Highlighting the importance of family carers for Carers Week UK 2024!
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of family caregivers. We've put together some top tips for the often over-looked family carers.
What is Carers Week?
Carers Week 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.
It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.
This year Carer Week takes place from Monday 10th June until Sunday 16th June 2024. The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities, highlight the vital role carers play in our communities and draw attention to just how important caring is.
We also hope that this week serves as a platform to help people who may not identify themselves as carers to recognize the important role they play and access the support they need.
The definition of a Carer.
A carer refers to a person who provides care for a family member or friend with a disability, mental or physical illness, addiction, or those who require additional assistance as they age.
While many people view caring as one of their most important responsibilities as a family member, friend, or neighbour, it can be demanding. Without the right support system, caregiving can be quite challenging. This emphasizes the crucial importance of acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of carers while ensuring they receive the necessary support.
Some people spend a lot of time taking care of others, but they might still not consider themselves as carers. This might feel like it because being someone’s carer may only describe part of your relationship with them. You could be their parent, partner, sibling, child, grandchild, friend or other relative. This relationship can be just as, or more, important to you. You may also have other caring roles, for example taking care of your children.
The theme for Carers Week 2024.
The theme for Carers Week 2024 is ‘Putting carers on the map’ highlighting the invaluable contributions of carers across the UK and ensuring their voices are heard loud and clear. We want to help increase the visibility of the carers amongst politicians, employers and throughout our communities. By raising awareness, we hope they will better recognise the challenges unpaid carers face and help them access the support they deserve!
A staggering 82% of carers surveyed by Carers UK said the impact of caring on their physical and mental health would be a challenge over the coming year, with nearly 60% adding that being valued as a carer would improve their wellbeing.
Caring for someone else.
Being patient and giving support can feel like part of the normal give and take of any relationship. But sometimes you might find that you spend a lot more time and effort helping someone else.
You may provide a range of support such as:
- giving emotional support
- helping someone cope with or seek help for a mental health problem
- cooking and cleaning
- providing personal care like washing and going to the toilet
- budgeting and looking after finances
- supporting them to live alongside other people in your household
- helping others understand the needs of the person you are caring for
- giving medicine or providing medical care
- checking they are safe
- going to appointments with them and advocating on their behalf – this means helping them express their views and wishes.
How to look after yourself as a Carer.
When you spend a lot of your time focusing on someone else, you may feel as if you have no time for yourself. But looking after your own wellbeing is important for you and for them.
- share your feelings with someone you trust, such as a family member, friend or neighbour
- join a support group for carers
- contact the Carers UK helpline
- find ways to stay organized – keep a schedule of your daily routine
- find positives in your relationship
- take a break and make time for yourself
How can we help?
We know what the challenges of juggling in caring for your loved ones whilst caring for children or juggling careers or both! Some family carers live minutes away, some hours. Our recent campaign ‘Take Care’ highlighted just how much of an impact it can have on a family caregiver.
Here at Home Instead Taunton, we care for your loved ones as we would care for our family. Our Care Professionals are trained to deliver exceptional care to people who are in need of care at home. We understand it can be hard to entrust care of your loved ones to strangers, that is why we build great relationships between us – client – and the family. We are here to listen and provide the best care that suits the needs of your loved ones.
If you feel in need of any help and support, reach out to us for a friendly chat and to see the best ways in which we can help and support you. You can get in touch here or visit us at our offices at the Comeytrowe Centre in Taunton.
