To mark this year’s Carers Week (June 13 – 19 ), Sue Ryder St John’s hospice has been highlighting the importance of supporting carers in their vital role of caring for a loved one. The team would like to encourage those who visit the hospice to find out more about the support available for carers.

 According to new estimates from a recent survey conducted by Carers UK and the University of Leeds, the care provided by carers, who provide unpaid support for an ill, fragile or disabled loved one, is worth a staggering £119 billion. In Bedfordshire the findings show that there are about 41,346 carers who provide unpaid care worth £666 million every year *.

 Sarah Martin-Merchant, palliative care services manager at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, said: “The care that carers provide to a loved one is priceless. Carers help the person they care for to remain independent in their own home for as long as possible surrounded by friends and family. They provide compassionate, resourceful care, often for 24 hours a day every day.

 “But they also need support. When you are looking after a family member or friend, you can feel very alone, maybe because those close to you don’t know what to say to you or because you don’t want to upset them with your concerns. Here at Sue Ryder St John’s hospice we assist carers as much as possible by offering practical and emotional support. There is always someone available if they need to talk about any concern and we schedule regular home visits to assess their personal needs”.

 The charity provides a range of services to support carers to care for someone with confidence and ability in their own homes: carers can get in touch with the hospice at any time if they need to talk with nurses or a doctor; they can access complementary therapy to help them relax or attend counselling sessions if needed; nurses are on hand to help educate carers on a range of subjects relevant to families’ individual needs and circumstances including administration of medicine, massage techniques to ease discomfort or minimise side effects of illness.

 Sue Ryder has a long and distinguished history of providing palliative care for people living with life-limiting conditions including cancer and non-cancer conditions such as renal failure, heart failure and motor neurone disease. Locally the hospice has been providing high quality care to thousands of people through its day therapy and in-patient services.

If you would like to receive more information or make a donation, please contact 01767 640622 or email stjohns.fundraising@sueryder.org

For more information about Sue Ryder please visit www.sueryder.org

http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Charity-highlights-work-of-carers-17062011.htm