Carers help each other through (From Stourbridge News)

Carers help each other through

10:10am Tuesday 29th December 2009

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ISOLATION is an all too common experience for people acting as full-time carers for loved ones suffering from terminal illness, chronic disease or the frailty of old age.

But it need not be like that - support is out there, if you know where to look.

When Hazel Marshall, from Kingswinford, quit work ten years ago to care for her husband Brian, who has multiple sclerosis, she did not know what services were available and it was only through Mary Stevens Hospice that she chanced across Caring with Confidence.

These are free skills and support sessions for carers run by Omega, the National Association for End of Life Care, at the Stourbridge hospice and The White House in Dudley.

“We got nothing from the health authorities, you have to go out and find what’s available yourself and I would recommend people join as many of these kinds of groups as they can. You never know what you’re missing out on both socially and with help and advice,” said Hazel, adding: “Your world is so limited as a carer, you don’t have the freedom just to get up and do things, so for it to be organised for you and you just go along is great.”

Time is precious and carers like 64-year-old Hazel need activities they can join in with that only last only a couple of hours and involve little travelling time.

The devoted couple have adapted their lifestyles well to cope with 65-year-old Brian’s MS which has confined him to a wheelchair and affected the use of his hands.

Caring with Confidence helps carers build on their strengths, gives useful information about looking after someone and helps carers decide what positive changes they could make in their caring role.

Carers can choose how they access the programme, either by attending face-to-face sessions, completing self-study workbooks, going online or a combination of all three.

Hazel, a former building society clerk, said: “I’m quite au fait with where to get assistance, but at the Omega group you meet other like-minded people in the same situation. You can try out different ideas and you realise you are not alone.

“You can feel very isolated because you spend so much time in a caring role, it limits your outside activities and I think Omega should get more publicity.”

Omega will be running more sessions at Mary Stevens Hospice in the new year and can provide free respite care and free transport.

For more information and to register call the Carers Helpdesk on 0845 259 3163 or email carers@omega.uk.net

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