Hi everyone,
Holiday periods can be stressful for carers - it can be a long stretch without outside support, or can bring a reminder of how money is short.
The National Respite for Carers Program funds 63 Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres and over 600 community-based respite centres. The support offered by these programs can include respite:
- In your home, from a few hours a week to overnight care;
- In a day care centre which provides full or half day care; or
- In a residential aged care home for two or three weeks.
Emergency respite is generally free, and other services may be subject to a small charge. Call the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre (CCRC) on 1800 059 059 to arrange some help this Easter long weekend.
A company called Real Time Health has put together some fantastic videos of living with cancer (covering diagnosis, surgery and treatment, support, survivorship and more). They are real people's stories of their cancer journey and they're free to watch for members (it only takes a minute to sign up, and it doesn't cost anything). They're very powerful patient narratives. You can watch them here.
Have you heard about the National Carer Counselling Program? It can provide you with specialised professional counselling for issues such as:
- Stress management and dealing with crisis situations
- Coping with a major deterioration in the well-being of the person with cancer
- Bereavement and loss
- Transition issues relating to the person being supported moving to a residential care facility
- Practical problem-solving techniques
These services are operated through Carers Australia and the Commonwealth Carer Resource Centres (more information), located throughout Australia. You can call them on 1800 242 636.
