Are you are carer for someone in their later years?
It's not always about being there every minute. It might mean you are living in, they are living in, you are living close, you are away but in close contact, or you are regularly on the phone, any number of situations that have led to you delivering care and support to your loved one.
People are often reluctant to admit that caring can be hard. It can be tiring and it can be confusing, and time consuming, and frustrating and long. It will certainly impact on your life no matter how positively you approach it. That's not to take away from the opportunities and the ability to love that it also represents. We at LYS like to be practical about things. We like to acknowledge things can be hard and to look for strategies that make it easier or work better.
As a carer you have options available to make the processes you are undertaking better and easier. Whether you are working with community or residential services or doing it on your own, you can also benefit from information and assistance from a variety of places. This could start with respite care for your loved one, to give you time to regroup. It could also be with strategies for how to improve your processes or financially support your lifestyle needs.
Ideas, strategies, support and links are all available in a number of places. Some of the key ones are Carers Australia and Regional branches of Carers Queensland.
At their website: http://carersqld.asn.au/
There is also the Carer Gateway, a government initiative to support carers' access to information and support, and their website is: http://carersqld.asn.au/
From our own perspective, we at LYS have also approached the idea of practical help be putting together a Journey Guide and kit to help carers. With checklists and advice, links and processes outlined, it gives you a wide range of ideas about how to navigate the aged care and community services system. You can find it on our website: https://www.lateryearssupport.com/purchase-a-journey-guide-1