Many people spend years caring for a loved one, but finding work when that person dies can present a major challenge.

Many people spend years caring for a loved one.

It can become the entire focus of their life – out of both necessity and love.

Necessity because there is often no one else who can be entrusted with the caring role. Love because a carer’s love for their family member who needs care often knows no bounds – there is nothing you would not do for that person to make their life better and happier.

Often there is simply no choice. There are no adequate services available in your region, or waiting lists are years long.

But should that loved one die, carers often find themselves at an utter loss. Suddenly they are facing a whole new unfamiliar scenario and may have no idea how to start to build a new life for themselves or how to find employment.

If they have been on a carer’s pension, they have just a few short weeks before that is taken from them and they must find another stream of income. And they must face this new reality while they may well still be deeply grieving.

Their work skills and knowledge may be out of date or underdeveloped after years in the caring role. They may have no current work experience. Who is going to employ them?

If former carers do not find work, their situation can deteriorate rapidly.

A recent study by Anglicare Sydney found an increasing number of single women over 50 seeking out emergency housing services. A proportion of these women were former carers.

ABC radio program The World Today  interviewed two such carers for a recent program.

One of the carers, Lynn Motta, had cared for her disabled son James for all of his 33 years before he died in 2009.

"…you walk into the house and everything has changed," she said. "The focal point has gone, the routine has gone, there are no carers walking into your house any more. There isn't anything. There is nothing."

She was 19 when James was born, and after his death suddenly found herself looking for work in a marketplace she had never been part of.

Ms Motta said she felt ‘destitute’ and ‘abandoned’ after James's death. In that at least, she is not alone.

Carers Australia president Tim Moore says governments need to do more.

"Many carers tell us that they feel quite ostracised from the supporting agencies after the death of a loved one," Mr Moore said.

"The Government absolutely has a role to play in supporting these families back into the workforce, back into the community around them, so they can achieve their own goals to have the same sort of opportunities as other Australians."

One possibility in finding employment is looking for work in the field of caring.

There aren’t many jobs where so-called ‘soft skills’ (think: being a team player, a good listener) are ranked as highly as technical knowledge, but when it comes to working in the community care and disability sector these are essential skills.

The State Government has established a website called carecareers to help job seekers and employers in the sector to find each other.

Funded by Ageing, Disability and Home Care and delivered by National Disability Services, carecareers offers a full service for job seekers and hiring managers alike.

In two years it has become the ‘go-to’ internet-based recruitment website for the community care and disability sector jobs.

So far 4,500 jobs have been advertised attracting 11,200 applications.

The initiative has even made a splash outside the industry winning a 2011 Gold APG (Account, Planning and Group) Award for the Best Brand Strategy in the Public Service and Charity category.

If you’re new to disability and community care, everything you need to know about getting a job in the sector is right there on their website, along with advice and information from their specialised Talent Advisors.

The organisation is Australia’s first recruitment-focused online community, allowing employees to get ahead in their career, whilst interacting with peers and colleagues in the disability and community care sector.

For managers looking to employ workers, carecareers can help them and their organisation drive down the cost of hiring talent, drive up retention, and improve their overall recruitment within the sector.
You can find out more information at the website

www.carecareers.com.au