National Carers Week is celebrated from 15-21 October.
It is a week set aside to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution Australia’s 2.8 million unpaid carers make to our nation. It’s also an opportunity to raise awareness among all Australians about the diversity of carers and their caring roles in the community.
Carers provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who live with disability, mental illness, a chronic condition, a terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged.
Carers give comfort, encouragement and reassurance to the people they care for. They also oversee their health and wellbeing, monitor their safety and help them to be as independent as possible.
They also come from all walks of life, including Indigenous communities, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and throughout metropolitan and regional South Australia.
For many, caring is a 24 hour-a-day job with emotional, physical and financial impacts that can also affect their participation in employment, education and community activities.
Often, the extent of the support provided by carers isn’t obvious to those around them. Even family and friends can underestimate the amount of time and energy spent caring, particularly when the kinds of assistance given aren’t physical
Carers make an enormous contribution to our communities as well as our national economy. If all carers decided to stop performing their caring role, it would cost the country $60.3 billion per year to replace those supports – that’s over $1 billion per week!
National Carers Week 2017 is celebrated throughout Australia with local events being held throughout the State. Check the Carers SA website for details of events in your local community and join the celebration.