People often realise that they are a carer at a time of crisis, when it might be difficult to get help. Looking after someone can be a gradual process of increasing responsibility.
In Dudley, in the West Midlands, there are around 35,000 carers. The local authority realised that it only knew who a fraction of these carers were, and that the reason few carers asked for help was because they were not aware that they were carers.
As a result, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council decided to set up an online course in order to train thousands of their staff in being 'Carer Aware'. They then decided that carers could also benefit from the course, by realising just what their role is and how they can get help. But the 'Carer Aware' course has also been designed so that staff in local businesses, libraries and GP surgeries can use it to understand better the carers they meet in their jobs.
Janet’s 'toolkit'
Janet Down is one of many carers who feel they have benefited from taking the course. Janet looks after her 65-year-old husband, who has become disabled by arthritis affecting an old injury. She hadn’t realised that she was a carer until she became ill herself. And she only really discovered her role and her rights through finding a leaflet in the local library.
Even though Janet already knew she was a carer when she did the Carer Aware course, she says it gave her a new understanding of what it is to be a carer.
Janet says: "It gives you a sort of 'toolkit' of the key words to use when you're speaking to social services and service providers, so that they know what you’re after."
And Janet believes that because people in local services are taking the course, the lives of carers in the borough will be improved.
She says: "They're going to be more aware of what carers are feeling and what you're up against as a carer. Sometimes you're trying to get information and you're dealing with people who don't realise how you're feeling and how you're fixed."
A parent carer's surprise
Dave Buxton cares for his son Ashley, 22, who has Down's syndrome and autism. Dave says he was surprised how good the course was, despite his initial scepticism.
“There’s so much ticking boxes and meeting targets that it’s great to find something that is genuinely useful and informative for people.”
Dave says that Carer Aware has really helped him to understand how to talk about his needs. He says: “For example, I was aware of carers assessments, but I didn’t realise that the target of the assessment is to enable carers to carry on caring. So rather than saying ‘I need a holiday and I can’t afford it’, you have to explain that you need a holiday as a break so that you can carry on caring”.
Helping a visually impaired couple
Ken McClymont and his wife Tracey have cared for each other for a long time. But Ken says that the Carer Aware course has “stretched” his knowledge and made him more assertive about his and his wife’s needs. Even though both Ken and Tracey are visually impaired, they have been able to complete the course using their standard “Jaws” screenreader on their computer.
Ken says: “Some of the questions were tough. Some were quite straightforward. But I learnt things I didn’t know and it highlighted things that I did know.”
“We made some little changes already. We’re sharpened up to what it means to be a carer, and we’ve seen what it’s like from an outside perspective. We’re encouraging everyone we come across, particularly professionals, to take the course.”
