Up to 1 in 8 Queenslanders will at some point in their life identify as a carer. Carers Queensland aims for better and broader community acknowledgement of the lives of our carers, of the tiring and difficult work which they do each day – often because there is no one else who can do it.
The replacement cost of the work which carers conduct, nationally, is valued at over $40 billion per year.
The word ‘carer’ tends to conjure up different meanings for different people. For Carers Queensland, a carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member or close friend with a disability, mental health condition, who is frail/aged, or who has a chronic illness.
Family carers face a range of challenges by virtue of their caring role. Some of those challenges include social isolation, strained family relationships, maintaining their own physical and mental health & wellbeing, access to support & services, grief & loss, financial hardship, and of course maintaining an identity.
There are almost 500,000 carers in Queensland, many of whom have not accessed carer supports or respite in the past.
In order to assist carers, Carers Queensland provides a range of support services designed to help family carers maintain their own wellbeing. Carers Queensland aims to assist family carers to best support their loved ones by being better informed and better connected, with a view to improving their overall quality of life. All Carers Queensland programs are government funded and are delivered at no cost to carers. Programs that carers can access from most sites in the state include:
- Carer Advisory Service (1800 242 636)
- Counselling
- Support Groups
- No Interest Loan Scheme
- Better Start (for children with a disability under 6 years old)
- CALD (Culturally & Linguistically Diverse)
- Advocacy
- Training (including Certificate III & unaccredited training kits)
- Young Carers
- Community Events
- Your Life Your Choice (for families self-directing their DS funding)
If you are in a caring role and would like to connect with Carers Queensland staff, please phone either our Carer Advisory Service (1800 242 636) or one of our thirteen offices:
Camp Hill: 3900 8100
Brisbane North: 3624 1700
Brisbane South: 3723 5001
Rockhampton: 4921 4486
Toowoomba: 4632 8922
Cairns: 4031 0163
Mackay: 4944 0544
Ipswich: 3202 1852
Townsville: 4725 8853
Roma: 4622 1270
Gold Coast: 5534 2899
Sunshine Coast: 5451 1882
Wide Bay: 4124 0922