Australian charity The Benevolent Society, in association with Carer Gateway has launched ‘Carer Conversations,’ a new podcast that provides tips and resources to help unpaid carers look after their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are approximately 2.7 million carers in Australia. Carer Gateway is the Australian Government’s free national carer support service with providers across Australia, including The Benevolent Society which supports Metropolitan Sydney.
‘Carer Conversations’ host, Patty Kikos is a qualified counsellor and coach for Carer Gateway at The Benevolent Society. She said that the podcast is a great resource for anyone caring for a family member or friend who has a disability, a medical condition, mental illness or someone who is frail due to age, particularly in the leadup to National Carers Week which starts on October 16 and ends on October 22.
“It can be easy for carers to put the needs of the person they’re supporting ahead of their own, which may lead to burnout, feelings of isolation and other issues,” said Patty.
“Our mission with this podcast is to provide information, resources and inspiration to empower carers who invest so much time and energy in their caring role.”
Patty will be interviewing industry experts and carers in the newly launched podcast. Guests and cares alike can share their stories and can provide tools and strategies to benefit carers.
Experts like Rose Rowlson, a clinical counselling consultant and Fiona Aldridge from Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) will be interviewed on the podcast.
The ‘Carer Conversations’ podcast is available on various music streaming platforms like Apple and Spotify.