Words by Smiley Team
Carers Week (8 – 14 June 2020) is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. In our lifetimes, three in five of us will become a carer for a family member or friend. Although this is a rewarding experience for many, it does impact all areas of a carer's lives, from relationships to socialising, finances to wellbeing.
The roles carers take on can vary massively, including tasks like picking up prescriptions and preparing meals a few hours a week, to providing round-the-clock personal care or emotional support.
Many people who have caring responsibilities might not use the label carers or identify as such, but this does not mean they do not need support. Many do not realise that a carer is simply someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, illness, mental health condition or who needs extra help as they grow older. This year, the Carers Week’s theme is ’Making Caring Visible’ and the aim is to ensure that unpaid carers get the information and support they need from services and the wider public.
Currently, Carers Network is supporting thousands of unpaid carers across London including the City of Westminster, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal Borough Kensington and Chelsea.
During Carers Week, they ran a virtual programme of activities for local carers in response to Covid-19 restrictions. Throughout the pandemic, local unpaid carers have shown their continued resilience and adaptability by adopting new technologies and have already been engaging with regular online groups that Carers Network has started running.
Local unpaid carer Saida, who cares for her husband, recently attended one of Carers Network’s new online carer groups. She was able to speak to a caseworker and get information with regards to an application she needs to make to her local council for a carers’ emergency card. She was also able to chat with fellow carers which she can't normally do.
‘I enjoyed it and it was very good for me. I have two babies so it made it easier for me to do it online this way, as I couldn’t go to the groups before and leave my husband’. Despite not having used an online platform for such a meeting before, Saida found the technology easy to use and will be joining other Carers Network online groups in the future.
Different Carers Network’s groups during Carers Week will include a poetry workshop, make-up tips, mindfulness, an art club, film club, chocolate workshop and a mindfulness session.
Carers Network also aims to generate publicity that will help local people who care for someone (but don’t necessarily recognise themselves as a carer) to realise they have caring responsibilities – and that this entitles them to support from local agencies.
Looking forward to this year’s Carers Week, Carers Network’s Chief Executive Sally Miller, said:
“Unpaid carers are currently dealing with more challenges than ever before during these exceptionally difficult times. This makes it more important than ever that we come together to recognise the role played by unpaid carers, ensuring they are valued and well-supported. But caring can be incredibly challenging with carers too often getting little or no leisure time to relax. Many of the carers talk of feeling increasingly isolated and lonely as their caring role grows.
Without proper support and respite this can take a terrible toll on a carer’s health and wellbeing.
You can find out more about the Carers Network and the support they provide on their website
By Ellen Jones
