Carer Strong

Carers do it tough at the best of times.  There are more than 2.7 million people in Australia who regularly provide unpaid care for the people in their lives.  There are partners, spouses, children, siblings, friends, grandparents and neighbours who work hard everyday to support the people they love who have disabilities and health problems. In the best of times, carers have the lowest wellbeing; and are 40% more likely to have chronic illness themselves.  Most carers are female, and with the demands of caring for someone, carers often feel isolated.  Even when you love the person you’re caring for, being a carer is incredibly demanding and it can feel relentless. And that’s just in the pre-COVID world!

Right now, in the middle of COVID-19, carers are doing it even tougher.  We asked members of The Kindness Pandemic group what unpaid carers are experiencing during COVID19. They told us that care demands are greater as some services and group activities have dropped off - and their isolation has increased significantly. They also told us they need more support. The #CarerStrong Campaign aims to address that need.

How to participate 

There are two main ways to participate. The first is to share an act of kindness for a carer. The second way is for carers to share their stories. By sharing your carer story you will be helping the community to understand the experiences of carers and the need for carer kindness. If you would like to participate in any other way please contact us using the details on the bottom of the page.
Share an act of kindness for a carer: 
  • Ask a carer how they are going and really listen to their answer
  • Ask them what they need or how you can help
  • Drop off a meal
  • Drop off a coffee or flowers – just to say “I’m thinking of you”.
Share your carer story
  • Read the info sheet here
  • Write your story - or contact us and we will work with you to write it
  • Share a picture to help tell your story
  • Share your story on your social media and in the Kindness Pandemic Facebook group with the hashtag #CarerStrong

Story Gallery

We will share some of the Carer stories and acts of kindness for carers in the Story Gallery below. 

Supports for Carers

Here are some general resources that may be useful for Carers. There are also a number of organisations and services to assist people with particular health issues or diseases.
  1. Carers Australia: https://www.carersaustralia.com.au/
  2. Carers Foundation: https://www.thecarersfoundation.org/
  3. Carer Gateway: https://www.carergateway.gov.au/
  4. Beyond Blue Covid resources: https://coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au/

The Team

This Campaign is a collaboration and the Kindness Pandemic and Robyn Smith, a carer advocate. To contact us:
  • Dr Catherine Barrett 0429 582 237 or email: info@thekindnesspandemic.org
  • Robyn Smith: 0434 949 982