Do you care for someone in Northamptonshire?
A Carer is someone who looks after a loved one, neighbour or friend who has additional needs. This may be as a result of a disability, a physical or mental health condition or ageing. This care often relies on a sense of responsibility and a commitment to the other person, driven by feelings of love, duty and concern rather than monetary reward.
We know there are over 70,000 unpaid carers in Northamptonshire with many more ‘hidden’ Carers. Many people may not recognise themselves as a Carer – they may be a parent supporting a child with an additional need, an adult supporting a parent with dementia, a husband caring for his wife with a physical disability or perhaps a child who is helping to care for a member of their family.
Caring for someone on a regular basis can be a stressful, worrying time, putting additional pressures onto the Carer’s everyday life including their own physial and mental health. For some being a Carer will be a relatively short part of their lives but for others their caring role may last many years. Statistics show that at some point in our lives 3 in 5 people will become unpaid Carers.
How can Northamptonshire Carers help?
As a charity, Northamptonshire Carers are here to support Carers of all ages including our Young Carer Project.
We offer a listening ear through our Carer Support Line, give practical advice and access to a wide range of services such as Carers Assessments, sitting/befriending services, peer support, a specialist Dementia care advice service and of course lots of fun, informal activities such as the Carers Choir.
Those who attend our monthly Carers Support Groups or Carers Café ‘Dropin’ sessions (we have o ver 45 groups around the county) receive practical and emotional support and have found friendships with other Carers who understand a lot of the things they may be facing.
Regular Wellbeing Workshops offer practical advice to sustain the role as a Carer and Northamptonshire Carers even have an in-house team to support Carers with loved ones in Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals.
How can you help?
In 2018 Northamptonshire Carers provided 2,304 volunteer hours with an economic value of over £21k, relying on 48 committed volunteers.
If you feel you have a little spare time to become a Carer Champion and be a friendly face for Carers in your own local community then we would love to hear from you. Other volunteering roles are available including befriending, admin and offering telephone support to Carers. We provide lots of ongoing support and you would be joining a fun and lively team.
By joining us you can help us to support more Carers across the county through our ‘Connecting Communities’ project funded by the Big Lottery.
Further information
For further information on accessing any of our services, volunteering opportunities, or to sign up for a regular newsletter, please contact us:-
General Enquiries 01933 677837 Carers Support Line 01933 677907 or why not go ‘social’?
www.northamptonshire-carers.org Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Facebook: NorthamptonshireCarers Twitter: @NorthantsCarers
Registered Charity No: 1061417
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