Who cares for the carers?

Brighton hub offers support for families

There are around seven million carers in the United Kingdom. Nearly one in eight workers is a carer.

The Carers Centre in Brighton and Hove has been providing family carers with support since 1988.

When I spoke with engagement worker Steve Castellari on my Radio Reverb show he explained that the hub is designed to be one website, one phone call for carers. The 15 part-time and full-time staff comprise an adult carers’ team and a young carers’ team.

He said: “People sometimes get confused about what’s meant by a carer. There are professional carers who work in nursing homes and places like that. Quite often you will see them wearing a uniform. We support what we call unpaid family and friend carers. It could be you, it could be me, it could be our neighbour. You don’t have to be caring for that person 24-hours a day, seven days a week. There are people who do that and there are people who have a relatively limited care role.

“When people contact the centre, they will carry out an assessment. That will give us an idea of what kind of care role that person may have and whether the centre can get them access to things like a ‘Carer’s Card’. The card offers discounted travel and other benefits.”

You can get more information about the centre via this link.