Below is a summary of some of the speakers’ top tips from the Brain Tumours Online Q&A Webinar on “Support for Carers”, and some links to the organisations they mentioned.
You can watch the video recording of the webinar HERE.
TOP TIPS FOR CARERS
These are the top tips our speakers had when it comes to caring for a loved one.
- Look after yourself.
- Stay connected.
- Look at what financial supports are available.
- Think about how to hand over bank accounts, key passwords, closing off social media pages.
- Registering for My Aged Care (if applicable).
- Ask for help.
- Write down questions to ask your medical team.
- Have the needed helpline numbers close by.
- Discuss with your healthcare team if you are eligible for palliative care services early on in the treatment process. Palliative care is not just for ‘end of life’ care.
- Speak up and discuss with the medical team what is important to yourself as a carer as well as (in addition to) what is important for the patient being cared for.
- Call the 13 11 20 Cancer Council hotline for any assistance needed including support on how to handle financial stress, communicating to children and other family members and more. Needs of a carer are specific and assistance will be provided depending on what is deemed most needed for the caller.
- Reach out to organizations such as Carer Gateway, Carer Help, or Cancer Council as they can direct you to organizations specialised in advanced care planning and any other services that a carer may need. This can be a great starting point if you are unsure of where to begin in your journey as a carer.
- Reach out to counselling services and connect with peer support groups. It is important for the Carer to have support not just the patient.
Some notes about each of the speakers’ organisations based on the content of the webinar:
Cancer Council Victoria
- Offers telephone-based counselling services for carers and provides financial and legal assistance to carers. Call 13 11 20.
- Visit the Cancer Council Victoria website for more info.
Carer Gateway
- Supports anyone caring for a patient with a chronic illness, disability, mental illness or who is frail due to age.
- Offer respite care and emergency respite care, counselling services (in multiple languages if needed) and in-person and online peer support groups.
- Provide tailored support packages for one-off requests and provide funding for carer lead support packages where funding is given for what the carer requires (e.g. transport, well-being programs etc).
- Offers self-guided coaching programs.
- Offer support through the 1800 422 737 hotline even prior to registering if carers are facing issues navigating the system or the Carer gateway website.
- Visit the Carer Gateway website for more info.
MediStays
- Offers accommodation options for medical-related stays and respite care.
- The website provides information on accessibility for accommodations offered, parking, financial assistance and more.
- Properties have 24-hour reception services.
- The MediStays care navigator team will assist in finding funding schemes that you might not be aware of and will help with pricing for stays longer than a week.
- Contact the MediStays care navigator team if you need accommodation for more than 7 days – they may be able to provide additional discounts not advertised online.
- MediStays supports organizations that assist in transportation such as:
Angel flight Australia which is an organization that provides free flights and ground transport for country patients.
Travellers Aid Australia assists patients and carers travelling on public transport.
Carer Help
- A website specifically for carers who are caring for someone with a terminal illness or when the person they are caring for is closer towards the end of life.
- Contains videos of carers with lived experiences and healthcare professionals, and includes practical advice and factsheets on a variety of topics.
- Provides some factsheets specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTIQA+ community, and in multiple languages.
- You can find more info on the Carer Help website.