At Caring Together mental health and wellbeing are always part of our thinking.
Mental Health Awareness Week is from 10 – 16 May. It gives an opportunity for us all to recognise the importance of mental health – our own and other people’s – and why we all have a role to play.
We can all act to help our own mental health, support and encourage other people in looking after theirs, and reducing the remaining stigma around mental health.
That is why this week we will be talking about mental health – sharing ways in which we support carers and also saying something of how we also support our staff and volunteers with their mental health and wellbeing.
We want to make people aware of the support available and also to be part of the conversation about mental health throughout Mental Health Awareness Week.
Many of the people looked after by carers we support have mental health conditions, or have their mental health affected in other ways.
If you are a carer, looking after a family member or friend can be hard and can affect your mental health and wellbeing. As a carer you may have worries, and feel pressures, feel stress and anxiety. You may also have difficult experiences such as bereavement or changes to the health of the person you care for.
It is important that as a carer you benefit from good support and having the right people to talk to. This is very important for your own mental and physical wellbeing. And it also means you are better equipped to look after the person you care for.
The support available to you, if you are a carer, includes:
- Groups and activities where you can meet and talk to other carers and/or former carers.
- Counselling* from qualified counsellors who are trained in different skills and approaches. We can offer evening and weekend sessions subject to availability.
- Our listening ear service which gives the opportunity to talk to one of our trained volunteers on the phone about the things that matter to you.
- One-to-one clinics where you can speak to one of our carer advisors at a specific time.
- Our helpline where you can be given advice and information on what is available to you as a carer.
You can contact us to find out more. Call 0345 241 0954 or email [email protected]
* The counselling service is funded by the Cambridgeshire Innovate and Cultivate Fund provided by Cambridgeshire County Council and managed by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation.
