Carers support and information

1
Carers support and information

• Booster session
• Jane, Gabby Natalie

2
Aims

• Catch up and contact details
• Service evaluation
• Early warning signs
• Siblings
• Peer support
• AOB

3
Catch up and contact details

• Catch up
• Contact details- if you would like to share your
  contact details and have the contact details of
  others in the group, please fill out the form.
• Sign to show consent to share info.
• Tick to be updated on service evaluation

4
Service evaluation update

• Gen Riley is working on transcripts
• Analysis of content themes, learning points
• Write Up
• Implementing in next group design
• Feedback to you.

5
Staying Well

• Rationale
• the more relapses
• harder and slower recovery.
• functioning and quality of life can be
  incrementally reduced
• more likelihood of treatment resistance
• more distress for the person and their carer
• more cost to NHS...

6
Staying Well

• Tools / Approaches include
• Medication (consistent),concordance/compliance ,
  targetted
• Family interventions
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Tackling co-morbid substance misuse
• Psycho-social interventions (e.g.meaningful
  occupation, social networks, sleep, routines)
• Early (warning) Signs Monitoring and
  Interventions

7
Relapse prevention work in FEP

• Interventions should be appropriate to stage of
  illness/recovery.
• N.B. it is difficult to establish early warning
  signs prior to first relapse, although some
  useful information can be gained from
  difficulties prior to first episode of illness
  (prodrome).

8
Early signs monitoring

• Following slides based on presentations by Jo
  Smith
• Early Warnings Signs (EWS) Jo Smith
• Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Keith
  Coupland
• Works on the basis of a relapse signature
• - an individuals unique pattern of signs most
  likely to indicate an impending relapse
• Collaborative, person and family
• Can be upsetting, support useful

9
Early warning signs

• Self management pack for individuals with
  psychosis (Jo Smith)
• recognition of things which are likely to trigger
  a relapse and management of these will help avoid
  a relapse
• if the person does start to become unwell,
  recognition of this relapse signature early on
  will be valuable in getting help early, which can
  help reduce development, severity or length of
  relapse.(? Home treatment, not hospital)
• - can increase sense of control, and reduce fear

10
Early warning signs pack

• Identifying early signs (card sort, and time
  line)
• Early signs monitoring (knowing whats normal for
  you)
• Understanding stress triggers
• Identifying coping strategies
• Involving others
• Making an action plan
• Using the plan and letting others know

11
Early Warning Signs

• Demonstration of the pack
• Feedback and Questions.

12
WRAP

• Similar to Early Warning Signs
• Two main parts
• Description of the mental health problem
• when well
• when unwell
• Treatment preferences- can used to form an
  advanced directive
• Things that have been helpful in the past
• Things that havent been helpful

13
Siblings

• Are effected by having a brother or sister with
  mental health problems
• Feel a range of emotions- sadness, worry, grief,
  resentment, all of which is normal.
• Few resources for siblings.
• But Rethink (national mental health charity) has
  just started a website for siblings
  www.rethink.org./siblings

14
Rethink Siblings

• Discussion forums
• Update e-mails
• Provides information
• A Siblings introduction to mental illness
  available to download
• What is psychosis
• How family may feel
• Dealing with difficult situations
• Links to other helpful sites

15
Endings and beginnings

• Closing this group and opening new support
  networks
• Anything else
• Contact details
• Fond farewells.