Help to Care for Carers
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HELP TO CARE FOR CARERS.
Back in April 2020, just one month into the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, a report by Carers UK highlighted the ‘forgotten families in the Coronavirus outbreak’, the unpaid carers caring for loved ones behind closed doors.
Nearly a year later, these carers continue to be forgotten, often invisible casualties of the pandemic.
Caring for a friend or family member is tough at the best of times. Carers often report that they feel overwhelmed, frustrated, anxious, depressed, disregarded and unsupported. COVID has made things worse.
My name is Kaddy Thomas and, as a parent-carer to my 14-year-son Elijah who has complex care needs, I recognise the experience of so many other unpaid carers because it’s my reality too.
Over the last 12 months, services have been slashed and many have disappeared altogether. Household expenses have gone up, as have carers’ unpaid hours. We’ve had to source PPE and deal with months of shielding and self-isolation.
The mental and physical load is huge.
The Carers’ Collective
Because I know that carers like me are feeling exhausted and forgotten right now, I want to do something to help.
Over the coming weeks and months, I will be building The Carers’ Collective, which will bring together resources to help carers to feel cared for and seen.
The first thing I want to do is offer some Solution-Focused Group Coaching sessions for carers who want to take part. This is something I’ve been able to access personally and it has made a massive difference to my mental health.
To do this, I am collaborating with Kerry Seymour (Clinical Hypnotherapist, HPD, DSFH, BSc (Hons.) Psych MNCH (Reg.) AfSFH (Reg.)) who will be leading the group sessions
(You can find out more at https://www.inspiredtochange.biz/hypnotherapy-south-gloucestershire/)
Why solution-focused coaching is great for carers
Solution-focused Group Coaching incorporates three key elements: education/training, coaching and intervention.
Participants start by learning how their brain works and how they can look after and build their mental resilience.
They discover how to think in a solution-focused way and explore what changes they can make to get back or stay on track in life. Each session ends with a guided relaxation to help the carers unwind and take some precious time for themselves.
Solution-focused coaching has been shown to minimise feelings of stress, overwhelm, anxiety and depression.
I would like to be able to offer these sessions as a gift to carers. I already have a list of 25 unpaid carers who have expressed an interest in taking part.
Each group coaching session would be priced at £200.00 per session based on five attendees, so I need to raise £1,000.00 for 25 people to have just one session. Ideally, it would be great to offer each participant at least three sessions so that they can implement the coaching, give feedback and build on what they learn. This means I need to raise £3,000.00.
If we can offer the coaching to more carers, it would be an amazing gift to share with these selfless people.
What can you do to support this amazing project?
- Donate whatever you can afford.
- Share this page with family, friends, work colleagues and business associates.
- Spread the word to any companies that would sponsor and or give a donation towards carers’ group sessions.
Back in April 2020, just one month into the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, a report by Carers UK highlighted the ‘forgotten families in the Coronavirus outbreak’, the unpaid carers caring for loved ones behind closed doors.
Nearly a year later, these carers continue to be forgotten, often invisible casualties of the pandemic.
Caring for a friend or family member is tough at the best of times. Carers often report that they feel overwhelmed, frustrated, anxious, depressed, disregarded and unsupported. COVID has made things worse.
My name is Kaddy Thomas and, as a parent-carer to my 14-year-son Elijah who has complex care needs, I recognise the experience of so many other unpaid carers because it’s my reality too.
Over the last 12 months, services have been slashed and many have disappeared altogether. Household expenses have gone up, as have carers’ unpaid hours. We’ve had to source PPE and deal with months of shielding and self-isolation.
The mental and physical load is huge.
The Carers’ Collective
Because I know that carers like me are feeling exhausted and forgotten right now, I want to do something to help.
Over the coming weeks and months, I will be building The Carers’ Collective, which will bring together resources to help carers to feel cared for and seen.
The first thing I want to do is offer some Solution-Focused Group Coaching sessions for carers who want to take part. This is something I’ve been able to access personally and it has made a massive difference to my mental health.
To do this, I am collaborating with Kerry Seymour (Clinical Hypnotherapist, HPD, DSFH, BSc (Hons.) Psych MNCH (Reg.) AfSFH (Reg.)) who will be leading the group sessions
(You can find out more at https://www.inspiredtochange.biz/hypnotherapy-south-gloucestershire/)
Why solution-focused coaching is great for carers
Solution-focused Group Coaching incorporates three key elements: education/training, coaching and intervention.
Participants start by learning how their brain works and how they can look after and build their mental resilience.
They discover how to think in a solution-focused way and explore what changes they can make to get back or stay on track in life. Each session ends with a guided relaxation to help the carers unwind and take some precious time for themselves.
Solution-focused coaching has been shown to minimise feelings of stress, overwhelm, anxiety and depression.
I would like to be able to offer these sessions as a gift to carers. I already have a list of 25 unpaid carers who have expressed an interest in taking part.
Each group coaching session would be priced at £200.00 per session based on five attendees, so I need to raise £1,000.00 for 25 people to have just one session. Ideally, it would be great to offer each participant at least three sessions so that they can implement the coaching, give feedback and build on what they learn. This means I need to raise £3,000.00.
If we can offer the coaching to more carers, it would be an amazing gift to share with these selfless people.
What can you do to support this amazing project?
- Donate whatever you can afford.
- Share this page with family, friends, work colleagues and business associates.
- Spread the word to any companies that would sponsor and or give a donation towards carers’ group sessions.
Organizer
Kaddy Thomas
Organizer
England
