Contents
Welcome 3
What ’ s on in Carer Gateway ? 4
Are you getting the rest you need ?
Jess ’ s story : Creating for Carers
One Carer ’ s Journey 9
Young Carer Corner : Studying while caring
Courtney ’ s story : Drawing on personal experience to support young carers
Liana ’ s story : a safe and supportive space with the Rainbow Crew
Giveaway page : Win 1 of 10 $ 50 grocery gift cards !
Preparing for life after caring
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Carer discounts : tips and tricks to help you financially 15
Punjabi Fact Sheet 16
Be emergency ready ! 17
Book & film of the month 18
Recipe Corner : Eggplant curry
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Word Search 20
The Carer Crossword 21
Mindfulness colouring 22
‘ The Caring Way ’ previous editions
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Welcome
Welcome to The Caring Way , a magazine dedicated to carers across Victoria ! April marked the third anniversary of Carer Gateway providing information and support to carers across the state . Carer Gateway commenced just as the COVID 19 pandemic hit Australian shores - yet despite the tremendous challenges this created to getting a new program off the ground , we are proud of the positive impact Carer Gateway has had on the lives of our unpaid carers . We look forward to the program continuing to support carers in Victoria and nationally as it grows in the years to come . Since the program commenced , approximately 40,000 carers in Victoria have accessed Carer Gateway to receive quality assistance . We have delivered more than 26,000 instances of emergency respite , delivered over 10,000 carer directed packages and supplied 18,195 counselling sessions - with all of these services and more being free for carers ! While we celebrate what the program has achieved thus far , now that Victoria is finding its ‘ new normal ’ we have turned our attention to strengthening and improving service delivery across the state to ensure that Victorian carers get the highest quality support they deserve . Inside this edition you ’ ll read about some of the amazing ways Carer Gateway is supporting carers across Victoria . Some examples are The Rainbow Crew LGBTQIA + carer support group across metro Melbourne facilitated by Alfred Carer Services , Merri Health Carer Services and Uniting Vic Tas and the fantastic Life after Caring workshop run by Grampians Health Ballarat . We hope you find The Caring Way helpful and informative . We welcome your feedback and suggestions for future editions to ensure this publication remains relevant and meaningful to carers accessing or thinking about accessing Carer Gateway services . I hope you enjoy our third edition of The Caring Way . If you would like to receive future editions via email , simply email : cgmarketing @ merrihealth . org . au Kind regards , Heleni Bagiartakis , State Manager , Merri Health Carer Gateway
Issue 02 2023 | 3