Caring for carers
Where once, free time was taken for granted, now there aren’t enough hours in the day. Where once it took enough energy to worry about your own life, now you’re also responsible for someone else’s. That’s why A Guide for Carers: He Aratohu mā ngā Kaitiaki was created.
"All of us can expect to give or receive family care during our lives," says Carers New Zealand chief executive Laurie Hilsgen. "You often get thrown into the role. If you get thrown in overnight, you have to learn on the job. It’s very intimidating. You can make a lot of mistakes [at first], and they can have health impacts on the person you’re supporting."
With this in mind, Carers NZ, the New Zealand Carers Alliance, the Ministry of Social Development and other agencies compiled all the information a carer might need. A lot went into making sure that carers’ opinions were reflected in the information.
"Accessing information always comes up in consultations as a barrier for carers,” says Laurie. “They want to find out about sources of financial help; they want to learn about access to respite and ways to have a break."
Based on that information, agencies involved with creating the guide set out on their project.
"We listened to the carers," says Laurie. "We broke it down into simple categories they could understand – people, money and things. We also wanted a focus on their own emotional and physical well-being. If they don’t have that, it’s hard for them to continue in their role."
Feedback has been positive, and guides have been flying off the shelves. "People have found it very accessible and easy to understand. They like that it’s one document that they can keep and refer to."
Information for carers available in one place
Once the guide was released, Carers NZ could work on revamping their website – just in time for Christmas. "The gift for carers is that they don’t have to go to a separate government site to find information," says Laurie. "They can find all kinds of help, including government information, on one website."
Guides are distributed not only through 42 alliance non-profits, but at rural churches and retirement villages, as well. "Minister [Tariana] Turia really wanted to get this guide to the hard-to-reach people who weren’t necessarily part of any network. So we’ve also been promoting the guide to some groups that we didn’t really have formal links with."
Regional carer support networks reinforce the message of A Guide for Carers: help is available; there are people to support you. "The feedback we’re getting is that people do want support," says Laurie. "They would like opportunities to get together several times a year to learn, to have access to someone from Work and Income, or ACC, so we want to start rolling out a national series of meet and greets at which we can distribute information, help them solve whatever problems they’re having, and also just to have fun."
Connection, community and fun: a great start to helping a carer feel cared for.
