It is fitting that Mental Health Week is followed by Carers Week but,
of course, not all carers are mental health carers and the week from
the 12th to 18th November is dedicated to celebrating and recognising
the outstanding contribution all unpaid carers make to our great country
of Australia. Hopefully other countries also take time to show
appreciation for the sometimes thankless tasks that families or friends
perform day after day as they show their loved ones how much they mean
to them.
As with all these annual events there is a theme and the 2014 theme is:
You might like to participate in an event near you during Carers Week and you can find out what is happening near you here. It is a good time to show your support for unpaid carers and there are over 2.7 million of them around this nation alone.
Of
course, for carers who are looking after a severely disabled loved one,
even getting to such events would be impossible so spare a thought and
your prayers for them. Perhaps if you know someone in such a situation
you might like to call on them and bring with you some home baked goods
or a little something to show them that they are appreciated even if you
can't take over the caring role which is often a very specialised one.
Added to that, in certain cases the person being cared for may not want
someone other than those they are familiar with to do the caregiving. So
it can be a very difficult role for families and friends but one which
they do with much dedication because....that is what we do for our
families and loved ones, isn't it?
As
there are readers here from all states of Australia and well as from
overseas, I thought it might be helpful to other carers if you would
care to take a moment to mention some support groups that you have found
helpful for yourself in your particular area. If you aren't a carer you
may have a friend or family member who has been helped by a particular
group. You could leave a comment at the bottom of this post or else
email me via the contact form in the sidebar. You just never know who
might read the information and be helped by it in a moment of need.
I will start the ball rolling by recommending Mental Health Carers ARAFMI which
is an excellent support group for those who are caring for someone with
mental health issues. I am not sure if this applies in all states but
ARAFMI Queensland has a 24 hour support line which
is invaluable as we all know that the wee small hours of the morning
are often the worst for those who are going through a family crisis and
can't sleep.
Talking about mental health, I mentioned in my post How is YOUR Mental Health? that ABC TV was presenting a week of programs called Mental As
during Mental Health Week and that, at the time over $11,000 had been
donated towards mental health research etc. Well $1,106,021 has now been
donated. How amazing! I can recommend the programs that I watched which
were Changing Minds and All In Your Mind. They
are worth having a look at if you can work out how to do that :-) I
can't see how to do that on my PC but I am sure I could on the iPad but
you clever people will know how to do that I am sure as I am a bit
technologically challenged.
Do share about any support groups you know of wherever you live around the world. Don't be shy!
I am in that other hemisphere, and all of that is nice, but few of us have the time or resources to participate in even supportive events such as these. My county offers respite, but it is difficult to coordinate stuff to be able to take advantage, which is really too bad because the more challenging it is to find time to take of ourselves the greater the relationship to how challenging and difficult is the person for whom you are caring.
ReplyDeleteCircular, to be sure, but it is what it is. One of the women for whom I provide care resists every opportunity to become closer to her children and allow them to help her, to the point of starting fights with her children so that they are reluctant to continue to making the effort. It is her pattern and the main reason that she is so isolated. Even the most loving child will be worn down by a persistent trouble-maker.
J, that is sad. It must be so hard for her family. Yes the issue of respite is a complex one and I am not sure if there is an easy answer. Carers need to be able to take a break but that is extremely hard to do in some situations. Carers very often become unwell themselves and many are on antidepressants in order to cope.
ReplyDeleteThere are days, when my schedule is tight that I am so grateful for my computer and the Internet, where bubble games, mahjohg and cat videos roam freely.
DeleteI took that woman out for dinner and grocery shopping last night after work and she was quite proud to share that her daughter cried when the woman told her that she did not want to visit her for any of the winter (when she usually spends time with all three of her children). She plays favorites and she plays them against each other. I just sit there, silent and mouth and brain agape, because there are no words with which to reply to such blatant cruelty. She is just a friend and I set boundaries for how she treats me, but my heart breaks for her children. Such a freaking waste of time and love.
J, I wonder what has happened in her life to make her feel like that about her girl. It is such a shame.
ReplyDeleteThere is almost always a department on aging at either the state or county level here in the states and most have lists of services and people to perform them. Many people are also not aware of all that Medicare will provide if they just learn and ask questions, one of the easier websites for seniors is Medicare.gov and they have lots of info. Am going through this with my mom caring for her mom and all those who have come to help when they found out she needed it. That generation has a hard time asking for help. If you know a caregiver - especially someone taking care of a family member at home, the gift of an hour of shopping or a hair appt is priceless, an hour makes a huge difference to someone who is caring for another 24/7.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, hope this sparks a lot of discussions, this is a real need and not much talked about thus far! Bless you for helping spread the word!
You are right about that generation having a hard time asking for help as my mum was the same, Kathy.
DeleteYep, i am and so are my sisters and my mother. I guess it runs in the family. I always thought id be caring for outsiders not my actual family but there it is. I was given the ideal training by my mother and many other fabulous women from our country church on how to find the joy in caring for others. God knew what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteBeing a carer certainly does sound like it runs in your family, Lynda :-)
Delete