Care for Carers
BY BIANCA BIRDSALL
There are 2.6 million carers in Australia doing their best with little support. With this in mind, Carers NSW is offering a course in Bondi Junction on May 17 and 18 to provide the skills needed to care for those with mental health problems.
The course, Foundations, is funded by the Family and Carer Mental Health Program of NSW Health.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia are the most common health conditions that require carers, followed closely by intellectual disabilities, stroke and neurological disorders.
Australia’s population is aging, in part because of increased life expectancy, and those aged over 65 now number more than 13 per cent of the population. Carers are typically women (71 per cent) and middle aged, with 43 per cent of all carers falling in the 45 to 64 age bracket. Most alarmingly, 22 per cent are aged 65 plus.
The support carers provide is of increasing importance but they often do not receive the necessary financial assistance. Carers Australia estimates that the work done by carers nationally is equal to $30.5 billion in services. Yet the Federal Government has done little to lessen the burden placed on carers. Even if the Carers bonus remains unchanged in the upcoming Budget, as the Rudd Government was recently forced to announce, carers who rely on the carer payment and carer allowance are still living well below the poverty line.
For information regarding ‘Foundations’ please contact Lorna Downes at Carers NSW on 9289 4226 or lornad@carersnsw.asn.au.
