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Carers Organisation
"Across Australia, there are 2.65 million people providing unpaid care for a family member or friend
If you provide unpaid care and support to family members or friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness or who are frail aged, you are a carer.
Anyone at any time can become a carer.
Carers come from all walks of life and every caring situation is different. The responsibilities within your caring role can impact your ability to have a normal life. Socialising, financial security, education and other opportunities that were once part of everyday life can be diminished because of the challenges involved with family caring. Additionally, a carer’s own health and wellbeing can deteriorate as a result of their responsibilities.
It is therefore essential that as a carer, you receive effective support and recognition for your caring role."
- Carers QLD Australia
The Art of Being a Carer
At home, in her studio, is where the magic happens.
That’s where Kim finds her sanity. “Art is my respite,” she adds.
As an artist, in her studio, she feels full of possibilities, passion and ideas. It’s the place where she brings to life her unique designs and runs her art workshops. When caring for her husband Nick is too much for her, she escapes into that world. Nick is a medically retired war veteran. He has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a delusional disorder and struggles with anxiety, depression and physical injuries on different parts of his body. They have been together for four and a half years.
“My journey has been a rollercoaster,” Kim says. As a carer of a person with PTSD, Kim acknowledges her reality and accepts the fact of it being very challenging.
You can read more at Carers Queensland.
Published On: 28 July 2019
Crafting a New Life
Craft was the missing piece of her puzzle.
When Cathy realised it 11 years ago, she found hope. “It makes me happy and helps me keep myself sane,” she says. Cathy is a carer. Her husband was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the military service that exacerbated in a civilian job.Her 11-year-old son has Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is on the Autism Spectrum. Both he and her 9- year- old daughter display high levels of anxiety. Every day, as she visualises her life-puzzle, craft allows her to find a way to collect all the other pieces and put it together.
“To me it’s all about solving a problem and craft is my time-out. I love crocheting, puzzles, painting, and quilting. I like the creative side of things. I like to use the other side of the brain, just for release.” Cathy’s focus is very much on her family. In doing that, she attempts to create a bigger picture for both herself and her family with their own idea of ‘normal’.
You can read more at Carers Queensland.
Published On: 21 July 2019
Picking Up the Pieces After PTSD
When her world was falling apart, Katie slowly started to build her confidence again by picking up all the pieces.
Katie speaks all over the world addressing the stigma of mental health. Through her organisation “Picking Up the Peaces” she provides support, education and assistance to uniform service personnel and their families struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and associated mental health difficulties. In 2011, she received a Winston Churchill Fellowship award. In 2013, she was an Australian of the Year awards finalist. In 2014, she received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her community work.
At the same time, she was experiencing stigma in the workplace for being married to someone with PTSD. She was told to stop doing what she loves: volunteer work. But because integrity is everything to her, she ended up resigning. “It was really difficult. It absolutely shattered me. I withdrew away from everybody,” she says. “You don’t get blamed for having cancer, so you shouldn’t get blamed for having post trauma.”
You can read more at Carers Queensland.
Published On: 4 August 2019
