Let's make caring in Oldham visible and valued this Carers Week

The annual Carers Week campaign is due to take place from tomorrow (Monday 7) to Sunday, June 13.  

A carer is anyone who provides unpaid care for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support. 

To ensure that carers are recognised for the difficulties they have and continue to experience, Oldham Council is supporting the national campaign to ‘Make Caring Visible and Valued’.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.

It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

In Oldham, there are approximately 24,000 unpaid carers, including over 500 young carers, supported by Oldham Carers Services – the main point of contact for all carers in the borough.

To support Oldham’s carers, Oldham Carers Services provide a listening ear to those who need someone to talk to, in an honest and open way about the pressures of their caring role.

This is done in conjunction with welfare checks and assessments that the team also carry out.

During the periods of lockdown, the team has also supported many carers to access help with shopping or medication collection.

Councillor Zahid Chauhan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “Due to the pandemic, carers across the country have faced new challenges, with many taking on additional caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends.

“We have also seen a significant increase in new carers in the borough.

“Caring for a loved one can prove difficult as people often juggle jobs and other commitments alongside their caring responsibilities.

“They are the unsung heroes of our society as they provide an invaluable service to the country and should be respected and supported in all that they do.

“We are urging any unpaid carers who are in need of support to contact the Oldham Carers Service on 0161 770 7777 or email: carers.services@oldham.gov.uk”

Activities both nationally and in the borough are due to take place for Carers Week.

More details on these can be found at: www.oldham.gov.uk/carersweek

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