Visit Carers NSW website for the
latest news, comment, training and events at Carers NSW.
Also see the NSW Carers Action Plan 2007-2012 which commits NSW Government agencies to recognise, respect and value the role that carers play in the community.
National
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows decline in prevalence of disability
The ABS has released preliminary findings from the 2009 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC). The last such survey was conducted in 2003 and provides a comparison with the 2009 statistics. Since 2003, the prevalence of disability in Australia has dropped by 1.5 per cent. Read the summary results from the 2009 SDAC conducted throughout Australia during April to December 2009. A consolidation of progressive releases from the survey will be published on 28 April 2011.
The ABS has compiled various sources of data on disability. ABS Sources of disability information 2003-2008 is available at the ABS website as is People with a Need for Assistance. A Snapshot, 2006. The latter contains information from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing which included questions for the first time on people with severe disabilities who need assistance.
National Carer Strategy Consultations
The Australian Government has released a discussion paper, Towards a National Carer Strategy, to inform the development of a national carer framework. Consultations with carers and service providers took place during October and November 2010. See the Carers Australia website for more information. Many NSW carers took part in the carer consultation in Sydney on 24 November with some rural and regional carers participating. Ten of these carers were part of the Carers NSW Carer Representation Program. Carers NSW has been involved in both service provider and carer consultations. Read the Carers NSW and the Carers Victoria submissions. Submissions have been extended to 4 January 2011.
In carrying out these consultations the Australian Government is acting on its commitment to introduce a National Carer Recognition Framework, consisting of Carer Recognition Legislation (which has now been passed through by both houses of the Australian Parliament) and a National Carer Strategy. The Australian and New Zealand Ministers for Ageing have reaffirmed their government's commitments to the National Carers Strategy. Read the communiqué. Carers Australia was asked to conduct the consultations with carers and will provide a report of the carer consultations to the Australian Government.
Special Disability Trusts
Previous e-bulletins have reported on developments with Special Disability Trusts national legislation. The purpose of the legislation
is to give families improved access to trusts (a taxation vehicle) for the purposes of providing for family members with severe disability.
The legislation as proposed will allow the family member with disability to work up to seven hours a week and still qualify as a beneficiary of a trust. The Trust will be able to pay for the beneficiary's medical expenses, including membership costs for private health funds and the maintenance expenses of assets and properties. The Trust will be able to spend up to $10,000 in a financial year on discretionary items not related to care and accommodation needs of the beneficiary. The trusts also attract generous social security means test concessions for the beneficiary and eligible contributors.
The legislation was meant to take effect in January 2011 but technicalities have delayed the passage through Parliament. Read about the legislation.
Australian Carer Ombudsman
Australian Government Shadow Minister for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector, Mitch Fifield, has proposed that the Government establish a Commonwealth Disability and Carer Ombudsman to undertake a nationwide audit of special schools that cater for particular disabilities in an effort to determine the national need for such schools across Australia. The proposal was made in the context of support for a recently founded special school in Victoria, the Insight Education Centre. Carers Australia recommended the establishment of a Carer Ombudsman in its 2008/2009 Budget submission. Read the Senate proposal.
Mental health carers report 2010
The first in an ongoing series of surveys on mental health carers
was published in November. The survey finds that there is a great need for carers to be included and involved in the consumer caring team. In spite of progress in this regard, it is still a neglected area. Read the report.
The Mental Health Carers Report 2010 is the first in what will become an annual study intended to monitor changes in mental health carers' experiences. The survey follows consultations around Australia by the Mental Health Council of Australia in 2009 culminating in the report Adversity to Advocacy: the lives and hopes of mental health carers.
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New
South Wales
Carers NSW Annual report 2009-10 and Budget Submission 2011-2012
The Carers NSW Annual report 2009-10 and Budget Submission 2011-2012 is now available.
Stronger together phase two
The NSW Government has released the second phase of disability planning amounting to $5.5 billion in funding for disability services in the years to 2016. The unprecedented allocation is a response in part to the Inquiry into services provided and funded by Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), Department of Human Services NSW. Read Stronger Together phase two and see comment in the Sydney Morning Herald. View the media release.
Stronger together phase two has been welcomed by many groups including Vision Australia and the NSW Coalition which has promised to match the funding if it forms government.
Members of the first Carers Advisory Council
The members of the first NSW Carers Advisory Council have been announced. The 14 member Council comprises ten primary carers and others with a professional interest in the work of carers. Three Carers NSW Carer Representatives are included on the Council as well as Chief Executive Officer of Carers NSW, Elena Katrakis. The inaugural meeting was held on 13 December. Members will advise the NSW Government on issues affecting carers and the people they care for. Read the announcement.
Carers NSW survey 2010
During 2010, Carers NSW conducted a survey of carers in order to find out how carers are faring and the issues that concern them. The general objective of the research project was to gather data from carers in NSW, to inform the Carers NSW 2011 NSW election strategy and the Carers NSW Budget Submission 2011-2012.
The median age of respondents was 59 years with male carers tending to be much older than female carers. One-third of carers were also working, while almost one fifth worked as volunteers. Carers from culturally diverse backgrounds and male carers were less likely to be combining caring with work or study. Half of respondents were home owners without a mortgage. Long-term carers were less likely to be financially secure. Read the report.
Sue O'Reilly presents the Clare Stevenson Memorial Lecture
Following the Carers NSW Annual General Meeting 2010, the Clare Stevenson Memorial Lecture was presented by
Sue O'Reilly, a journalist and the mother of three adult children, including a son with cerebral palsy. Sue is a strong advocate of the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme and wrote the first in-depth article on this issue, The Struggle For Care, published in the Weekend Australian Magazine in March 2009. She is also a co-founder of the grassroots political lobby group Australians Mad as Hell. Read her presentation.
Patient advocacy group established in NSW - Health Consumers NSW
Funding has been provided for the establishment of a patient advocacy group - Health Consumers NSW. This new peak body will give health consumers a voice in health policy development in NSW. Read the media release and some background information. View the job description of the Project Coordinator Health Consumers NSW. Applications close 17 December 2010.
Carers Charter forums - Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government
The ACT Government, in accordance with election promises, is seeking feedback from the community on a Carers Charter. While the ACT introduced carer recognition legislation in 2006, the ACT Government released a discussion paper for community consultation which ended on 3 December. The Charter is expected to be released in early 2011. Read more.
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Carers NSW 2011 Biennial Conference
The conference aims to bring together health and community care professionals, service providers, researchers and NSW Government agencies to provide an opportunity to explore practices and ideas, research and initiatives in carer support. Registration will be available early January 2011.
When: Thursday 17 and Friday 18 March 2011
Where: Novotel, Brighton-le-Sands, Sydney
Details: website
Understanding and supporting carers - Carers NSW in-house training
Carers NSW offers free training tailored for service providers from government and non-government services. It is a half-day, interactive education session focusing on identifying who carers are, how the caring role impacts on them and how to support them.
When: Wednesdays 16 February (young carer focus), 20 April and 15 June 2011
Where: Carers NSW, Campbell Street, Sydney
Details: flyer
Carer Support Groups: A workshop for facilitators
Carers NSW is offering free training for new and existing carer support group coordinators. The one-day workshop is designed to cover a range of topics and issues relevant to various aspects of facilitating a carer support group, including understanding and managing group processes, and developing and maintaining ethical facilitation. Participants also receive a copy of the new Carers NSW resources for carer support groups, including Carer Support Groups: An information and support resource for facilitators.
When: Port Macquarie Wednesday 23 February 2011
Sydney Tuesday 29 March and Wednesday 13 April 2011
Details: flyer
Supporting Carers of Ageing Parents - Carers NSW in-house training
Carers NSW is running a half-day workshop to discuss the challenges of caring for an ageing family member. The interactive session focuses on challenges faced by carers in their caring role and services that are available to them.
When: Wednesday 9 March 2011
Where: Carers NSW, Campbell Street, Sydney
Details: Contact Matthew at Carers NSW for more details
The National Disability and Carer Congress: make every Australian count
The conference will examine the interim report on Disability Care and Support released by the Productivity Commission.
When:
Monday 2 - Tuesday 3 May 2011
Where: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Details: Website
Consumers reforming health - Conference 2011
Consumer participation is fundamental for health reform. This conference aims to explore practical strategies in a number of health sectors.
When: Monday 18 - Wednesday 20 July 2011 with a public lecture on Sunday 17th of July
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Details: website
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Working with and supporting informal carers
The Benevolent Society and the University of Wollongong have collaborated in a research project about family carers. The study examines the pressure to care in an ageing population and forms part of a series of papers called Research to Practice Briefing. Read the report.
Inquiry into services provided and funded by Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), Department of Human Services NSW
A NSW Parliamentary inquiry has finalised an examination of ADHC in November and made observations that are to be incorporated into the second phase of disability planning in NSW, Stronger Together phase two. The scope of the Inquiry included the quality, effectiveness and delivery of services provided by ADHC. Noteworthy comments by the Parliamentary Committee were that "Stronger Together phase two provides an opportunity to increase the funding to disability services" and that "individualised funding options have the potential to provide improved choice, flexibility and control for services users". Read the report.
Elena Katrakis, CEO Carers NSW, appeared at the public hearing in relation to this Inquiry. Chapter 10 of the report deals with carers' issues.
Health of Australians with disability: health status and risk factors
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recently released the report Health of Australians with disability: health status and risk factors, which compares the health of people with disabilities with the rest of the population. The results show that there is still a large gap between Australians with disability and those without disability. The study found that among people aged 15–64 years with severe or profound disability rates of mental health problems are very high compared to other Australians, as are long-term health conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and obesity. Read the report. Carers NSW has completed a summary of the report.
How could they?
This series of brochures has been published to help protect older women from first-time homelessness after surrendering financial control of their lives to loved ones. Written for women in situations which require pause for thought, the fact sheets are imaginatively illustrated and contain essential information:
The brochures have has been developed by the University of Western Sydney and the Older Women's Network NSW and produced with the financial assistance of the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW.
Review of Lifetime Care and Support Authority and Support Advisory Council (LTSCAC)
People who have been catastrophically injured in car accidents in NSW are given life-long support by the LTSCAC. The scheme has been operating since 2006. The second Parliamentary review of the LTSCAC has been completed with recommendations that interest carers. The Review Committee recommended that participants in the scheme are directly represented on the LTSCAC and that participant and family carer working groups are set up with this idea in mind. Carers NSW gave evidence to the Committee. Read the report.
Men Care Too! DVD
Male carers are often forgotten as family carers. A new DVD produced by the Australian Government aims to give recognition to their work and to enhance the health and wellbeing of the veteran community. Read the details.
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A
Community care census results - a surge in demand for services
In 2008 the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing undertook a census to gather information about users of services and their carers. It follows surveys conducted during 2002 when aged care was less home-focused. Data was collected on Community Aged Care Packages, Extended Aged Care at Home and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia as well as the National Respite for Carers Program. The findings reveal a surge in demand for services. Carers Australia was a member of the project's advisory group. Read a summary of the findings or the final report.
Aged care workers' wages
Service providers delivering aged care in Australia believe that a high calibre workforce is the single most important determinant of quality aged care. A case currently before Fair Work Australia is examining salaries in the aged care sector, where nurses can be paid as much as $300 per week less than nurses in other health sectors. Read an account of proceedings in the case by an aged care worker.
In mid December, employer associations and other parties made submissions to Fair Work Australia in a pay equity case which also involves aged care workers. This matter has been controversial because while the Australian Government supports the wage increases sought by the Australian Services Union on behalf of the social and community services sector, wage increases in aged care, to be funded by governments, would impact on the Government's budget bottom line. Read the Australian Government's submission before Fair Work Australia. A number of community organisations have commented on the case: Aged and Community Services Australia, National Seniors Australia and the Australian Council of Social Services.
The Australian Government is under pressure to adhere to Labor Party principles and support fair pay claims irrespective of budgetary implications. The Government has issued recent clarification of its stand on the issue. Read the media releases from the Australian Greens and the Australian Nursing Federation and further discussion in the Australian Parliament.
A National Framework for Advance Care Directives (ACDs)
ACDs provide a means to plan ahead in the event that a person is no longer able to make decisions regarding their own care. ACDs are documents that can be used by Enduring Guardians or others to determine what the care recipient wishes for their own care. Read more. Such a document provides structure to substitute decision making, a responsibility often taken on by carers .
Australia's Health Ministers have recognised the need for a national scheme for ACDs and believe that the issue would be best addressed by a national framework given the myriad legal structures at state level that regulate substitute decision making. A discussion paper has been published to provide the public with the opportunity to provide feedback. Read Carers Australia's response.
Aged care website
This website, developed by an independent group concerned with aged care, provides helpful advice and tips on a wide range of issues surrounding caring for somebody who is ageing, who is living at home or who has entered an aged care facility. Visit the website.
Australian Productivity Commission Inquiry
- Caring for older Australians
The Commission has extended the period of the Productivity Commission Inquiry to allow sufficient time to consider the large number of submissions lodged with the Commission. The draft report will now be published on 21 January 2011 and, after a period of consultation, the final report will be provided to the Australian Government by the end of June 2011. Read the details.
Elder abuse
Vulnerable older people rely on the good will of those that support them. Many are taken advantage of. Elder abuse is defined by the United Nation as "a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person". It can take the form of neglect or physical, psychological, emotional, sexual and financial abuse.
Recent activity at the national and state level has highlighted the issue of elder abuse. The NSW Attorney General has foreshadowed a tightening of state law to penalise those who neglect or abuse vulnerable people in their care. The threat of gaol for up to five years is proposed as the deterrent. Read more about the proposed law changes.
An address in the Australian Senate by Senator Mark Bishop also touched on the issue. The Senator noted that "financial abuse is especially significant for older people, because the opportunity to recover from this assault is negligible." Read a transcript of the speech.
See the 'Publication' section in this e-bulletin for a series of information brochures, entitled How could they?. These have recently been published with older women in mind who are vulnerable to financial abuse. Also visit the 'Carers and finance' section for more research on the issue of elder financial abuse.
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Carer Representatives on the first NSW Carers Advisory Council
Three Carers NSW Carer Representatives are included on the first NSW Carers Advisory Council announced after the NSW Parliament passed carer recognition legislation this year. The Carer Representative are Nan Bosler, Elizabeth Ingram and Cheryl Koenig. Members will advise the NSW Government on issues affecting carers and the people they care for. Read the announcement.
'Family carers' or 'paid carers'
Carers NSW represents the interests of family carers, defined as
'relatives and friends caring for people with a disability, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependencies, chronic condition, terminal illness or who are frail.' The term 'carer' is often used interchangeably in the public arena to mean variously family carer, paid carer, personal carer, foster parent, guardian or any person who takes on the responsibility to look after another person, whether paid or not.
The use of these terms have been very evident in recent pay disputes before Fair Work Australia where paid carers are seeking an increase in salary. To add to the semantic confusion, it is often the case that unpaid family carers also work as paid carers as a natural extension of their skill base. Family carers and paid carers can share both a professional and personal interest in industrial issues. See 'Aged care workers' wages' in this issue of the e-bulletin.
Do you manage? A guide to managing lawyers with flexible work arrangements in legal firms
This new report published by Victorian Women Lawyers, provides practical assistance to companies establishing flexible work arrangement. Read more.
Carer Allowance to increase on 1 January 2011
The Carer Allowance is increasing to $110 a fortnight on 1 January 2011 - an increase of $3.30 a fortnight. The Carer Allowance and some other Centrelink payments are increased annually on 1 January in line with indexation. Other payments that will also increase are the Disability Support Pension, Austudy, Abstudy and Youth Allowance. The Carer Payment is adjusted twice a year in March and September. Read the media release.
Elder financial abuse
Research reveals that older people most commonly trust their children to manage their finances in old age. This high level of trust within families may be misplaced with findings that identified sons and, to a lesser extent, daughters, as those most commonly engaging in financial abuse of elderly parents. Read the findings in Staying safe with money: the experience of older English speaking Victorians.
Carers
and legal issues
NSW legislation to penalise abuse
The NSW Attorney General has foreshadowed a tightening of state law to penalise those who neglect or abuse vulnerable people in their care. The threat of gaol for up to five years is proposed as the deterrent. Read more about the proposed law changes.
Advance Care Directives (ACDs)
Australia's Health Ministers have recognised the need for a national scheme for ACDs and believe that the issue would be best addressed by a national framework given the myriad legal structures at state level that regulates substitute decision making. A discussion paper has been published to provide the public with the opportunity to provide feedback. Read Carers Australia's response.
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Stronger together phase two
The NSW Government has released the second phase of disability planning amounting to $5.5 billion in funding for disability services in the years 2011 to 2016. The allocation is unprecedented and is a response in part to the Inquiry into services provided and funded by Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), Department of Human Services NSW. Read Stronger Together phase two and see comment in the Sydney Morning Herald. View the media release.
Stronger together phase two has been welcomed by many groups including Vision Australia and the NSW Coalition which has promised to match the funding if it forms government.
Special Disability Trusts
Changes to Australian laws allowing more flexibility for families interested in Special Disability Trusts have been postponed until next year. The bill containing the changes, Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2010, was introduced but not debated in the Senate. The changes were meant to take effect from 1 January 2011 but will now be considered next year. For more information on the proposed changes, go to the October 2010 e-bulletin.
Carer surveys
Sexual activities and how people adapt to physical impairment
The University of Sydney invites partners of people with a physical impairment to participate in a study to determine how couples adapt to the limitations of disability. Read more. The study has ethical approval from the University's ethics committee.
Disability employment services
Research into provision of disability employment services is being undertaken by Dr Ann Nevile and Dr Janine O'Flynn of the Australian National University (ANU) in collaboration with Jobs Australia and The Brotherhood of St Laurence. The research aims to provide information about how the funding and administration of employment service providers affects the quality of services provided to job seekers. Researchers hope that the research will be used to improve services for job seekers.
Researchers are keen to obtain the views of carers to add another dimension to information gathered from job seekers and have developed a short anonymous online survey which is available on a secure ANU site. Visit the website to participate. All information gathered will be held on password protected computers or in locked cabinets at the ANU. Results of the survey will be published in late 2011.
Direct any questions to Rosemary Lohmann by email.
Australian Carer Ombudsman
Australian Government Shadow Minister for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector, Mitch Fifield, has proposed that the Government establish a Commonwealth Disability and Carer Ombudsman to undertake a nationwide audit of special schools that cater for particular disabilities in an effort to determine the national need for such schools across Australia. The proposal was made in the context of support for a recently founded special school in Victoria, the Insight Education Centre. Carers Australia recommended the establishment of a Carer Ombudsman in its 2008/2009 Budget submission. Read the Senate proposal.
Health services for arthritis and osteoporosis
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
has published an overview of the use of health services for the management of arthritis and osteoporosis in Australia. Three specific conditions are dealt with — osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Read the report.
Electronic media access
The Australian Government has foreshadowed it will introduce legislation in 2011 to consolidate captioning requirements for cinemas, free-to-air and subscription television broadcasters and DVD publishers. The Government also intends to raise captioning targets to improve access to electronic media for people with disability and to introduce requirements for caption quality. Read more.
Palliative care
Grants have been made available for community groups by the Australian Government to improve support to the terminally ill. Read the comments by Mark Butler, Australian Government Minister for Mental Health and Ageing. For more information go to the grants website. Grant applications close 2 February 2011. There are also moves in NSW to respect the wishes of dying patients in the NSW health system. Read more from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Young people in residential aged care
A successful pilot program to help prevent young people with disability from living in aged care facilities provides some hope for those who have been concerned about this trend. The pilot, NSW Younger People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) program was run by Multiple Sclerosis Australia to address the accommodation and support needs of younger people with a disability living in, or at risk of entering, residential aged care facilities. Read more.
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Hear Our Voices: Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health Care
This new DVD explores different cultural understandings of mental illness and how this impacts on consumers and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Read more and order the DVD.
Campaign to reclaim multiculturalism
"Australia's greatest achievement, and therefore our most valuable national asset, is the creation and development of a tolerant, multi-racial, multi-cultural society. It distinguishes and defines us as a nation. It is the essence of our nation." These comments were made by John Hewson, former leader of the Australian Liberal Party, in support of the national campaign to rekindle Australia's awareness of its multi-ethnic history and future. Read more.
Australia's immigrant population is proportionally almost double that of the United States and more than twice that of the United Kingdom, a recent AMP.NATSEM Income and wealth report shows. Most new-comers to Australia are young and this has implications for an ageing Australian population. For an analysis of the study, read comment in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Patient advocacy group established in NSW - Health Consumers NSW
Funding has been provided for the establishment of a patient advocacy group - Health Consumers NSW. This new peak body will give health consumers a voice in health policy development in NSW. Read the media release and some background information. View the job description of the Project Coordinator Health Consumers NSW. Applications close 17 December 2010.
National Health and Hospitals Network legislation
The Australian Parliamentary Library has released an examination of the legislation that provides the basis for the National Health and Hospitals Network. Visit the Bills Digest.
National eHealth system
The Australian Health Minister's opening address to the 2010 eHealth Conference outlined the challenges and the rewards in embracing electronic patient care. Read her speech. Telehealth trials are to begin in Armidale and Kiama next year.
National LGBT Health Alliance
The National LGBT Health Alliance is a national organisation that provides programs, services and research in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health and HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit the website.
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Indigenous chronic disease package annual progress report 2009-10
The annual report on progress to close the health gap between Indigenous and other Australians indicates positive signs of change. More Indigenous clients are accessing help, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce has been significantly expanded and intractable health concerns like smoking are being tackled. Read more.
Human Rights medal
Human rights award winners were announced in December 2010 in Sydney by the Australian Human Rights Commission. The ABC Television Message stick was short listed for the program Giving voice, a re-examination of the Northern Territory Intervention. View a transcript of the program.
Indigenous palliative care program
Delegates from 50 countries judged an Indigenous palliative care program, the Northern Territory Program of Experience in Palliative Approach, the most innovative program from a field of 270. For more information on the program, visit the website.
Road accidents are the cause of many hospitalisations
A recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report has found that up to 20 per cent of hospitalisations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people are the result of land transport accidents. The facts are detailed in the study.
Larissa Behrendt - NSW Australian of the Year
Professor Larissa Behrendt, an Indigenous lawyer, has been named NSW Australian of the Year. Read more.
Wall of hands
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation is working to
bridge the Indigenous literacy gap. Read more.
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Australian Parliament - mental health
During the last sitting week of the Australian Parliament for 2010, mental health was set to be debated. The most contentious issue debated was national funding for mental health. John Mendoza, former Chair of the National Advisory Council on Mental Health, gives an analysis of proceedings in the House of Representatives in an article, The Federal Coalition's motion on mental health, written for Connectica Consulting.
The Prime Minister has identified mental health as a priority in the second term of her Government in appointing the first Australian Government Minister dedicated to mental health, Mark Butler. However, mental health expert and Australian of the Year, Pat McGorry, has urged the Government to make a commitment to end the inequity between physical health care and mental health care in Australia.
For a picture of national mental health reform over the last 15 years,
read The National Mental Health Report 2010 – summary of 15 years of reform in Australia's Mental Health Services under the National Mental Health Strategy 1993 – 2008.
Mental health carers report 2010
The first in an ongoing series of surveys on mental health carers
was published in November. The survey finds that there is a great need for carers to be included and involved in the consumer caring team. In spite of progress in this regard, it is still a neglected area. Read the report.
The Mental Health Carers Report 2010 is the first in what will become an annually repeated study intended to monitor changes in mental health carers' experiences. The survey follows consultations around Australia by the Mental Health Council of Australia in 2009 culminating in the report Adversity to Advocacy: the lives and hopes of mental health carers.
Mental health consumer and carer survey about health professionals' attitudes
The Mental Health Council of Australia is undertaking a consumer and carer survey about the behaviour of health professionals towards people with mental illness. To take part, visit the survey site for either consumers or carers.
NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal
Changes have recently occurred to procedures governing the involuntary detention of people suspected of mental illness in NSW. Read an analysis, Jeopardy faces those in a fragile mental state, by Christopher Ryan, a psychiatrist, which appeared recently in the Sydney Morning Herald.
What should we call people with mental illness?
Words used to describe people with mental illness can be a vexed issue. Schizophrenic, survivor, client, consumer, customer or a person living with schizophrenia - all these terms are found in the literature or used in conversation. For a discussion of appropriate nomenclature, read this article published in the Huffington Post, a US newspaper.
Perinatal depression campaign
Beyond blue, an organisation campaigning for improved mental health, has begun to raise awareness of depression in new and expectant mothers. Called Just speak up, the campaign encourages mothers to self-identify and seek help. One in six Australian women is affected by perinatal depression, but only half seek help. Read more and see the media release.
Australian Government response to the Senate Inquiry into Suicide in Australia
The Australian Government Senate inquiry released The Hidden toll. Suicide in Australia in June 2010. The Government has now responded to the recommendations in the report with a focus on prevention and early intervention, supporting vulnerable families and young people and improving services in regional Australia. Read the response. View the Minister's media release.
Many community organisations have commented on the Government response. Suicide Prevention Australia welcomes the reply with reservations. Lifeline has also welcomed the response. See further material about Australian Government support to Lifeline raised in the Australian Parliament. The Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, meanwhile, is inquiring into the need for early intervention programs aimed at preventing youth suicide.
While the rates of suicide in NSW have been reduced in recent years, a coordinated response to suicide helps prevent loss of life. Carers NSW has previously responded to the NSW Government draft Suicide Prevention Strategy. Read the Carers NSW submission.
Linking physical and mental health
Research shows that there is a strong link between physical and mental health. A new initiative - Linking physical and mental health (LPMH) - is focused on improving the physical health of people with a mental illness. Visit the website.
Carers NSW comments on mental
health fact sheets
Carers NSW was invited to review a series of fact sheets that support the NSW Health Framework for Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental Ill-health. Read the comments.
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Disability and illness don't discriminate - neither do we
More than one in eight Australians are carers but many don't ask for support out of fear of discrimination or vilification. Carers NSW is an association that supports all people - regardless of age, culture, sexuality or gender - who care for a friend, partner or relative with a disability, mental illness, drug or alcohol dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness or who are frail. Carers NSW recognises that every caring situation is unique. Support through information, referral and counselling is tailored to meet the individual needs of the carer. View the Pride in Diversity postcard published by Carers NSW.
Tips to stay connected during cancer treatment
CanTeen has created two resources to help young carers prepare for changes in their relationships with friends in order to stay connected - a pamphlet that addresses what young carers can do in order to stay connected with friends and a postcard that gives friends some quick tips on how to support the young carer. To download the pamphlet and the postcard visit the website.
Use of the internet for provision of better counselling and psychotherapy services to young people, their families and carers
Robert King, Len Bickman, Ian Shochet, Brett McDermott and Bill Bor
Psychotherapy in Australia 17 (1) November 2010
Young people are reluctant to use conventional mental health services. This article proposes a service model for emotional support that includes the use of web-based counselling, primary care health services and specialist mental health services. Read the abstract.
A comparison of the caring experiences of young people
The Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW, has completed a study on young carers. Read the findings.
Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth middle years survey
A survey of policy makers, researchers and practitioners identified the need for a stronger focus on the needs of children in the early adolescent years. Read more.
Australia's first comprehensive youth sector resource
A new website developed by the Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies provides information on all youth related subjects. Visit the website.
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