The enormous contribution of carers is being celebrated as part of National Carers Week.
\nMinister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said more than 2.65 million carers give their time, effort and love to look after a partner, family member or friend who needs them.
\n\u201cThe commitment of carers across Australia to support senior and vulnerable Australians should not be underestimated,\u201d Minister Colbeck said.
\n\u201cCarers are integral to the quality of life and independence of many Australians and make an important economic contribution to the community.
\n\u201cFor all those people who put the needs of others before their own, we say thank you.\u201d
\nMinister Colbeck said the Government is particularly conscious of the additional demands the COVID-19 pandemic is having on carers across the country.
\n\u201cWe know the need to limit visitors to their home has increased the level of worry and stress for carers, but help and support is available,\u201d Minister Colbeck said.
\nIn what also marks World Mental Health Week, the Government has released a number of mental health packages to help support people and their carers during the COVID-19 pandemic including:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Australian Government has also invested $48.1 million to implement the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan,\u201d Minister Colbeck said. The enormous contribution of carers is being celebrated as part of National Carers Week. Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said more than 2.65 million carers give their time, effort and love to look after a partner, family member or friend who needs them. \u201cThe commitment of carers across Australia to support … Continue reading “Recognising the work of our carers”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8678\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cThrough this plan, we provided $3 million to boost services through the Carer Gateway, as well as $500,000 to Carers Australia to encourage carers of people with a mental illness to connect with others in the same circumstances, and to access online resources for their own wellbeing and self-care.\u201d
\n\u201cAnyone at any time can become a carer so this year\u2014and beyond\u2014we acknowledge and commend the outstanding contribution made by carers in our community,\u201d he said.
\nSupport network, Carer Gateway, is among the services which offers counselling, connection with other carers, coaching, courses and emergency respite services.
\nCarers can contact Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, to speak to trained worker in their local area to help find the services and support required.
\nThe Commonwealth Home Support Programme also supports care relationships through planned respite services for older people, allowing carers to take a much needed break from their usual caring responsibilities.
\nSenior Australians, their families and carers also have access to a free dedicated mental health support line for those impacted by the spread of COVID-19.
\nThe phone line offers practical help and guidance during this challenging time.
\nThe number is 1800 171 866 and the service is open Monday to Friday between 8:30am to 6pm.
\nFor more information, please visit the\u00a0Carer Gateway<\/a>.
\nNational Carers Week continues until 17 October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"