Celebrating Carers Week

Date published: 13 June 2010

It’s Carers Week next week from June 14 to 20. This local and national celebration aims to highlight the important role that carers play in keeping their loved ones out of residential settings and helping them to have the best possible quality of life.

Carers look after disabled, elderly or seriously ill family members or friends and carrying out informal, unpaid care every day (as distinct from paid care-workers) which saves the country £87 million according to independent research conducted 2 years ago by Leeds University.

This year’s theme for Carers Week is ‘A life of my own’ referring to the fact that many carers put their own needs second to those of the person they care for and this often leads to missing opportunities for jobs, education and a social life.

Carers Week was first instigated 10 years ago by Carers UK, the national charity for Carers and in Tameside the council-run Carers Centre supports 3,170 Carers who are looking after Tameside residents.

Cllr Lynn Travis, Executive Member for Personal and Community Services, said: “Carers make an outstanding contribution to our communities and we want to support them. We aim to help carers to have lives of their own and the Carers Centre can advise any adult carer about difficulties they may have.

“We also have services for young carers in the borough and specialist services for those who are caring for people with poor mental health. We can point people in the right direction for these and other services.”

This Carers Week, staff from the Carers Centre will be out meeting the public:

• Ashton Arcades on Monday 14th
• 
  Tameside Hospital on Tuesday 15th
• 
  Ashton Primary Care Centre on Wednesday 16th

There will be a ‘Carers Catch Up’ meeting and lunch at Dukinfield Community Centre on Tuesday 15th and a celebratory lunch at the Old Rectory in Haughton green on Friday 18th. If Carers want to come to either of these lunchtime meetings, they need book on 0161 342 3344.

For more information pop into the Centre, which is on Warrington Street, or phone on 0161 342 3344.