Caring for carers: New support program launching at Waminda Community House
When a loved one needs care, you would do anything to help them.
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Carers are some of the strongest and most resilient people in our community, both mentally and physically, but sometimes, the care of the carers can be overlooked.
Waminda Community House has been serving the Benalla community for 40 years and provides those in need with a range of different programs, from playgroups to mental health and wellbeing groups.
A new program aimed at supporting people who care for someone with mental health and substance use issues has started at Waminda.
Hume Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect is run by employees of Gateway Health every fortnight on a Tuesday from 11:30am to 1:30pm at Waminda, with the first session having been held held on January 23.
Samantha and Kristie from Gateway Health have lived experiences as carers and understand the importance of providing carers with dedicated support.
“So we’re solely for the carers,” Samantha said.
“All of us have experience being a carer ourselves for someone with mental health or substance use, and we still are carers for those people.
“The carers that we have at the moment seem to be really benefiting from it, but because it’s a new service that started in September, we’re looking for more carers who want to come in so we can help them.
“They might decide that they just want to come in and have some coffee and speak to other people who are in the same role as what they are.”
The program is non-clinical and aims to help attendees navigate services or provide them with an outlet.
As the program develops over time, there are plans to run support groups so members can share experiences with people who are in the same situation that they are.
Kristie said that while the sessions would be run fortnightly in Benalla, carers were always welcome to visit Gateway Health in Wangaratta.
“We have a drop-in centre in Wangaratta where carers can just drop in and seek support if they need it,” she said.
“They don’t have to have an appointment, they can just come in and chat.
“Most of the time, there is a support worker in there who can help Monday to Friday, and people don’t have to be referred.
“It’s a free service, and if they’re not comfortable with that one-on-one support, we can do phone support. We can also catch up with someone in a park if it’s too hard to find transport to Waminda or to the centre in Wangaratta.
“We are trying to really work with the person and make it work.
“We’re also trying to build those social connections, too, because caring is pretty isolating. So (if) they know there are other people out there like them and then build friendships, they do not have to rely on us.”
The program is aimed at carers of any age, and the organisers are keen to help young people who may not realise they are carers.
Samantha said that when you were caring for a parent, a child, a sibling or a partner, it might be a labour of love, but it could be a heavy load to bear.
That’s where the program can lighten the load.
“It’s a tough gig when you are a kid,” Samantha said.
“I cared for my mum from when I was probably nine, and I still say to my colleagues now, I still find it really hard to say that I was a carer because it’s my mum.
“Even if it’s your brother or your sister or whoever it be, you think that you’re doing that just because that’s what you do when you’re family.
“But you actually are considered a carer, and a lot of young people really don’t understand that they are a carer.
“And I guess with being a carer, if you can go out and you can seek the support, whatever type of support you’re looking for, it helps your mental health.”
No matter their age, the resilience of carers can not be overstated.
The program is not aimed at telling the carers how they should go about looking after the people they support but rather at helping them be at their best.
Leeane Bullard from Waminda said the people she saw come through the door were some of the most versatile and strong-minded people in Benalla.
“I know that no-one wants that to happen in your life, but it actually arms you with a great deal of tools for the rest of your life,” Ms Bullard said.
“The strength and resilience of these people is incredible.
“It’s just what you do out of love.”
For more information about the sessions, email humefclc@gateway.org.au or make a free call to 1800 572 129