Leisure, learning and lock-down - PARENT CARERS

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This is a very challenging time for parent carers, so we thought we’d put a few thoughts together for what you can do if you get a moment to yourself. There are links to more practical information at the end. This guide is written for parent carers of children and young people with additional needs by the *Compass Card Team at Amaze. If there are things you’d like to see included, email compass@amazesussex.org.uk

*The Compass Card is a free leisure discount card run by the Sussex-based charity Amaze for disabled 0 to 25s living or going to school in Brighton & Hove or West Sussex. To find out more about the card and how to apply, click here. To find out more about Amaze, click here.

The Compass Team is still processing Compass Cards! Find out more here.

First things first:

Remember you are a parent carer. You are not a teacher or a therapist. Sometimes things have to slide and that’s okay!
It’s okay to not always feel okay. If you can, take some time out to do some yoga, meditation or other form of relaxation.
If you’re lucky enough to have a balcony or a garden, make sure you use it. Breathing fresh air and listening to the world around you is a tonic. If you don’t have either, open the windows.
Social media and constant news channels can be overwhelming. Keep some clear space for yourself and be prepared to turn them off.

Look after yourself

For parent carers juggling so many challenges at the moment, it can be difficult to take time for yourself. But if you can, it will help you come back into the ring better able to focus on what you need to.

For a short message about looking after yourself, this two and a half minute video from Carers Trust East Midlands pretty much sums it up.

Yoga, meditation or mindfulness, or just focusing on your own breathing, can all help in times of crisis.

If you want a down-to-earth guide to mindfulness, get your hands on a copy of Ruby Wax’s ‘Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled’ (you might find it in e-book form through your local library – see below). It’s practical, realistic and funny. You’ll also find lots of ideas on Ruby’s Facebook page here.
There are 12 free yoga and meditation classes available from Ekhart Yoga and they’re specially designed to relieve stress and anxiety. Find them here.
If you want to support local companies, some Carers’ Card Partners in Brighton & Hove are running online classes.
About Balance is asking people to pay usual prices, but has introduced a £3 community option for people going through a difficult time. Classes include mindfulness and meditation and a gentle early morning yoga class for all levels which lasts for an hour.
Bodhisattva Kadampa Meditation Centre is offering livestream 30 minute meditations from 12.30 to 1pm on weekdays for £1.
Brighton Natural Health Centre (BNHC) has a free live online relaxation classes at 12pm on Mondays and is offering other online classes via Zoom including meditation and mindfulness, yoga and pilates where you pay what you can (£3, £6 or £9).

Keep in touch with family and friends

Well, this is weird. Who knew there were so many apps that meant you actually didn’t need to see family and friends in the flesh?!

Some people will already be familiar with Skype and Facetime, but we’re also discovering apps like Houseparty (free, but with in-app add-ons if you want them) and Zoom. By the way, there was some controversy about Houseparty being hacked. The company behind the app has said there’s no evidence of a hack and that if you use a unique, secure password you should be safe, but you might want to check. There’s also Messenger and WhatsApp where you can exchange messages, call or video call.

Keeping good relationships with people in the home can be challenging, so if you need some useful tips, the national charity Relate has information here.

Learn a new skill

You’re probably being driven mad by all the media talk about people having loads of time on their hands for exotic hobbies, learning a new language or starting to read ‘War and Peace’. So we won’t overdo this. But if you’ve always wanted to knit, crochet, cross-stitch or play the ukulele for example, the distraction could provide a welcome escape. YouTube is an absolute treasure trove for ‘how-to’ videos; just search for what you fancy and see how you get on. Here are a few ideas in case you’re looking for inspiration.

Learn to knit. You’ll be overwhelmed by the choice on YouTube, but if you’re an absolute beginner and you like the idea of knitting a scarf, we like this one for its good, clear instructions.
Take a short course. There are literally hundreds of free adult courses on Futurelearn and OpenLearn with topics ranging from digital media to psychology and WEA courses are currently free too and there are loads to choose from.
Play the ukulele. Compass Card families can learn to play the ukulele for free with online tuition from Go Kid Music. Find out more here.

Have fun

Compass Card Partner Komedia Brighton is trying to raise a smile if you want a break from the Covid 19 chatter. Well known for its Krater Komedy club, Komedia launched livestreams of the iconic club in April and is also streaming its monthly Comic Boom comedy club. There are also some great ‘Komedia Kompilations’ with some of the very best Komedia comedy moments. You can watch on YouTube on your phone, tablet, PC or Smart-TV here. Don’t forget to subscribe to Komedia’s YouTube channel while you are there for the latest Komedia Live! videos. You can also follow Komedia on Facebook here.

We also found some other great ways to relax and have fun.

Missing Brighton Fringe? There are plans to run Brighton Fringe 2020 in the autumn, but if you can’t wait until then for alternative, imaginative performance, OFF (Online Fringe Festival) really is the next best thing. Fringe shows across the UK are being streamed for a few days each and provide a rich supply of entertainment. Find out more here.
Laugh and learn with Cosmic Shambles. Described as being for ‘people who want to keep on discovering and learning about our wondrous universe and who want to have a laugh while doing it.’, the Cosmic Shambles team of leading scientists, comedians, writers and performers have introduced the Stay at Home Festival here. There’s something on every day of the week at the moment and you can watch live or watch past shows on demand.
Join an online choir. Yes, you read that right, it really is a thing. There are probably quite a few options out there, but The Sofa Singers set up by vocal leader James Sills is the one that caught our eye. This amazing project ‘brings together hundreds of singers in real time for 45 minutes of simultaneous singing’. Find out more here.
Make the most of online library services. Libraries buildings may be closed, but you can access e-books, audiobooks and more as part of your library membership. If you’re not a library member already, not a problem; applying online is simple and painless.
Brighton & Hove: see what the online library service offers here. To join the library service as a new member, click here. You can also keep in touch with the service on Facebook.
East Sussex: find out what’s available online here. To join as a new member, click here. You can follow the library service on Facebook here.
West Sussex: find out about all the services you can access online here. To join up as a new member, click here. Keep in touch with West Sussex libraries via their Facebook page.
Go to the (virtual) theatre. In normal times, these National Theatre films of West End plays would cost an arm and a leg in cinemas and even more if you went up to London to see them, but you can now watch them for free on YouTube every Thursday evening at 7pm.
Shakespeare’s Globe is putting six of its productions online to watch for free while the theatre is closed, including Romeo and Juliet and a Midsummer Night’s Dream. They’re available to stream at the Globe’s on-demand service from 6 April and the films rotate every two weeks. For a fuller list of shows that’s updated regularly, follow this link.
Live music. If you love a bit of live music and you’re on Facebook, you might enjoy Rock the Lockdown where musicians from all over the world perform from their living rooms.
The Social Distancing Festival. Music, dance, art and more are all available via an ever-growing calendar of livestreams on the Social Distancing Festival website.

Exercise

Free exercise support if you live in Brighton & Hove. Part of a pilot project, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Healthy Lifestyles team is offering adults free one to one help to get you motivated and ready for physical activity. The support on offer can include: access to up to 10 free online activity sessions per week; one to one phone chat; help to access the Healthwalks Lockdown Challenge; sharing of useful health information and resources; and information about other Healthy Lifestyles services. Register here.

Exercise with the NHS. You’ll find lots of exercise videos on the NHS website including aerobic exercise, strength and resistance, pilates and yoga and more. There’s even belly dancing for beginners!

Get inspired with Sport England. Sport England’s new campaign, ‘Stay in, work out,’ is provides a full range of ideas about getting active at home and outdoors.

Exercising outdoors. If you want to get out in the big outdoors, a local park might provide the answer. Parks and tennis courts are open, and playgrounds are reopening. Take a walk, go for a run, or cycle when you can. You can go by yourself, with members of your household, with up to five others who aren’t part of your household, or if you’re the only adult in your home you can create a ‘support bubble’ with members of another household. You still need to keep two metres away (about the width of a car) from anyone you see who you don’t live with or who isn’t part of your support bubble.

If you want to see where your local parks are, click this link for information about spaces in Brighton & Hove, this link for East Sussex and this link for information about spaces in West Sussex.

Some links to practical information

See the Compass Team’s other lock-down guides for families and for young people.
Local charity Survivors’ Network has put together a great resource to help with social distancing and isolation. It includes helplines, webchats, online meditation, free yoga and meditation classes, adult colouring and much, much more.
Amaze has produced a wealth of resources for parent carers of children with SEND Brighton & Hove and East Sussex. Read more here.
Reaching Families in West Sussex, with input from the West Sussex Parent Carer Council, have put together Coronavirus information on education, health, wellbeing and more. Both the forum and Reaching Families are running regular online events where you can share a cuppa with other parents from the comfort of your own sofa. You can keep up to date with events on the forum Facebook page and the Reaching Families Facebook group page.
The Compass Team at Amaze has ‘Leisure, Learning and Lock-down’ resources for families and young people and an online gallery for crisis creatives. Find out more here.