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Home Indigenous Portal Services to help you care New Aboriginal Carers Support Guide
New Aboriginal Carers Support Guide PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 25 February 2009 12:39
A wonderful brochure providing information for Aboriginal families who are caring for an older person or a person with a disability has just
been made available by the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC).
The resource will be invaluable to working Aboriginal carers and indeed all working carers can benefit from both the advice given and the handy contact numbers provided.

The brochure talks about how when you are caring for someone, it’s easy to become tired or feel guilty about going out or wanting to do something for yourself, or taking on a job  - and it gives some great coping tips to help you remember that you are important, too!

Here are just a few of them:

Don’t feel shame about asking for help. It’s important to know that there is help available if and when you need it. Getting help doesn’t mean that you can’t cope or that you’re weak. You may feel shy about asking for help, but you will feel a lot better when you do. Let your family know if you need help and work out what jobs they can do. They often feel good knowing they are helping.

Don’t wait until you feel really stressed out before you ask for some help. There are people that care about you, just as you care about others. You help someone, so why not let someone help you?

Have a say - speak out. If you’re unhappy about a service, you have the right to let them know. Things won’t improve if you don’t speak out and service providers can only fix a problem if they know about it. If you’re shy, it’s a good idea to have a talk with someone you trust who knows about services and can help you.

Eat well. It’s easy to eat food that’s not good for you when you’re busy. Eating well will reduce your chances of developing diabetes and other health problems, so you can keep on caring. You need three wholesome meals a day, with healthy snacks in between, so that you have enough energy to get through the day.

Exercise well. You need to exercise to have a healthy heart. Each day, try to do at least 20 minutes of exercise you enjoy – this can include walking to the shops or even dancing to your favourite song! Exercise helps you to feel less stressed and gives you some time out from your usual tasks.

Try not to feel guilty. Carers say they feel guilty when they have time out. When you have some time out, the idea is to enjoy yourself and unwind so that you can return to your daily tasks feeling better. Feeling guilty will only bring you down. It’s important for both you and the person you’re caring for to have some time away from each other and spend time with other people.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s easy to think of all the things we feel we haven’t done right, but how often do we feel proud of what we have done right? It’s important to value all the good things you do and to remember that you’re a special person, playing a really important role in the life of the person you’re caring for. Try not to keep thinking “I should have done this or I should have done that”. Each time you say this you are being hard on yourself. Try to say “I could” instead, because this puts less pressure on you.

Reward yourself. Some carers get massages. Some carers say they just like to take a long bath. Whatever it is, you deserve to give yourself a reward sometimes!

Get things off your chest. Have a talk with someone you trust. Don’t keep things bottled up. We often think that we always have to be the strong one, but even strong people need to have someone who will listen to them. Often just being able to talk with someone about how things are will help you feel a lot better. You have the power within to feel better. It’s a waste of energy trying to change the way someone is. Sometimes carers say that the person they care for won’t change their ways which makes things hard at times. Trying to change the way someone is usually doesn’t work. But you can change the way you react! Instead of getting angry or upset, just say to yourself “that’s the way they are but I don’t have to be like that”.

Handy contacts to get the help you need

For information, support and counselling, or to join a carer support group, call: Carers NSW freecall 1800 242 636.

For financial assistance call: Centrelink 13 27 17.

To arrange support services including respite and community transport call: DADHC Regional Information Assessment and Intake:
  • Metro South Region (02) 9334 3700
  • Metro North Region (02) 9841 9350
  • Hunter Region (02) 4908 5229
  • Northern Region 1300 364 563
  • Southern Region (02) 6200 7300
  • Western Region 1300 134 450
Other handy numbers:
  • Home Care Aboriginal Access and Assessment team 1300 797 606.
  • Carers Line freecall 1800 242 636.
  • Commonwealth Carelink Centre freecall 1800 052 222.
  • Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre freecall 1800 059 059.
  • Aged and Community Care Information Line freecall 1800 500 853.
  • Dementia Help Line freecall 1800 100 500.
  • Early Childhood Intervention Infoline freecall 1300 656 865.
  • Carers Line 1800 242 636.
  • NSW Young Carers Project, 1800 242 636.
  • Kids Help Line freecall 1800 551 800.
You can download the full publication at www.dadhc.nsw.gov.au/dadhc/Publications+and+policies/Carers/
 

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