BBC News has today run a headline story about regular screening of carers' health and that 40% of carers are thought to be at risk of depression or stress. (Click here for the full story).This probably is really news to most of us and many carers are left to find their own pathway through the role of being a carer. Stress is a common issue that we see carers suffering from and I am sure many carers could identify with the thought of being depressed. Richmond Carers Centre and the Carers Hub Service partners all offer different services that can help carers to learn about ways to manage stress and cope better, maintaining their health and well-being. Locally there are services targeting carers health and you may like to call Richmond Carers Centre on 020 8867 2380 for advice on what is available. Many carers have found ways to cope, the question today is:
What is your way of coping with stress and what do you do to try to reduce the impact it has on your own health?

Having worked in Social Care for many years I thought it would be easy to know what to do and where to go for help. Sadly this wasn't the case as different Boroughs have different systems and arrangements. So everything I knew from working in Richmond upon Thames did not always translate. It has made me realise that you don't really know what help is available, we hear from carers who frequently say they have never heard of the Carers Centre or didn't know about certain services or benefits.Its a bit like a dictionary really - you need to know how to spell the word to be able to look it up in the first place. So as carers you don't know what help you can get until you know what help is available. 
So at the heart of this is the question:
 "How do we make carers aware of the service that are available to them?"

I supported both my parents. My Dad suffered from Alzheimer's and my Mum was his main carer, but I chose to leave university and be part of supporting him. Mum gradually got older and frailer, her physical health deteriorated and she needed a lot of support.  Dad had been gone many years and Mum and I were close and I needed to choose what role I took in her care. I am lucky as I have worked in social care for much of my career, so I was very sure of my boundaries and what I would and would not do. Working with supporting carers for the past 10 years I have noticed that some people recognise what choices they have, while others see no choice in being a carer at all.

So the question is "What choices do carers have?"