The Coffs Coast is marking the 30th anniversary of National Carers Week by saying ‘thank you’ to the hundreds of selfless individuals who provide hours of ongoing unpaid support to family, friends and neighbours in the region.
Member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh said carers go above and beyond to ensure their loved ones are supported.
“Carers look after our most vulnerable members in the community and there is no better time than Carers Week to recognise the extraordinary work they do day in, day out – no matter the sacrifice,” Mr Singh said.
“This year’s theme ‘Millions of Reasons to Care!’ is a testament to the hours of caring our local carers provide.
“The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that carers provide over 690 million hours of informal care each year.
“If you know someone who’s a carer, make sure you tell them what a great job they are doing.”
Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services, Natasha Maclaren-Jones said the week was held to celebrate each and every carer in our state for the work they do and highlight the supports they have available.
“Caring for a loved one takes unimaginable dedication and patience,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
“These selfless individuals in our community don’t look for thanks and praise but their incredible efforts need to be celebrated.
“Our carers are the backbone of our state. And we want them to know they are not alone. That is why we are investing in the support our carers need to look after themselves and their loved ones.”
In NSW, there are 854,300 informal carers and almost 80,000 of them are young carers under 25. Carers provide support to people with disability, mental illness, chronic illness, frail age, dementia or drug or alcohol dependency.
The NSW Government has pledged $4.9 million to support carers as part of the NSW Carers Strategy 2020-2030.
National Carers Week runs from 16 – 22 October.
If you are a carer, there are a range of resources and supports available to you. Find out more at www.carergateway.gov.au.
You can talk to a carer gateway service provider by calling 1800 422 737. If you want help understanding English, call the free translation service on 131 450 before calling the helpline.
