Support for Carers of Ageing Adults

Being a Carer

Perhaps the greatest support to the aged in Australia comes from family and friends. We know being a carer for ageing parents or relatives is necessary and challenging at times, with it being difficult to know where to access help and support. Many of you reading this might not even consider yourself an official carer, only seeing yourself as a family member or friend looking after a loved one. You are still carrying the weight and responsibilities of a carer, having to manage needs specific to your family situation, including extra facilities at home, more money for health care, extra time for appointments and a number of other necessities. If you are experiencing this situation, know that you are not alone. There are 2.65 million carers in Australia - meaning that 1 in 10 Australians are carers (ABS). If this is you, we are here to help you.

• Feeling stressed. Looking after ageing people can be time consuming and can cost a lot of money. It’s normal to feel stressed about your finances, your lack of time or fear of the future.

• Feeling isolated. You may feel like no one understands what you go through as a carer; this can leave you feeling isolated and helpless.

• Feeling frustrated. Supporting people with additional needs can be full of uncertainties and unforeseen challenges. Sometimes, you may feel like you’re going in circles or not getting anywhere.

• Feeling like there’s not a lot of support for you. When looking at what support is out there, it can seem like there are a lot of services for senior citizens, and not a lot for carers. It’s normal that this can cause you to feel isolated, frustrated and stressed!

You Deserve to be Supported!

We want you to know that it is very normal to feel all of the above things, plus more. Being a carer is an incredibly brave and important thing, and you are making such a difference. We know that being a carer can be a long-term stress, and more often than not you don’t have time to care for yourself. But we want to encourage you, that YOU are worthy of being cared for too! Following some of our other articles may be helpful for you.

Healthy minds: Looking after your mental health

Self care: Practical tips for looking after yourself

Some self-care tips for you

We can imagine you will be busy with looking after your ageing family or friends, but it is also important to look after yourself. You don’t even need to spend much time on self-care. We would like to introduce some practical tips to you.

• What are the best things that happened today? At the end of the day, when you are lying in bed, it can be a really great time for you to have a little chat with yourself - even just for 5 or 10 minutes. Think of the things that bring you joy throughout the day. Having a good mood before you sleep could bring you more passion for the next day!

• Make sure you have someone to talk to. Just like you have someone that you care about, there will always be someone who cares about you! Find some time to catch up with them, even if it’s once a week or even a month. We can guarantee you they will be happy to hear your voice or to spend time with you, and you won’t believe how much energy they can bring you.

• Build up a daily routine for yourself. Building up a routine for looking after or rewarding yourself might sound time consuming - but it doesn’t have to be! It can be little things during the day, like making a breakfast you enjoy, listening to nice music while you are doing some work or a short pep talk when you wake up in the morning. There are so many small things that are easy to commit to and can turn your day around!

• Talk to a therapist. Last and the most important, Please take care of yourself. Being a caregiver can be highly stressful and overwhelming. If you are feeling noticeably unmotivated, feeling anxious or not interested in the events that you used to be passionate about, then talking to a professional would be a great benefit to you.

Organisations

Remember, you don’t have to do this journey alone. Knowing what support is available to you means you can get help with taking care of your loved ones and have a backup for emergency respite care. When unexpected situations arise, some services can provide respite care and will work alongside you to care for your ageing parents or friends. Importantly, there are also services available for you. Carer groups are there to support you and give you a space to share what you’re going through with others that are on the same journey; you might even be able to help another carer with what they’re going through. If you feel overwhelmed, it’s important that you reach out for support. You can do this journey alone, but it’s so much easier to do it with others, both for you and the person you care for.

Here are some of the services that may be available for carer support.

• Carer gateway (1800 422 737; Mon-Fri; 8am-6pm) - Free counselling. Same number for 24/7 emergency respite.

• Lifeline (13 11 14; Mon-Fri) - Support for anxiety, depression and free counselling. 24/7 for crisis support.

• Anglicare (1300 610 610) - Counseling (Family and individual), mentors.

• Support for carers (QLD) - A website with a list of available services for all carers, including parents, grandparents, elder carers, young carers, carers with diverse cultural backgrounds.

• Carer gateway Forum - A website for carer share their experience or thoughts

How Can I Help Carers Around Me?

You might know someone who is a carer and you want to do something to help. Here are a few ways that you can support them!

• Keep them company. It’s important to be patient with yourself and others when you’re experiencing or hearing about a tough situation. Looking after ageing parents or friends can be a long-term responsibility, and so it’s important that you check in with your friend or someone you care about frequently. Although what you can do might be little, it can reduce people’s feelings of helplessness and isolation. A little goes a long way!

• Be a good listener. While keeping the carers company is an important support, good listening skills are essential. As the person experiencing the issues or having a hardship, the carer needs to feel like they are the expert of their situation, and feel validated that they are trying their best to improve it. Good listening skills are helpful for you to understand their needs, and allows you to work through the problems together.

• Get help from the professionals. In general, carers are aware of the professional support available to those in their care, including primary health care and organisations supporting people who are ageing. However, it is also important to remind them to look after themselves. The information above and the recommended services might be helpful for the carers around you.