To mark Carers Week, the Bath and North East Somerset Carers’ Centre has launched a new myth-busting campaign that challenges some common misconceptions about caring.
The B&NES Carers’ Centre | Photo © B&NES Carers’ Centre
The new campaign will help to ensure unpaid carers are recognised and supported by those around them.
Across Bath and North East Somerset, thousands of people support someone they love who has a disability, illness, mental health condition, addiction or who needs extra help as they grow older, and the number of those taking on caring responsibilities continues to increase.
There has been almost a 50% increase in the number of unpaid carers in the UK since the Covid-19 crisis began.
Local carer Trudy Pile has cared for her husband for over 20 years. She said: “When you’re thrown in to a caring role, you haven’t got the time or the energy to search for the best support for yourself.
“It can make a massive difference if those around you and healthcare professionals simply recognise and understand what we do, it opens up more doors to support.
“I’ve been caring for my husband who is registered as blind for over 20 years. I have felt ignored and invisible, which impacted on my own mental health and I reached breaking point.
“That’s why The Carers’ Centre’s campaign is so important. By increasing understanding about unpaid care it will enable carers and those around them to recognise their role. It can just take one conversation to stop a carer ending up in crisis.”
David Trumper, Chief Executive Officer at The Carers’ Centre said: “The number of people providing unpaid care is growing every year. With the extra pressures of the pandemic and no clear plan for social care, the situation for many carers has reached breaking point.
“We want to identify carers at the earliest opportunity, to avoid them being pushed in to crisis. But we can’t do this alone.
“We’re calling on residents in Bath and North East Somerset to support our social media campaign by sharing our content to challenge caring myths and increase understanding around unpaid care.
“The Covid-19 outbreak has had a devastating effect on families, as of 2020 it is estimated that there are a staggering 13.6 million unpaid carers in the UK.
“Caring will likely affect all of us at some point in our lives. Yet so many carers feel invisible and misunderstood.
“We aim to put carer’s voices and experiences at the heart of our campaign to help others understand and empower our community to respond effectively.
“Together we can shine a light on the realities of unpaid care and make carers visible and valued.”
If you’re a carer or you’d like to signpost someone that is, contact The Carers’ Centre Freephone Support Line on 0800 038 8885 or email [email protected], available from 8:15am until 12pm every weekday.
