June 29th program explores the psychological impact of caring
June 17, 2010A new Rural Health Education Foundation television program airing on Tuesday June 29th discusses the impact of caring on mental health, and explores the experiences and particular challenges for carers supporting a person with mental health problems.
Caring for Carers: Depression, Anxiety and the Impact of Caring acknowledges the impact of caring on the carer’s physical and mental health, and assists health practitioners to develop practical ways to support and encourage carers to look after themselves.
The hour-long program also examines support, counselling and respite services available for carers, along with useful strategies for supporting a person with a mental illness.
Second in four-program series with beyondblue: the national depression initiative
Caring for Carers: Depression, Anxiety and the Impact of Caring is the second of four programs which the Rural Health Education Foundation will co-produce this year with beyondblue: the national depression initiative. The first program in the series, about depression and anxiety in men with prostate cancer, premiered on Tuesday May 18th, and programs on mental health of young people and doctors in the workforce will follow in the second half of 2010.
This new series builds on an already strong partnership between the Foundation and beyondblue. The two organisations have co-produced a number of successful educational television programs over the past five years, including Another Shade of Blue: Depression in Older Australians (2007), Postnatal Depression (2006) and Out of the Blue: Managing Depression (2005).
Addressing the challenges faced by carers
“Carers can often feel overwhelmed by the particular challenges of caring for a person with a mental illness, and the experience can even predispose carers to mental illness themselves,” says Rural Health Education Foundation CEO Don Perlgut. “This new program outlines practical self-care ideas for carers, including those in rural and remote areas where the challenges of caring for people with mental health issues tend to be amplified.”
“A 2007 study by Deakin University and Carers Australia found that carers have the lowest level of wellbeing of any large group in Australia,” says Leonie Young, CEO of beyondblue. “We know too, from beyondblue research, that the high rates of depression and anxiety in carers are often unaddressed. This new program refers carers to appropriate support, counselling and respite services caring for carers.”
Program features expert panel discussion
The program will be introduced by the CEO of Carers Australia, Joan Hughes, and features a panel discussion chaired by Dr Norman Swan, Presenter of the Health Report on ABC Radio National.
The panel features Ms Josephine Battaglini, a Social Worker at Royal Darwin Hospital, NT; Mr John McGrath, a Carer and Deputy Chairman of beyondblue, VIC; Dr Chris Mitchell, a Rural General Practitioner from Lennox Head, NSW; and Ms Linda Rosie, Carers Project Manager at the Mental Health Council of Australia, ACT.
Program funding
Caring for Carers: Depression, Anxiety and the Impact of Caring is funded by beyondblue: the national depression initiative.
Broadcast details
Caring for Carers: Depression, Anxiety and the Impact of Caring will be broadcast across the Rural Health Education Foundation’s satellite television network on Tuesday June 29th at 8.00pm (AEST), with repeats at 8.00pm Perth time that same evening (two hours later) and 12.30pm on Friday July 2nd.
Also available via web-streaming
After the initial broadcast, this program will also be available free on the Internet for viewing via web-streamed video or listening via an audio podcast.
About carers in Australia
There are nearly 2.6 million people in Australia who are carers, providing unpaid care and support to people who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness or who are frail. These people may not call themselves ‘carers’; they are partners, parents, siblings, relatives, other family members and/or friends.
Carers in outer regional and remote areas experience higher rates of disability and/or a long-term health condition themselves, and are more likely to experience financial hardship than carers in major cities. Indigenous people in rural and remote Australia are also more likely to be carers than non-Indigenous people in these areas.
Caring for a person with a mental illness has particular challenges. The episodic nature of mental illness, the stigma still associated with it, the symptoms of the illness, and the struggle to obtain appropriate treatment and care for a family member or friend, can all contribute to a carer feeling overwhelmed. Carers need strategies and support to manage these challenges.
In 2007, carers were found to have the lowest wellbeing of any large group recorded by the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index in The Wellbeing of Australians: Carer Health and Wellbeing.
In 2002, carers were found to have high rates of depression and anxiety, and this was not recognised by the carers or the health professional. (beyondblue 2002)
More information
For more information about the Caring for Carers program - including presenter details and associated educational resources - go to the online program summary, or contact the Foundation.