Carers are family members or friends who provide regular unpaid support and care at home to someone with a chronic illness, disability, mental illness or to a frail older person. Carers may look after a person for a few hours a week or it can be a full time commitment. Being a carer can be very demanding, so it is important that carers look after their own needs as well as the person they are caring for. This includes taking a break from time to time.
The Benevolent Society's services for carers operate in the southern, eastern and northern suburbs of Sydney and in the Nepean, Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury areas. The services vary from area to area but can include:
- respite care – we provide or organise care for the person the carer is looking after so that the carer can take a break or do other things
- support groups and activities
- information and advice
- assistance at home to help with care of the person they are looking after, e.g. help with personal care, transport etc
- help to organise and coordinate a range of services for people with multiple health problems and complex care needs.
Specialised support for carers
Several of the Society's services specialise in supporting carers. In the southern, eastern and Nepean areas of Sydney, the Society provides a wide range of different types of respite care services, to suit the specific needs of a each carer and the person they care for. The services vary from area to area but can include support for:
- carers of people with dementia
- carers of children or young people with disability
- older people who are caring for an adult child with a disability
- teenagers and young people who are caring for a family member with a disability
The Benevolent Society runs the Carer Respite and Carelink Centre for southern and eastern Sydney. The Centre provides free information and advice about respite options and help organising planned or emergency respite care. It can provide financial assistance for short-term or emergency respite when needed. It is part of a national network of Carer Respite and Carelink Centres.
Non-English speaking people
All our services are open to people from non-English speaking backgrounds. Interpreters can be organised and we try to use bilingual staff, as appropriate. The Society is working to extend the reach of its services to carers in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Aboriginal communities
The Benevolent Society is working to make its services more culturally appropriate for Aboriginal people and employs several aboriginal workers. An Aboriginal project worker is based at the Carer Respite and Carelink Centre to help Aboriginal carers obtain culturally appropriate respite care.
More information
See Find a service for details of the service we provide in your area.
Finding out what you need
Carer Respite and Carelink Centre 1800 052 222.
Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre 1800 242 636.
For community care workers
Research to Practice Briefing: Working with and supporting informal carers (Dec 2010)