Carers Week 2019 begins on Monday 10th June. This is a great opportunity for New Directions and Warwickshire County Council to raise awareness of the variety of services that are available in Warwickshire to support carers and make their life a little easier. Many people do not realise that they are carers. Someone who is unpaid but supports an individual who cannot fully cope without them is in fact a carer. Unfortunately, a lot of carers do not know that there is help out there available for them too.
Carers Week takes place every year focusing on building communities who support carers taking care of their loved ones well. It highlights the need to recognise the health and wellbeing needs of the carers themselves. Carers Week is a national event, celebrating the essential work that carers provide and it raises awareness of the support available to them.
The Warwickshire Carer Wellbeing Service provides carers with emotional and practical support they can access in person, over the phone, or via Skype or FaceTime. There are an estimated 108,000 residents in Warwickshire registered as having some form of caring responsibility with their GP practice, but the actual number is likely to be greater. It is therefore imperative that WCC guarantees access to the support needed by carers to preserve their own independence and wellbeing.
Councillor Les Caborn, Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing, said, “Caring for a loved one can be a full-time job, something that affects your life every day. In Warwickshire it’s a priority for us to ensure people stay safe, healthy, and independent and Carers Week is a fantastic opportunity for us to raise awareness of the support available specifically for carers.”
As the demand for care is growing, individuals are increasingly likely to become unpaid carers at certain point in their lives. For more information about the county council’s offer for carers in Warwickshire, go to www.warwickshire.gov.uk/carers