‘To all of the unpaid carers out there, this National Carers Week we acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding contribution you make to those you care for and the community.’

Did you know Orange has approximately 6839 unpaid carers?

You can be any age and be helping a family member or friend who has a disability, chronic illness, dementia, mental illness, an addiction or is frail aged.

Carers can be family members or friends, they can be parents, children, siblings, grandparents or neighbours. Some carers look after another person 24 hours a day and help with daily living activities, while other carers look after people who are fairly independent but need help with some everyday tasks.

This National Carers week LiveBetter Orange are encouraging the Orange community who feel this might be them, to get in touch and engage in Carer Gateway.

Carer Gateway is a free, nation-wide service connecting carers to support services.

LiveBetter Carer Gateway Program Manager, Bonny Stephens explained the main goal is to assist carers, to firstly acknowledge that they are carers and secondly let them know that they are doing a great job.

“The role of a carer is often challenging but also rewarding knowing you are helping someone. We want to let carers know that they don’t have to do it alone, supports are out there and Carer Gateway is a great starting point,” said Bonny.

“We provide a range of phone-based, online and face to face services and supports, including phone counselling, respite, navigating financial support services, online forums and skills courses, transport assistance and more.

“It’s been a difficult year for unpaid carers, with limited services, the social and aged care sector restrictions. Many carers have isolated themselves this year not wanting to expose the people they care for to COVID. Carers are supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

So, how can Carer Gateway assist you? The service provides a range of information that can help carers in their role, from practical advice and resources, to help finding support services including:

Advice on how to look after yourself while caring for someone, assistance with navigating Financial support, linking you with people in similar caring situations and share your stories, knowledge and experiences.

Counselling- If you’re feeling stressed, anxious, sad or frustrated, a professional counsellor can talk with you about your worries and offer help. Carer Gateway also offers specialised support to Young Carers under 25.

LiveBetter are the Local Carer Gateway service provider for Western NSW. Orange is the central Office for all intake call on the 1800 422 737 number.

Bonny added, “We really want to encourage carers to call, even if they are not sure if they are a carer, we are happy to have a chat and see how we can support them.”

Call 1800 422 737 or go to carergateway.gov.au and you can request a call back