Home CarersFirst

Who is a carer?

A carer is someone who supports a family member, friend or neighbour who has a long term condition, disability, illness or who is frail. They are husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, daughters or sons, friends, or even a caring neighbour. In Kent, 12.58% or 127,848 people are carers according to the 2001 census. Of these:

25,203 provide care for over 50 hours per week
21% of carers who provide care for over 50 hours a week are in poor health

Many carers do not realize that they are carers and are not accounted for in these numbers. This is especially true of children who provide a caring role for a family member.

Swine Flu Advice	Meet the Incredibles
We ask you to follow the Government’s advice which has been both on the television, radio and should have arrived in leaflet form at your home address. We also advise in accordance with Government advice to find yourself some ‘flu friends’. These people, if you exhibited symptoms or were diagnosed with swine flu, could be telephoned to get medication for you, collect essential shopping and enable you to stay at home while you may be carrying the virus. Secondly, if you believe that you may have, or a member of your family that you live with may have swine flu or have been in contact with someone who has please seek NHS advice,	Sixteen of our young carers recently wrote and performed the play, “Meet the Incredibles” at the Camden Centre in Tunbridge Wells. Funded by Positive Action for Young People and Town & Country Housing Association, Elizabeth Youngson, a drama specialist and Jane Churchill, an artistic specialist, guided the young people through nine workshops and two performances. “It was great,” said Luke Camley who played the lead and rescued his “sister” from the dastardly Lord Sadler. “My character was the hero of the play and I really enjoyed the whole thing.”