Carers Week 13-19th June 2011 – The True Face of Carers

This year, Carers Week ran from 13-19^th June, the aim being to encourage those who care for others to speak out about their experiences in order to raise awareness of the issues they face.

In this article we look at the unique needs of those who care for others and explore the ways in which counselling can help.  In the spirit of sharing experiences, we also feature a short piece of writing from a carer, who communicates the highs and lows of her role.

 The campaign’s focus on sharing our experiences demonstrates the benefit that can be gained from verbalising what is happening in our lives and gaining understanding and support as a result.  Many carers struggle on alone, when what they often need is support, understanding and information.  At a recent event, a carer shared a poem she had written which expresses these needs perfectly:

Packet of plain chocolate digestive biscuits

•    Sometimes broken up and shared with not enough of me to go round.
• Sometimes nibbled and nibbled at, around the edge till its all ragged and it no longer looks like a chocolate biscuit (don’t recognise yourself).
• Some days pushed aside in the cupboard in favour of a milk chocolate biscuit.
• Sometimes dunked in a cup of tea, most of it ending up as sludge in the bottom of a cup (crisis days).
• But on good days, well, what is nicer then your favourite chocolate biscuit with a nice cup of tea in the company of someone you love very much.  

Having taken on a caring role, carers can often feel alone and isolated, with money worries, poor wellbeing and all too often, mental health problems.  In addition, a carer may be trying to juggle a full or part time job with their caring responsibilities, meaning that they have little or no time for themselves to recharge their batteries or enjoy life.

Counselling can provide carers with that opportunity to take some time out for themselves, and bring their needs a little further forward in the ‘queue’.  A counsellor would create a safe environment where the individual could explore and express their feelings, including those feelings that they may feel ashamed or embarrassed to admit to, and recognise that they too have needs. This process could almost be seen as laying the foundations for healing, so that the carer could then move towards a better balance in their lives.

If you are a carer, or you know someone who is, you may benefit from counselling.  Why not visit The Hope Street Centre website where there is detailed information to learn more about the process.  Click here to be taken straight to the relevant pages.

Of course, it might be that practical information and support would benefit you more at the moment, in which instance there is a comprehensive list of resources any agencies who work with carers on the Carers UK website.  Click here to access this list.  For support on a more local level, Cheshire Carer’s Centre can be reached on 0800 085 0307 Monday to Friday 10am till 4pm

If you would like to learn more about the events that took place throughout Carers Week, then click here to be taken to the charity website.