Fighting Monsters

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• A Stranger in a Strange Land

  Arriving in a new country with little notice or planning can be disorientating at best. Although some of the language may be familiar through years of study, it’s different when you hit the ground running, so to speak. And it isn’t just language... Posted Jul 24 2008, 05:43 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social issues, work, immigration, language, adjustment, travel

• Looking at gift horses

  There’s one couple that I’ve been seeing quite a lot of over the past few weeks. He has dementia and his wife has depression. They have been co-dependent for many years - and probably would have continued to be until she became physically... Posted Jul 23 2008, 06:42 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, older people, work, elderly, family, present, gift

• Getting to know you

  Often, in the course of assessments, discussions, anything really, I try to use a conversational approach with the people that I work with - a part of building a therapeutic relationship - especially if there has been a lack of acceptance of assistance... Posted Jul 22 2008, 06:30 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, older people, work, self-reflection, talk

• Defending Political Correctness

  There seems many an implied or direct criticism of being ‘overly political correct’ - people find some random and strange judgement and laughingly refer to ‘political correctness gone mad’ amid the sniggers a - many of them facts... Posted Jul 21 2008, 05:54 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social issues, work, mental health, politics, uk, political correctness, language, daily mail, semantics, politically correct

• Ageism and Justice

  Community Care reports on a proposal by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to recommend more severe sentences to those who commit crimes against older people The policy is the last to be published on six “equality strands” and brings victimisation due... Posted Jul 19 2008, 05:55 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, social issues, work, social justice, community care, cps, crown prosecution service, adult protection, domestic violence, safeguarding adults, elder abuse

• Coincidence

  Earlier in the week, I popped in to see someone that I hadn’t seen for a couple of weeks. I had intended it to be a fairly quick visit. Things had been stable and I was in the area so just wanted to check and show my face - just in case. I’d... Posted Jul 18 2008, 04:17 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, older people, work, carers, elderly, carer, television, older person

• Motivation and reflection

  Getting satisfaction from a job is an important factor of any career decision and ‘wanting to help people’ is an oft-quoted reason for wishing to enter the general ’social care’ arena. All good things - but this isn’t altruism... Posted Jul 17 2008, 05:30 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, work, health, career choice, United Kingdom, cat, helping professions, self-reflection, Employment, confucius, career, reflection

• Stigma in Parliament

  More than a quarter of parliamentary staff surveyed, including MPs, Lords and support staff, suffer from mental illness brought about by stress according to an article published in The Independent today. A MIND press release further breaks down the figures... Posted Jul 16 2008, 05:18 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social issues, work, mental health, discrimination, politics, uk, health, mental health act, westminster, member of parliament, mp, stigma

• Normality?

  The question of ‘normality’ and what it is  has cropped up again in relation to this weekend’s Bonkerfest. I read about it in The Times at the weekend in an article which explains the ‘Mad Pride’ movement which has made... Posted Jul 15 2008, 05:57 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, work, mental health, london, uk, health, spikol, event, mad pride, bonkersfest, maslow

• Striking Decisions

  UNISON have called a strike of local government employees for the 16th and 17th July. I’m a member of UNISON. So I strike. It should all be so simple. In reality I am in two minds and I haven’t decided - or rather, our team haven’t made... Posted Jul 14 2008, 05:12 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, work, United Kingdom, local government, Strike action, industrial action, pay offer, Trade union, Unison, Dave Prentis

• Random Sunday Mumblings

  Just for the record, I’ve added a page with additional links and resources because I felt the front page was getting a bit clogged up! I intend to add another page for other blogs at some point but it might take a few weeks for me to organise -... Posted Jul 13 2008, 09:04 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: work, kitten, cat, links

• Bringing work home

  Earlier this week, during one of our monthly meetings that include all the teams that work in our office (there are four sub-teams that cover the borough), we discussed Lone Working Policies. Nothing particularly exciting - they are formulating some new... Posted Jul 12 2008, 05:49 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, social issues, work, local authority, housing, health, United Kingdom, neighbourhood, community care, lone working policy, community, Ray Lewis

• Data Entry

  All the work I do is recorded on databases. Every visit, form completed, review, assessment - even some telephone conversations (if they are over 10 minutes and can be deemed to have some kind of ‘therapeutic value’ - so not the ‘Can... Posted Jul 11 2008, 05:14 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, work, carers, local authority, nhs, carer, local government, statutory social work, database

• Approval

  Yesterday, I received confirmation of the ‘approval’ part of my new role as an ‘approved social worker’ (ASW). After completing the designated additional specialist mental health training a couple of months back and having spent... Posted Jul 10 2008, 04:57 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, work, ASW, mental health, local authority, uk, health, approved social worker, mental health act 1983

• Dementia Awareness Week

  This week is Dementia Awareness Week and the Alzheimer’s Society are focusing on prevention and things that people can do to reduce the risk of developing dementia. I was going to comment that the things they are suggesting are the expected ones... Posted Jul 09 2008, 04:52 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: dementia, work, elderly, health, United Kingdom, Alzheimer's Society, vascular dementia

• Little Steps

  Yesterday, I had another run-in with the Housing Department but at least it was resolved. It tends to  happen every so often and its usually over the same issues. This time it was about access - which is probably the most common reason that we have... Posted Jul 08 2008, 04:39 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, older people, work, carers, socialcare, local authority, old age, elderly, housing, access, care

• Memories and Remembrances

  Three years ago today I went to work by bus. I could have walked, but I didn’t. When I arrived, I started the morning with a cup of coffee - the regular pattern back then. I arrived before most people and liked the moments of quiet before I got... Posted Jul 07 2008, 05:26 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, work, london, uk, United Kingdom, Salvation Army, tube bombings, news, disaster relief, 7/7/05, counselling, 7 july

• Happy Birthday, NHS

  Today is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the National Health Service. There has been a lot of coverage over the last week in every kind of media source to commemorate this. From finding people born on the same day to relive their lives through... Posted Jul 05 2008, 05:43 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, social issues, work, medication, health care, health, nhs, Medicine, social worker, National Health Service

• A Career in Care

  Earlier in the week,  as a result of the Care Ambassador scheme that I am a party to,  I  had a meeting with a someone from  Skills for Care who is involved in setting up some of the meetings and training sessions with schools. The... Posted Jul 04 2008, 05:15 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, work, socialcare, care ambassador, skills for care, careers advice

• Direct Payments - Chapter Two

  So, a week from the start of my journey into a Direct Payments referral and I have sent the appropriate forms, documents and paperwork to the appropriate people.  The figures are being checked and the amount that has been requested matched up against ... Posted Jul 03 2008, 05:34 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, older people, work, carers, socialcare, old age, elderly, uk, fair access to care, carer, direct payments, social services, family, opening direct payments bank accounts, personal assistants, gscc., carer direct payments

• Trouble at Southern Cross

  Both The Times and The Guardian reported that Southern Cross Healthcare Group have been launched into some kind of financial crisis following the failure to repay a loan of some £46 million. Times are getting harder and a lot of firms are failing - but... Posted Jul 02 2008, 02:43 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: residential care, social care, social work, social issues, older people, work, old age, elderly, long-term care, uk, housing, health, care home, csci, Southern Cross, Southern Cross Healthcare Group, nursing home

• Assumptions

  I work in the inner city and have since I did my first practice placement in the first year of my social work course almost 10 years ago now.  For as long as I have been working as a social worker , I have only ever worked in the inner city - different... Posted Jul 01 2008, 05:27 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, social issues, older people, dementia, work, carers, socialcare, mental health, old age, elderly, health, caregivers, carer, alzheimers, social services, United Kingdom, respite care, family, residential respite, assumptions, options for care, respite, domiciliary respite

• Looking for beds

  The new president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Professor Dinesh Bhugra, will according to the Guardian use his inaugural speech to lament the problems caused by the shortage of acute psychiatric beds in the system. This is something we hear... Posted Jun 29 2008, 06:49 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: work, mental health, health, psychiatry, hospital, Dinesh Bhugra, Mental Health Act Commission, Medicine, Royal College of Psychiatrists

• Legislating for Equality

  Details regarding the new Equality Bill were announced last Thursday. The Bill seems to be an attempt to consolidate existing legislation related to discrimination - a seemingly uncontenious issue - however combined with this are some new proposals which... Posted Jun 28 2008, 05:59 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social issues, older people, work, discrimination, old age, uk, health care, health, Age Discrimination, Elderly care, equality bill, Home Care

• Multi-disciplinary working.. or not.

  I read in on the Times website that a letter has been written to the British Journal of Psychiatry,  in which 36 signatories complain that ‘patients with serious problems are often referred to psychologists and social workers rather than clinicians... Posted Jun 27 2008, 04:49 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, work, mental health, health, nhs, United Kingdom, mdt, new ways of working, British Journal of Psychiatry, the times, multi-disciplinary teams

• Direct Payments - Chapter One

  Direct Payments is the system of, basically, rather than giving a direct service, providing money to the user of the service to ‘buy’ the care that they need directly. ‘Direct Payments were introduced in the UK - for adults with a disability... Posted Jun 26 2008, 05:10 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social care, social work, older people, work, carers, old age, uk, caregivers, carer, alzheimers, direct payments, care services, carers direct payments, carers assessment, choice

• A Golden Touch

  I like talking to people. One of the things I enjoy most in my job and the area that I work in is that I find that the stories people have to tell about their lives fascinating and a part of getting to know someone, their needs, hopes and aspirations... Posted Jun 25 2008, 03:27 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social issues, older people, work, old age, elderly, elders, ww2, elderly people, evacuation, talking

• The Death of the Giro

  Image via Wikipedia I was minding my own business, listening to Moneybox on the Radio at the weekend - when I heard that Benefits Cheques are to be phased out. The Giro is on its last legs. I don’t want to be pessimistic at all, in the face of the... Posted Jun 24 2008, 04:51 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social issues, older people, work, benefits, elderly, uk, direct payment, United Kingdom, Pension, James Plaskitt, pensioners, dwp, National Pensioners Convention, Royal Mail, Department for Work and Pensions

• *The Road Not Taken

  I was asked over the weekend by someone who is just about to finish her Social Work degree and  if I would recommend she goes  for statutory or voluntary Social  Work when she qualifies. I had no hesitation in recommending voluntary sector... Posted Jun 23 2008, 05:49 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, work, local authority, uk, social justice, social services, public sector, statutory social work, career choice for social workers, social work student

• With or Without Your Consent

  Last week was quite a difficult one for me, work-wise. I’ve already mentioned a couple of the Mental Health Act Assessments I did a few days ago. There was another one yesterday and it was the most troubling I have been party to. At the moment,... Posted Jun 21 2008, 05:14 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: social work, work, ASW, mental health, uk, assessment, health, hospital, sectioning, psychiatric hospital, approved social work, mental health act assessment

• IT and me!

  I like to think of myself as somewhat knowledgeable about technology . Not on an advanced level or at the level that would merit any kind of expertise - but basic stuff like checking my email regularly, being able to use database programs and getting... Posted Jun 19 2008, 04:09 AM by Fighting Monsters Filed under: work, security, passwords, keyboards, technology