Carer event offers support and advice under one roof
Carers and families visited the Forum in Norwich to find out about support offered to them and the people they care for.
The annual Carers Information Day on Monday 8 June during Carers Week (8-14) June was organised by Care for Carers in partnership with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and saw 46 stands showcasing their offers.
The aim of the event is to highlight organisations across the voluntary, public and private sectors offering support in Norfolk, through a marketplace of stalls.
The theme this year was Building Carer Friendly Communities and highlighted the impact this can have in making a difference to the lives of carers.
Jill Curtis, Trustwide Carer Facilitator, said: “We saw lots of people through the doors coming to find out about what is on offer to help them. They wanted to know about the help offer for the person they cared for, mental health support and diagnosis, how they can balance their own life with their caring role and what NSFT is doing to support carers.
“Many asked about having more carer groups and I encouraged them to look after themselves, to meet with other carers for peer support and to use the services available to them to facilitate this. I also suggested they request a carers assessment and introduced them to the appropriate services.
“People were surprised about how much is out there and stallholders said being able to meet other organisations and forge relationships was very useful.”
Service User and Carer Council Facilitator Charlotte Bishop said: “'It was a really positive and busy day at our stand. We spoke to lots of carers who were genuinely interested in getting involved and helping shape services, which was fantastic to see. There was a real sense that people want their voices to be heard and to play a part in improving support for others.”
Chief nurse Anthony Deery chatted to stall holders and the public during the event and was interviewed on Radio Norfolk alongside two carers.
He said: “This kind of event is a great chance for us to meet carers and hear about their experiences, giving us the chance to improve the way we communicate with them and find out how we can improve our services.
“It has been really great to see so many people here and have the chance to talk about initiatives such as the Service User and Carer Council which we hope will forge relationships across our localities.”
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities. It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.