Talking about caring

My time as a Carer-in-Residence within the Centre for Carers Research has offered me many insights into how hidden the carer journey can be. It has also provided me with tools and pathways to knowledge where I’m learning more about what improvements are being worked towards within carer-related policies.

This Carer-in-Residence role has provided me with a platform, even if only self-justification, to chat to people more openly about being a carer and to start conversations with friends, colleagues and even strangers.

Being a Carer-in-Residence is not necessarily about advocacy however I do find that reaching out has been a valuable way to further my knowledge.

A recent conversation was with a bus driver one fine morning as I was heading towards UTS. He was nearing the end of his route and so struck up conversation asking where I was headed and what kind of work I do. As I was on my way to the centre and had carers on my mind this seemed the perfect time to talk about my being a carer and a Carer-in-Residence.

“I was too,” was his reply. His father had a chronic illness and he gave up work as a tradie to provide care. And so we had our shared carer moment.

Being a Carer-in-Residence is not necessarily about advocacy however I do find that reaching out has been a valuable way to further my knowledge. Talking to unfamiliar people, drawing on research I’ve read, hearing views of carers in focus groups and providing input on carer issues helps reduce the feeling of isolation with being a carer. These chats are just a starting point to engaging carers particularly those who do not formally identify as carers and from what I could infer after my bus ride was a very welcomed chat by this bus driver.

It’s not that I talk in solidarity i.e. I’m a carer too, but about how the centre and the Carer-in-Residence role are innovations demonstrating how attitudes are changing and the need for and recognition of carers is on the rise. It’s a way to show carers that they are not forgotten, that their story is one to be told and heard and that the audience is much larger than we feel. Our stories do want to be heard. However, it can often feel slow waiting for change to be acted upon and reflected in policies which we feel.

Now that I’ve become so positively loquacious I keep coming back to a new realisation, Sydney is a village. My story is unique but my experiences are not. These experiences have certainly reduced the feelings of isolation that even I have. I’ve mentioned self-doubt before. However, coupled with isolation this doubt does have a capacity to further drain oneself. In normalising the carer discourse recognition and valuing carers contributions is also more habitual. By focussing on carers research the centre is in a position to impact and lead change with their work which can be used not just within UTS but our broader community. I find as a carer this is a super empowering time.