tears in front of you. But there is, I guess there is some harsh truth in that in that, you know, as a as an adult now, the work that I want to do in the job that I've got to do you have to put all those things into perspective, I guess, put all of those choices into okay, that happened? What's the positive from it? And that's the only way that my brain works, I think is spinning them into positive silver linings.   Michael Hingson ** 39:07 Is there a better support system from the government in the country today than there was when you were a child and having to provide so much support? Or is it really still about the same?   Sarah Jones ** 39:22 Um, I think I don't think it's any better. I think a language that they use is better now. In terms of how they write reports and stuff, generally, it's a bit of a postcode lottery in the UK. So it's all dependent on where you are and what services are available because the social care comes from a local authority which obviously is governed by a budget and different local authorities will get different budgets based on where they are so it does totally depend on on where you are in the country. trainers, just the luck of the draw, which is sad. I think when there is a crisis, there is a massive problem in that there's a massive amount of young people that need that support and vulnerable adults that need that support. And it's a priority list. And it's a list that's too long for the amount of resource that they have. And that's exactly what kind of happened with us when we were younger. That was what happened. More recently with with kind of my brother's death, that's, that is the problem. There's just too much and not enough help.   Michael Hingson ** 40:36 Why do you think that is? Is it just not a priority? Is it that people don't know? Or what?   Sarah Jones ** 40:42 Um, well, I won't make it political? No,   Michael Hingson ** 40:46 I was Yeah, I was trying to stay away from from politics. That's unfortunately, always there. Yeah,   Sarah Jones ** 40:53 there's a massive lack of investment in social social services, that social care services. So. And I think I think that's apparent right across the board, not even just in terms of social workers and the amount of resource there but also the quality of care, in social care services, such as adult residential facilities, mental health support all of that there's just a massive lack of investment in it. And without investment, there isn't good quality service. And without that, people aren't getting what they need. And it's, it's scary, because you don't see it getting any better. It's not it's not get any better, even, you know, since COVID. Like it's only got worse. And it's, it's a scary thing to think there's so many different groups and pockets of people that require that support. It's not just families that have, you know, families of disabled people, it's people, elderly people who who require social care support. It's, you know, families who, sibling, carers, family carers. There's, there's just a long list of people. And not enough help. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 42:11 Well, you've talked a lot about your brother and the fact that he passed away last year. So I know you said you wanted to talk a little bit about that.   Sarah Jones ** 42:21 Yeah, I think it's just it's just such a pivotal moment, I guess, for me and for my life for my career. I think it's a real defining kind of moment. He so yeah, so he, he still lived at home. He was 20 just No, sorry, online he was at when he passed away, just turned 18 It'd be 20. Now. So he, yeah, he still lived at home. And he, I'd lost kind of seen him at Christmas time. And I think when me and my sister had kind of moved away from home, because we both grew up and had our own lives and families and stuff. He, his kind of, I guess, understanding of was started to diminish because we weren't there. He had a really close bond with my sister, they were much closer because they were closer in age. And others had moved away and works residential for a while, and she'd stayed at home. So they were really, really close. I wasn't as close with him, but but he was, you know, part of part of us, he was a little broke. And I just got I just got a phone call just in the, in the middle of the well, in the evening from from my dad, and he just told me just said oh, he's he's passed away. He's scared when I was just what was going on. And I just flipped it into caring role. And I was just managing everything. And I think at the time, there was suspicions over the the kind of cause of his death. It was a very unexpected death, the police were involved and because because my parents could have had those additional needs and needed that additional support. Everything came through me so all of the inquest came through me the funeral planning, you know, go into speaking with the coroner, all of that stuff was my responsibility. And that's not a complaint. I'm glad it was because that's me controlling something. Control Freak. And I needed that. I needed something to feel like I was doing something to help Mr. There was nothing I could do to bring him back. But that was my role. My sister on the other hand, flitted into her role of being really affected by it and really emotional. And just struggled with that whole process. I struggled in my own way afterwards, after the funeral once everything after the inquest sorry, she's troubled right at the start. But the inquest was about nine months long. We're just waiting and waiting for investigations waiting for answers just constantly kind of wondering. And then I kind of finally got the final report, I guess the inquest inquest was closed. And they found that he had, it was suggested that he died after an epileptic fit. So he'd had a seizure, and had passed away during that seizure. The kind of the difficulty around that is that he, he was just turned 18. So his through the report have kind of gone through all of these different phases of his life really looked at all of his history. And it dragged dragged up a lot of stuff. So it really had to get all of our family files right up until from the moment he was born. And it was reading through that I still, I still haven't read through it all. I've read through the bits that I need to but the bits that I have, just see a timeline. And I think, in this country, when when a young person turns 18, if they're under the care, or if they're under the or they rely on social care support, at the age of 18. Some places it's a little bit different. It could be 19, they transition into a different service, there's a children's social care services and adult social care services. And then when he was a child, the family had two social workers. So it was two people who were giving that care and support throughout COVID, obviously, that that support drops because of precautions and stuff. And then once he turned 18, he became an adult. And he lost that that original social worker, so the family had one. Now, throughout that process, the inquest found that lots of communication didn't happen between those two teams. And there's a timeline essentially of phone calls and reports and kind of, I guess, complaints made against about him. He was consistently missing appointments. My dad had phoned and said he was struggling to cope with him, it was struggling to take him to appointments, started to miss school. Because the aid was struggling to get transport, and it was just like you could, it was like one of those moments when, and lots of people will probably understand if they've been on safeguarding training or anything like that. And you do this training, you read all these reports, and you go, how did you not see it comment? How did they not see where this was going? And reading that was exactly it was it was like this is not going to end? Well. And I think it was, it was considered that maybe because they were struggling with supporting him to get to his appointments. He may have been on the wrong medication, which wasn't because he'd grown so quickly, because he was it was growing, he was 18. He wasn't having enough medication to manage his epilepsy, and therefore his seizures had increased. So there was a massive question, and whose fault is that? Because both my parents are vulnerable adults as well. They are deemed to, or they struggle to provide support for him because he's a complex young man. And he he was I don't want to say it was difficult, because it wasn't difficult. He was he just had a lot of needs that weren't met. So does that mean that social services have failed him and failed the family? I personally think it does. But there was a bit of a debate in terms of is it? Is it my parents that have have made, you know, the wrong choices here? Or is it the lack of support that the family got? So there's other questions around kind of him, the time between him passing away and kind of ambulance being cold and things like that, and there's so many gray areas with it. But the fact of the matter is, is that he is no longer here. And a big reason for that is because he wasn't getting the care that he needed. And the reason why he wasn't getting the care that you needed is because the services that were supposed to support my family weren't able to do that, for whatever reason. And I think working through that, and really kind of accepting that that's what happened is, was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to accept because there's nothing I can do about that. I can't I can't change that. I can't. I can't do anything about the fact that that's the way that this the services are in this country. I can't do anything about how stretched they are. What was really difficult is about 10 days before he passed away 10 days before I'd had that phone call. I had phoned the social services at the local authority to come to basically say that I was worried the The house that kind of he lifted, they were really struggling to keep on top of kind of cleanliness and tidiness. I know, they'd had historical issues with kind of mice and things like that. And it just wasn't a, it wasn't a safe environment for people to live. And I'd, my grandma had gone and kind of taken some, she's gotten fooled for whatever reason. And she'd phoned me say, and I'm really, really worried I've not seen. It's just, it's just really bad. I don't know what to do. So I'd phoned them and said, Look, can can you go round? Can we can we can have this shouldn't be happening, like it would need to do something about it. And the social worker on the phone has said, Yes, I'll go around this week. And she never did. She had not made that visit. And it's difficult to, to not think that if she had gone would that not have happened, because obviously, the inquest says it's completely unrelated. But that their support had massively dropped off before that point, that there would have been a kind of Stark reduction in the amount of visits that they were having from the people that were supposed to be supporting them. And that meant that the environment got worse and worse and worse. And it still have to tell myself sometimes, that that's not a factor in what happened, because it creeps up every now and again. But that's probably the biggest thing is that that was an attempt of me trying to help and trying to just give them a kick up the bottom to be honest, and be like, come on, like you need to this is your job. And it didn't work. And the worst outcome of that is that somebody lost their life. And I think, yeah, it's been a difficult process to work through. And difficult to accept, but all the, I guess talking about that, turn it into a purposes. I always said that they had to talk about it, I'd be open about it. Within that inquest report, it was I think it was about 60 to 70 pages long. And there was, from what I've read, there was one sentence that described him in a positive way. Everything about everything were in the opening section where they described who he was, it was he was,   Sarah Jones ** 52:19 you know, he was aggressive, or he was challenging, and he got really anxious. So he couldn't do this. He couldn't do that. There was one sentence that said he could also be happy, loving and kind. And that was just even after he had passed away, people still described him in kind of a report in a really negative light. And it's the only thing I can do now let's change that and actually talk about him. He was wonderful. He was cheeky, was funny, he was so an absolute joy to be around. And I think it's female, we'd asked his teachers to come and speak and, and kind of, I guess, just say a little excerpt, because they knew him best. They spent the most time with him when he was in school. Gone, sorry. Go ahead. And they wrote this absolutely beautiful poem about who he was. And it was so so funny. And that I think that's what we wanted. That's what we want to capture now is that we want to talk about him for who he he was and the joy that he brought to our lives, not how people felt that he made it difficult.   Michael Hingson ** 53:28 Have you thought about writing a book about him?   Sarah Jones ** 53:32 I've thought about it, I've thought about it. I've been told I should write one. But it would I use him a lot. In my job. Now I do a lot of training with coaches. And we treat we we train people around disability inclusion and disability awareness. And I use them as in so many examples. And that's kind of Yeah, he, we bring him into, into the work that we do and, and he's, he's the inspiration behind all of the work that I do in climbing now and how that's going and his kind of, it's not really a legacy, but it it's, it's all kind of for young people that are just like him because he's, he's one of he's a young person that has lost their life and prior to that had a pretty poor quality of life. Because he's not what he needs. And it's it sounds really kind of unlinked sometimes. But through sport and physical activity, we actually do have the power to give those people what they need. And it's not just about couldn't play a sport, couldn't get better at climbing a wall couldn't get better at kicking a ball actually come and be in a place that is safe and welcoming and warm and can give you a place to belong. And that's what that's what is we're trying to do really, and what I'm trying to do with my work is to help provide more places where disabled people can feel safe and welcome, particularly when they reach that point of 1819 25, whatever the age is, when school and college are no longer there, because that will happen to everybody who, who, who requires that support, will lose that support when when they reach that age. And what's after that, at the moment is pretty poor. And if you are somebody that relies on a high level of care, it's, it's not it, there's lots of places that are wonderful. And if you have the means to do that, and to provide for that great, but if you don't, your weld is, can be very, very small. And what we, what we want to try and do is change that, I guess, well,   Michael Hingson ** 55:49 tell me a little bit more about what you actually are doing today.   Sarah Jones ** 55:55 So my current role now, so I guess my title is senior development manager. So I essentially work with lots of people in lots of different sports to help them become more open and equipped to being disability inclusive. My that's kind of my role, I guess. But my I guess my biggest piece of work, which is external is linked to my role, but also external to my role is kind of developing inclusive outdoor opportunities. Building on some of the work that already exists in the industry, particularly in this country, we've got some fantastic places that just make everything inclusive and always say yes, and I'm really trying to spread that through through kind of not just the the climate world but also the commercial climate world as well. I think, particularly in this here sport is very, it's certainly going more performance based. And we've got we've got a fantastic parasport presence, like we have so many parasport opportunities, but because that is competition based, it is exclusive. It excludes people from that because people are allowed to develop a certain skill. So they have to work on something that is going to pitch them against somebody else have the same ability or a similar ability. Actually, we have this massive group of massive number of people that will never fit into those categories are don't want to they don't want to be the next Paralympian does that mean they shouldn't be able to play sport and shouldn't be able to kind of reap those benefits. No, we need a different offer. So I guess my biggest piece of work at the moment is working with all of the statutory organisations that are involved in climate in the UK. And essentially, looking to develop more inclusive opportunities through training, through award schemes through working on the ground with kind of instructors and clubs individually. And then helping kind of young, young people to access those, those opportunities and just be in that for life really would be the ideal. And through kind of through that there's there's other things that I do. I'm due to speak at the conference next year for the International young carers Conference, which is I've done lots of in the last kind of couple of years, I've had lots of opportunities to talk about disability inclusion, which has been amazing and definitely getting better at it, I think. But this is a this is a bit different. So this is me going and talking about my experience as a young carer and delivering a workshop to professionals and academics that work in that field. And it's that, yeah, that's an opportunity to kind of, again, take all of that experience that that we know my sister had us as young people that in hindsight could could be seen and is seen as as pretty poor, I guess. And try and use that to really hammer home. Why it's so important that the people kind of look at young carers and really prioritize them some way. Oh, God, sorry. Go ahead. Cool.   Michael Hingson ** 59:21 All right. What what is your sister too? So   Sarah Jones ** 59:24 my sister is oh, she's amazing. Oh, God love I like her. She's just she's just a fantastic human being so she she always knew from being primary school that she wanted to be an actress. So she was leading lady in all of our little primary school plays and I used to go and watch her and I used to get so proud of her and especially because we do have this kind of it's not really a sister Sister bond. It's more of a parent child relationship. Sometimes in the I still see her as this little, you know, my little sister, she's 23 she's a grown woman. But, you know, I still see her as a little girl. So she always knew she wanted to be an actress. She's just was on that road. She was like, This is what I'm doing. I'm going into this. And she went to college, she did drama, she excelled. She then spent, I think two years auditioning, because she chose the school, the drama school that she wanted to go to in London, she was like, I don't care how long it takes me, I'm going here. After two rounds, two or three rounds of auditioning, she got in, she graduated from there. She was the first person kind of in our, in our family to go to university. And she's now kind of a, she she does, she hasn't actually done some tele stuff, which is going to hate me saying, but yeah, she she's doesn't like that. But she is really passionate about kind of, again, using her own experience in the field that she's interested in. But she also works for a company, a theatre company that only work with disabled actors. So I think I like to joke and that we're basically doing the same job but in two completely different sectors. But we it's no surprise really, when you when when you think of kind of where we've, where we've come from. But yeah, she she is in the arts, and she is absolutely fantastic. And she just has kind of a wonderful, colorful career ahead of her. And I think she really, she always stuck to her guns, I think when we were I remember when she was auditioning. She said that because she's going down to London, often you're told to kind of lose your accent and lose your grip. And she's she was like, Absolutely not. I have a working class girl from a northern town and I am keeping that. And it's yeah, it's definitely kind of put her in good stead she's definitely kept to her roots. And yeah, that's, that's what that's where she is.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:50 Well, you have clearly had a lot of experiences, and you've, you've been through a lot and, and you've, you've come through it, and you're able to move forward. What do you want people who are listening to this, too, to know or to remember? Or understand?   Sarah Jones ** 1:02:11 Um, I think I guess it's that, I don't know, I think for me, in my kind of day to day job, when I meet people and I kind of do I do my work or, you know, I'm walking down the street, and I'm going doing what I want to do. I think people assume I'm irate. And I've got it all together. And I'm like, I'm cool, you know. But underneath that underneath that kind of facade, there is a lot of this really kind of deep rooted stuff that is that I'm still working through every day. And it's hard, it is hard. And I think that usually the people who are most passionate about something particularly like social issues, and things like that, have a real personal connection to that. And I think that's why we need people like that in those roles. It's I feel like I'm kind of going off on a tangent, but I think it's so important that we kind of I guess just stay almost stay grounded. I think particularly in the world of like sport development and, you know, fast moving careers and stuff, you can kind of get a bit lost in what in the work that you're doing. But actually, the most passionate person around the table who has the biggest virus, it's probably got the darkest kind of history, or skeletons in their closet or stuff that they have to get up and work work through every single day. And it's worth remembering that when, I guess, I don't know, every day really, when you meet people that does something, sometimes people have done a lot of work to get to where they are. And it's it's been a tough ride, I guess. But yeah, I think I think that's probably I don't think I've answered the question there. But   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:11 I think you have I think one thing that strikes me and well, we'll kind of leave it with this. But one thing that strikes me is again, you you've made choices, but you thought about them. And you know where you came from. And you know where you are. And you may go somewhere different in the future. But you are grounded in and although there are lots of things to deal with. You're comfortable in knowing that the choices that you made or the choices that you made, and it has brought you to where you are and you seem pretty comfortable with that which is cool.   Sarah Jones ** 1:04:55 Yeah, I guess. I guess I'm comfortable with that. I think it's that The acceptance is a big part of that, I think is just accepting what has happened and feeling all the feelings associated with it, but then not letting them kind of overwhelm hospital. And that's, that's easier on some days than it is others. Definitely reaching out and start talking about it as well, I think that's a big thing for me. I have really struggled in the past to kind of be open about some things and felt like it's not my place. And now I just say it, I just say it and use it and kind of use it as a tool to help my work kind of continue, I guess. But But yeah, I guess being comfortable in accepting whatever road you've been put on? Well, sounds a bit easy. But But yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:46 Well, I want to thank you for being here and taking the time to talk with us if people want to reach out to you maybe learn more about access ports and so on. How do they do that?   Sarah Jones ** 1:05:56 So, yes, we do have a website, I think I can send you that. It's ww accesssport.org.uk. And you can hear all about kind of the work that we do. And   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:07 is it access sport with it? S P O R T or SPORTS?   Sarah Jones ** 1:06:12 S P O RT? Accesssport?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:17 Accesssport.org.uk?   Sarah Jones ** 1:06:20 Yeah, you can hear kind of some of the stories of the young people th

This conversation gets our coverage of the Evidence Based Perioperative Medicine, World Congress, (EBPOM) 2024 off to a great start. Shared decision making is a topic which cuts right to the centre of perioperative medicine with a focus upon patients and patient perspectives. Presented by Andy Cumpstey with his guests, Bob Evans, a retired Chartered Town Planner and local authority director, a board member of the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC), founder member of the Patient, Carer and Public Involvement and Engagement (PCPIE) group, Debra Leung, staff specialist anesthetist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia and Alf Collins, Freelance health consultant, communication skills trainer and former National Clinical Director of Personalized Care and Shared Decision Making for NHS England.

In our final general election special we're working through a few more topics you told us you wanted to hear about. Cost of living impacts everyone, but it can be particularly challenging if you're disabled – how do our panel envision the situation could be improved? And while many people work, we also know lots of you care for someone you love, so how might the topics of employment and Carer's Allowance shake down when the next government is in place? This week's expert panel - Rensa Gaunt from Inclusion London, James Taylor from Scope and BBC Social Affairs Correspondent, Michael Buchanan. Have a very merry general election, from the Access All team. Presented by Emma Tracey Production by Alex Collins and Natasha Fernandes Sound recording and editing by Dave O'Neill Edited by Beth Rose We always love to hear form you. Get in touch by emailing accessall@bbc.co.uk or message @bbcaccessall on X or Instagram. Our WhatsApp number is 0330 123 9480, please begin your message with the word ACCESS.

Mims Davies knows first-hand about disability having been a carer for her dad after he sustained a head injury. But how is the Minster for Disabled people, Health and Work faring in the job? In an extended interview, Emma Tracey quizzes her on a variety of topics including the government's decision to make people on a modest income pay back money for over-claiming Carer's Allowance. The minister responds to claims by a United Nations committee that the UK is failing in its duty to give disabled people dignity in life and work. Plus it's a year since the British Sign Language (BSL) Advisory Board first met to advise the government on key issues impacting BSL users in the deaf community. What has it achieved so far?Presenter Emma TraceyThe episode was made by Alex Collins, Daniel Gordon and Drew HyndmanRecorded and mixed by Dave O'NeillThe editors were Damon Rose and Alex Lewis