Carers who need help and support in looking after someone can benefit from a new campaign backed by Rotary members working with the charity Carers UK.
Richard Hyde, a member of the Ramsey Rotary Club, and an ambassador in the Rotary District, said that many more people were becoming carers for family members because of the coronavirus pandemic and they often did not know what support was available to them - ranging from financial help to a sympathetic ear to share problems.
“Rotary has teamed up with the charity Carers UK because there are now many people caring who are not aware of the support they can get, especially during this particular time,” Mr Hyde said.
“For many it will be the first time they have helped as a carer and they are perhaps not fully aware of the opportunities and assistance which is available to them.”
Mr Hyde said: “I think locally we need to make sure that we are getting the message across.”
He said local Rotary member Janet Cooke was acting as a contact point for Carers UK which brings organisations together to inform carers of their rights and to signpost them to the help and support which is available.
Mr Hyde said it was more than a question of helping with advice on financial support, it could also help with tackling the emotional side of caring for someone else which could be equally difficult.
“It may be that the carer says they do not need financial support and they do not have to have the money but there is always the opportunity of just having someone else to talk to which can be important,” he said.
Mr Hyde said that since the start of the coronavirus outbreak the number of unpaid carers in the UK was believed to have more than doubled to 13.6 million and that although looking after someone could be rewarding, it could also be lonely and bewildering.
Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland has gone into partnership with Carers UK and more information is available at: www.carersuk.org and the local Rotary contact is Janet Cooke at: janet.4.cooke@btinternet.com telephone: 01487 830114.