This week, 10-16 October, is National Carers Week, dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the 2.65 million Aussies who provide unpaid care to their family members and friends.
In the ACT alone, over 50,000 individuals aid with tasks of daily living to loved ones with a disability, mental health condition, chronic health condition, are frail aged or require palliative care.
2021โs theme for National Carers Week is โMillions of Reasons to Care,โ which aims to spotlight the diversity of carers and their roles.
Carers come in all shapes and sizes, working tirelessly behind closed doors within our own Canberran community. Local women like Lorraine, who cares for her husband Steve who suffers from Parkinsonโs disease and Parkinsonโs dementia.
A video diary uploaded by Carers Week ambassadors detailed how Lorraine helps Steve with most physical actions, as well as brain exercises to keep the dementia at bay.
โWith the Covid-19 lockdowns, life has become a lot more challenging โฆ we try our best to do things at home while keeping safe, because obviously having Parkinsonโs, Steve is in a very high-risk group.
โWe do our best to stay positive. Itโll be all over at some point,โ Lorraine smiled hopefully.
โItโs really important that carers get some help, so that they can have a little bit of time to themselves to recharge and be ready to look after their loved one better.โ
The help required was outlined by Carers ACT CEO, Lisa Kelly.
โWe were disappointed that there was no specific funding for carers or the ACT Carers Strategy in the ACT Budget announced last week,โ Ms Kelly said.
โNow, more than ever, is the time to demonstrate our support โฆ we urge the ACT Government to stand by the commitments they have made to supporting the ACT Carers Strategy and achieving the vision of a โCanberra that Cares for Carersโ.โ
Another local woman championing National Carers Week is Raelene, who cares for her father, Kevin, through Stage 4 lung cancer that has unfortunately spread to his brain and bones.
โDuring those times when Dadโs doing really well and heโs mobile and independent, Iโm certainly able to do the things I normally do and connect with friends,โ Raelene said.
โSometimes when Dadโs not doing so well, I spend more time at home caring for him, but I still very much try to connect with those people close to me for my own mental health.
โThere are millions of reasons to care on National Carers Week. My Dad is mine.โ
According to Ms Kelly, โcarers report feeling invisible and unrecognised for the contribution they make in caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our communityโ.
โNow, more than ever, carers have gone above and beyond to keep their loved ones safe and alive through the Covid-19 pandemic, often at the expense of their own economic stability, health, and wellbeing,โ she said.
โCaring is never an easy task, and the impact is significant to the individual and the community.โ
Watch Lorraine and Raeleneโs stories on the Carers Australia YouTube Channel.
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