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Carers Rights Day 2019 !
Millie2787
Community Champion Posts: 5,146 Part of The Furniture
in General Chat
Today the 21st November is Carers Rights Day with the theme of looking to the future, something that carers rarely do as they often are planning each day as it comes!
What is Carers Rights Day you ask?
Carers Rights Day was an awareness day set up by Carers UK to bring all the carers organizations across the UK together to help carers in their local community.
Taken from their website, the Aims of the day are to;
"ensure carers are aware of their rights"
"let carers know where to get help and support"
"raise awareness of the needs of carers"
Every day 6,000 people in the United Kingdom become carers, something few have been able to plan for. From the start, they may find themselves needing to talk to health and social care providers; to negotiate with their employers on how to juggle work with caring; to deal with the intricacies of the benefits system or to consider how to fund future care costs.
We have to juggle all of this whilst we come to terms with the fact that we now have a new caring role. Which is no surprise why we are often anxious and stressed and most often that now overloaded with information as each day can present new challenges, new appointments and new professional to get to know.
As part of Carers Rights Day, each year carers UK release an update to date Guide to caring. This guide outlines everything from what benefits carers are entitled too, how to look after your own mental well being and even all the way through to how, as a carer, you can be assertive with professionals if you support the loved one you care for during medical appointments.
Before I go, I just wanted to leave you with something to think about. This is a statement I found on the carers network website whilst researching into Carers Rights day:
“Carers are an often-overlooked group. They make enormous sacrifices, often putting their own life and well being on hold to support their loved one. Such selfless dedication can take a toll on their physical & mental health and finances. It is thought that over 6,000 people in the United Kingdom become carers for a family member, friend or neighbor each day, and often unexpectedly. This means they often have no way to plan or prepare for the sudden changes that occur"
~Sally Miller, Carers Network’s Chief Executive
Sometimes all you need is one person to believe in you , for you to begin to believe in yourself.
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Comments
Thanks for sharing this post, it's really informative. I had no idea that it was 6,000 new carers a day - that is a massive number of people undertaking what sounds like both a challenging and rewarding role.
Do you have any advice for Young Carers today - in particular any situations where you have had to advocate for your rights? How did you go about it?
“People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the real badasses.”
- Brene Brown
That number Shocked me too, Even being a carer myself i didn't reaslie the number was that high !
I quite often find myself advocating my Brothers rights rather than my own though going into next year ill be classed as an adult carer so I might find myself having to advocate some of the rights carers UK outline for myself.As far as advice would go I would say Don’t be afraid to stand up if you think something is wrong but I know that can be a daunting process but you have to b able to know when to go hang on no stop this isn't Right, This isn't what i need or What about my right to .....
I think one time I had to advocate my rights was when it came to accessing Mental health support, In the early stages I was refused access to a specific service as part of my Mental health issues was caused by my caring and so they told me my Local Young carers Charity could support me but they were unable to as majority of my problems weren’t as a direct impact of my care role, So as you can imagine i was stuck on what i could do next As everyone has a right to Treatment as its part of one of the 6 care vales, So i took it upon myself to get a second opinion time and time again i went to a different GP until i managed to find someone who agreed that i did need some support from an external Service and she was able to refer me onto them.
Awesome thread, hope it helps reach young carers that perhaps don't realise the rights that they have. Your example on your own need for mental health support is really valuable as I know how much energy it can take to be a young carer, and how hard it can be for people in a caring role to feel able to get support for themselves. Glad that you were able to get support to stand up for what you needed
Thought it would be good to share one of the GIFs that's about to go out on our social channels today, that you and some of the other young carers of The Mix designed, we hope you like it
Challenge for the wider community - if you see this on social media, make sure you share it to show that The Mix is a safe space for young carers, you'll be surprised how many hidden young carers there are.
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