Guest Blog: National Carers Week 6 to 12 June

This week is national Carers Week (6 – 12 June) which is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, to highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and to 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.

We invited York Carers Centre to share more information about the work they do to support carers in York: 

Are you an unpaid carer?

An unpaid carer is someone who looks after a family member or friend who could not cope without their support, and there are 19,000 unpaid carers of all ages in York. The person they care for might have a disability, illness, mental health condition, addiction or may need extra help as they grow older.

Caring can mean lots of different things – it might mean managing appointments or medication for someone else, or providing emotional support, or dealing with benefits agencies and social workers. For young people it might mean looking after siblings or doing extra jobs round the house like cooking, cleaning or helping someone get dressed.

Caring is often part and parcel of family life and close friendships. For some, caring is something that happens gradually when someone becomes older or has a progressive illness. For others, it arises suddenly, for example as the result of an accident or a stroke. Caring can be hugely rewarding, but it can also have an impact on all aspects of your life, such as balancing caring with your paid work or education or making time to look after your own health and wellbeing. Looking after someone without the right information and support can be tough.

One carer said:

“When I first looked for support for myself as a family member of an addict, I was pointed to York Carers Centre. I nevertheless hesitated, as I didn’t see myself as a carer in the traditional sense. I thought that, as a carer, you needed to care for your family member on a day-to-day basis, probably including their physical and practical care, and I wasn’t in that situation. I’ve since joined one of the support groups and have been attending for some years, finding it a lifeline.”

Families and carers affected by addiction might not always recognise themselves as carers and access the help they need, for many reasons, including stigma, but the right support and advice at the right time can make all the difference.

These short films share the stories of three families with lived experience which highlight the importance of helping families find support and the value of including carers in care planning:

York Carers Centre is a local charity that gives free support and information to any unpaid carer in York, aged from 5 years and above. Carers can have someone to talk to, groups, specialist support for young carers, workshops and advice about things like benefits, rights and arranging care for someone.

If you look after someone and you would like free information, advice, support or someone to talk to about your caring role you can get in touch with York Carers Centre on: 01904 715 490 or www.yorkcarerscentre.co.uk or social media @yorkcarers.