Carers Week 2018
Today marks the start of Carers Week 2018 and I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the fantastic work so many people do in taking on the incredibly difficult task of looking after their loved ones. There are approximately 6.5 million people in the UK who are classed as carers – someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, illness, mental health problem or who just needs some extra help as they get older.
The impact of caring for someone else is enormous and when I say difficult I hope only to convey this enormity and the variety of ways that impact can be felt. My Mum would now be classed as one of those millions of unpaid carers due to the support I still require but when I was a child, and even in patches during my adult life, it has been a full-time job. Full-time as in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Imagine working every single day of the year for an absolute pittance - currently £64.40 a week. And that's only if you don't already earn more than £120 a week. It's an absolute insult in my mind that this is the value placed upon the amazing job a carer does.
Even when we went on holiday when I was young it was never a holiday for Mum because she still had those responsibilities to support my needs - whether it was making sure I took my meds at the right times or helping me shower and dress, she was on call at every moment. Not just for those big ticket needs either – on a bad day time slowly taught us that something as simple as having my feet gently massaged helped alleviate the pain and she has always been there to try and make my life a little less painful. As I’ve gotten older though I’ve thought more and more of what she must have given up, as so many other parents, children, spouses and other family members do. Her own career, a more active social life and at times her own health. It’s an incredible sacrifice, though I know she would say it never crossed her mind not to do it all.
It takes someone truly special to be a carer – an incredible degree of selflessness to forego your own financial security, career, free time and to be there for someone else, let alone the sheer amount of mental, physical and emotional energy required. If you know someone who is a carer maybe reach out a bit of support for them – use this week to let them know that they too have a support system to call upon. Whether that’s taking over for an hour or two a month to let them attend a social group, offering to run some errands or simply asking them how they are coping with their daily circumstances and giving them an opportunity to talk.
Are you a Carer for a family member or friend? Or someone being cared for? Let's use this space to share experiences, ask questions and support one another. Hopefully, as I build the content and resources available here they will support both people on both sides of the fence.
Below are some useful links to more resources for and about carers:
Carers Week - https://www.carersweek.org
Carers UK - https://www.carersuk.org
Carers Trust - https://carers.org
Motability Support for Carers resource - https://news.motability.co.uk/inspiration/support-for-carers