Campaign shines light on vital work carers do and the support available
Carers week takes place from June 8-14. The theme for this year’s campaign is to make caring visible.
Carers week is an annual awareness campaign to bring caring out into the open and recognise the contribution carers make to families and communities.
In the UK 6.5 million people are carers who are looking after a family member or friend who has a disability, mental or physical illness or who needs extra help as they grow older.
And this week as part of our #Bigthankyou campaign we are shining a light on the role carers play in the community,
West Sussex Wellbeing says there are approximately 84,500 unpaid carers in West Sussex, with just under 17,000 people providing 50 or more hours of care per week.
What’s more, three out of five of us will become a carer at some point in our lives.
Caring impacts on all aspects of life from relationships and health to finances and work. As carers are experiencing even more challenging circumstances this year, it is vitally important that everyone recognises the contribution that carers make to their local communities, but also connect them to support to help them manage their own health and wellbeing.
The theme for Carers Week 2020 is ‘making caring visible’.
Carers Support West Sussex is an independent charity supporting family and friend carers living in West Sussex.
“The role of unpaid carer can often feel socially isolating, but we want these carers to know that they are not alone,” said CSWS’S chief executive, Sonia Mangan.
“The aim of Carers Week is to shine the light on these carers, including the many young and young adult carers, to celebrate them and to educate others on the incredibly selfless work they undertake every day. We also hope throughout the week to engage with even more carers throughout the region, either through one of our special online events, or via the CSWS support network.
“Seeking help or assistance should not be considered a shameful act, and we hope that our ongoing activities, including Carers Week, will help to boost the pride and recognition of carers in our local community, enabling them to reach out to organisations such as ourselves.
“We ask you, the wider public, to also get involved in Carers Week and support the wider ‘West Sussex Together’ initiative. Everyone has a part to play in making sure these carers are seen, heard, and understood; and in helping them to get the support they need.”
Elizabeth is a Blackafrican carer looking after her daughter with a learning disability (challenging needs) and has been registered with CSWS since 2018.
The aim is to shine a light on these carers to celebrate them and educate others.
SONIA MANGAN
CSWS Chief Executive
Elizabeth is someone who was a hidden carer in plain sight in that she had routinely received support from Children and Adults’ Services because of her daughter’s learning disability but had very little or no information about the support that she could access as a carer.
Although Elizabeth has been with the service for just under two years now, she has never attended any of its carer group meetings because she feels that she already has peer support from attending her local church group but admits that this is not a group/ space appropriate to discuss concerns she has about being a carer.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, Elizabeth did consent to receiving low-level of emotional support over the phone something that she would not have ordinarily accepted.
This contact has really helped Elizabeth to reflect on her own caring situation and admit that it’s okay to be dependent on others and/or services when things become unmanageable or when she is uncertain about what type of support she can access.
She said: “When you wake up in the morning you are not sure what is going to happen at this time. But when someone l calls and speaks to me, I feel comforted.
“I feel that there is someone who knows that I am still here. For this, I am very grateful, and it makes me feel at peace. It’s important to speak to other people and share how you are feeling and what you are thinking.
“This lockdown has bought me closer to other people who I know are also like me [a carer] and may need help and I have been telling them to also reach out to contact you for help.”
Carers Support West Sussex has collaborated with some local organisations who support and recognise the fantastic work of carers to produce a programme of exclusive carers week online events.
Activities will include: cookery demos, tips from a carer life coach, portraiture drawing workshop, resilience course for parent carers and Chichester Festival Theatre have produced some exclusive carer-focussed workshops.
There will be a webinar about affordable and kind nutrition for carers.
Full details on how to sign up to these events can be found at carerssupport.org. uk/carersweek/
Carers who have not yet registered with Carers Support are invited to register today to enable access to the carer network.
Amanda Jupp, cabinet member for adults and health said: “It is so important for us to recognise the contribution of every single family and friend carer and what they do day in day out to support their loved ones particularly during this dreadful pandemic that has affected carers far greater than most.
“It is vital for people to know that we are still here for them if they need help and support. I urge those who care for others to try to set aside some time to look after their own health and wellbeing and make use of all the excellent support that is available from Carers Support West Sussex.”
Carers Health Team in West Sussex is a team of health professionals who aim to promote the health and wellbeing of carers.
It is a free service provided by Sussex Community NHS Trust providing support for carers over the age of 18 registered with a West Sussex GP. It works directly with carers and will develop individual strategies for each carer with an aim to reduce the strain of coping with their caring role. It can also, if it is necessary, look at the health needs of the person who is being cared for.
Working closely with other NHS specialist services, social and caring services and voluntary and community services and will link carers with these services when appropriate.
For more information, visit sussexcommunity.nhs.uk
In 2020, Carers Week is made possible through Carers UK working together with five other major charities: Age UK, Carers Trust, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Oxfam GB and Rethink Mental Illness.
For more on Carers Week, visit carersweek.org
I feel there is someone who knows I am still here. For this I am very grateful, and it makes me feel at peace. ELIZABETH Carer