Brent Council has joined forces with the Wembley branch of Lions Club International to support a project which makes a plastic bottle available in which essential personal and medical details of a loved one can be found in an emergency, reports Asian Lite best newspaper for British Asians.
Members of Wembley Lions delivered 300 bottles to Brent Council and a bottle may now be offered to any carers in Brent who apply for an assessment for local authority support.
The bottles, which are kept in a fridge at home, contain documents which list important information about the person a carer looks after, including emergency contacts, doctor’s name, medication and information about allergies. They are not just for people who are on medication but for anyone who has a medical condition and knowledge of which may be needed in an emergency. The plastic bottle, holds a form for recording the vital information about a person.
Once the form is completed it is put back into the bottle, which is then placed in the fridge where the emergency services will look for it if they are called to the home.
Councillor Krupesh Hirani, Lead Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, said, “Thanks to the Wembley Lions for this great initiative. The bottles are a simple but highly effective way of being able to help somebody in an emergency if there carer is not around. Anyone can have an accident at home and this is very useful way to help reassure carers and their loved ones.”
Rohit Patel, secretary of Wembley Lions’ Club, said, “This scheme will really benefit carers because it means that if they are not around and the emergency services need valuable vital details about the person they care for, they will be able to do so quickly, which will save them valuable time. It is a potential lifesaver and provides peace of mind to users and their friends and families.”
Under the Care Act 2015 all the borough’s carers are now entitled to be assessed by the local authority to find out if they are eligible for support which can include making their caring role easier by providing respite, additional care at home or other support.
There are estimated to be around 26,000 carers in the borough.