This week, 15th-21st October, marks National Carers Week 2023, an opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness about the 2.65 million carers in Australia. Carers play an essential role in our health system and are the foundation of our aged, disability and palliative community care systems.
Carers make up 11% of our population, with more than 235,000 young people taking on a caring role. Our carers represent diverse ages, cultures, experiences and responsibilities, balancing caring responsibilities with many other responsibilities. Many carers must balance working, studying, and family responsibilities and look after their physical and mental health.?
Carers are important, and ensuring they are looked after is integral to their health and those they care for. A recent wellbeing survey found that carers with good access to support had healthy levels of wellbeing compared to those with no or limited access to help.
There are millions of reasons to care! If you know someone who is a carer and struggling, there are plenty of small ways to make a difference and help. See our National Carers Week 2023 blog post where we share 5 tips and tricks on how you can carers in your life know they are valued.