Young carers awareness day Jan 30th : article- 'One day it just got too much': The hidden lives of young carers

Sly Saint · Feb 1, 2020

According to the last census, there are 166,000 young carers in England, but recent research suggests that the actual figure may be as many as 800,000 – that’s six young carers in every secondary school classroom. Despite being so prolific, carers are often hidden from view – attempting to juggle their caring role with school work but too terrified to speak up and seek support, suffering mental health complications as a result.

Young Carers Awareness Day; an annual campaign led by Carers Trust, falls on the 30 January 2020. It hopes to raise awareness of the challenges young carers face and campaigns for greater support for them.
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Like many young carers, I can’t tell you the exact moment my mum got sick. Nor can I pinpoint the moment I started helping her and my family get through day-to-day life. But there was a moment, 10 years ago, when my mother went from healthy to bed bound. She spent weeks unable to move, struggling to even sip water or to stomach a slice of toast. That was when everything changed.
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We now know that my mum has myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a chronic disease that impacts the body’s nervous and immune systems. Previously known as chronic fatigue syndrome, it is at least as disabling as multiple sclerosis and congestive heart failure – but there is currently no cure and reaching diagnosis is a battle. My mum can’t walk further than half a mile without crashing for days afterwards. On her best days, she is mostly housebound; even going for a walk is a distant dream. She spends her worst in bed, unable to stand any noise or light. ME can also impact her cognitive capabilities: her words can often become mixed up and slurred.

In the years after she got sick, I helped my mum with everyday tasks that kept my family going. This could mean making sure that she had eaten and taken her pain killers; it could involve undertaking basic household chores or it could mean dropping my plans to become available at a moment’s notice to pick my sister up from school or to look after her at weekends. It also meant that from the age of 14, I had to be strong for the rest of my family, even when I didn’t feel strong myself.
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full article here
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...ess-carers-week-2019-university-a8946801.html

Gigi300 · Feb 1, 2020

Thank you @Sly Saint for this article. I wish they were supported, but the services don’t exist here for that. It means a lot to me because I often think about how it has great effect on them. They also have a great need to be supported and understood.

Amw66 · Feb 2, 2020

There has been some recognition and moves to support young carers in Scotland.
A start
https://www.carersuk.org/scotland/help-and-advice/social-security/young-carers-grant

https://young.scot/get-informed/national/how-to-sign-up-for-the-young-carers-package

If anyone knows someone this could apply to, please forward think.

ETA second link

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Young carers awareness day Jan 30th : article- 'One day it just got too much': The hidden lives of young carers

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Young carers awareness day Jan 30th : article- 'One day it just got too much': The hidden lives of young carers

Sly Saint Senior Member (Voting Rights)

Gigi300 Established Member (Voting Rights)

Amw66 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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