Next week, October 11 to 17, marks National Carers Week, celebrating what these people do and raising awareness of the services and networks available to help. 

Here in Cootamundra, we have a ‘Coota Carers’ group, established through Carers NSW to provide support to local carers and give them the confidence to keep going. 

Services and support can feel a world away in regional towns such as ours so local parents of children with a disability, Jodie Roberts and Susie Pennington, together with other carers in our community set about establishing the branch about 18 months ago. 

Mrs Roberts’ son Joe and Mrs Pennington’s son Angus are students together at Elouera Special School. 

Coota Carers provides an outlet for carers to access information, network, socialise and enjoy time away from their full or part-time roles as carers. 

A registered group affiliated and backed by Carers NSW, the group meets regularly doing activities which ‘care for the carer’. 

Whether that involves art, cooking, exercise or more, the organised activities are an opportunity to spend time with other carers and recharge. 

There is no pressure to be part of activities, members can simply make it when they can make it. 

A recent Christmas in July luncheon, complete with tapas and loads of fun conversation attracted plenty of positive feedback. 

On Facebook, one Coota Carers member said, “Thank you Jodie and Susie for organising such a fun luncheon, It was a wonderful Christmas in July with delicious food and fabulous company. Such a great dynamic within the group thank you for the conversation and smiles girls and I totally agree that It is very important to 'care for the carers'. The more the merrier.”

Mrs Roberts refers to taking time out with Coota Carers as “filling up her bucket”.

“It is important to fill up your bucket, you can’t give and give without taking something for yourself. This allows you to then be a better carer, wife, mother, son, daughter, it is a massive domino effect,” Mrs Roberts said. 

She said being a carer can often be socially isolating; it can just be too hard to accept invitations or take time out. Coota Carers aims to make this just a bit easier. 

Mrs Pennington said one of the biggest hurdles faced by carers initially is recognising themselves as a carer.

“I always saw myself as a mum, I was doing what needed to be done, it is only in the past 18 months or so I have really recognised myself with the term carer,” Mrs Pennington said. 

As part of Carers Week, Coota Carers has been given a grant to host a Carers Week Day in the beautiful garden of Mrs Pennington. 

The day will include cooking demonstration, tai chi in the garden, bush walks, a drive to check out the magnificent view and loads of fun. 

Like most things Coota Carers does, it is designed to provide a positive outlet for carers to recharge their batteries.

All carers in the community are invited not only to next Thursday’s event, which will take place between 10am and 2pm, but to join the Coota Carers group. 

A private Facebook group has been established which not only keeps carers in the loops what events are coming up, but allows members to share information, which may be of use to other carers. 

Find the group on Facebook or contact Mrs Roberts on 0419 288 541 or Mrs Pennington on 0419 494 327 for find more information. 

Below information: http://www.carersnsw.org.au/NationalCarersWeek2015

National Carers Week is a time to acknowledge and applaud the outstanding contribution that Australia’s 2.7 million unpaid carers make to our nation.

Established in 1992 as Carer Awareness Week, National Carers Week has grown and developed into a nationwide celebration of the enormous amount of support carers provide on an individual basis, which impacts our communities and the national economy so positively.

Carers really are the cornerstone of Australia’s mental health, aged, disability and palliative care systems. Without the support of unpaid family carers these systems would simply collapse.

There are over 2.7 million carers in Australia, over 300,000 of those are Young Carers (under 24), and they’re husbands, wives, children, parents, grandparents, friends and relatives, which goes to show that you really never know what’s around the corner.

At some stage in all of our lives we may become carers or require care ourselves.