There are currently three million unpaid carers in Australia. They provide an estimated 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care per year supporting those in need. Carers often balance other personal and professional responsibilities and commitments alongside the ongoing support they deliver to loved ones.
Subsequently, fatigue and burnout are issues that many carers may face at some point in their roles. This is especially true when the lines between personal time and time spent as carers blur.
With the 2023 Carer Wellbeing Survey highlighting how carers continue to be at high
risk of poor wellbeing and health, having easy access to support for managing this is essential. For Australians in need of additional support in their carer roles, Carer Gateway delivers numerous resources that help carers continue to care for those in need. These resources include ways to support mental, physical health, and wellbeing as they carry out their carer responsibilities.
Support available through Carer Gateway
Carer Gateway is the Australian Government’s national carer hub. It provides support and advice for carers of all ages, including young carers (under the age of 25). It offers a range of services and support for carers that help prevent burnout and fatigue, including peer support workshops and activities, tailored support packages, counselling, coaching, online skills courses, access to emergency respite. The Benevolent Society is the Carer Gateway service provider for metropolitan Sydney (excluding South-western Sydney and Nepean). It also has a Carer Conversations podcast hosted by Patty Kikos. Featuring interviews with experts and carers who share specialised information and inspiring stories about the caring role, the podcast aims to empower and inform carers across Australia.
Carer Gateway counselling sessions
Through Carer Gateway, carers can access six one-on-one counselling
sessions every 12 months, depending on their needs. Sessions can be attended over the
phone, via video link, or in-person, and last about an hour.
These sessions start with counsellors learning more about why the carers are seeking counselling support.
The following sessions then help identify self-care strategies or tools carers can use to feel more emotionally supported in their caring role and improve their wellbeing.
The final sessions then see carers reflect on everything they’ve discussed with their counsellor and identify the future ongoing support they may need, including emergency respite.
Helping carers set boundaries and prevent burnout
Feelings of fatigue and burnout can’t be resolved instantly. Addressing this requires time to get comfortable discussing the many different parts of carer roles and starting to identify what is contributing to these feelings.
Carer Gateway’s counselling services create safe, inviting spaces for carers to have these conversations with qualified professionals who can provide guidance and input.
“These discussions are vital to unpacking exactly what may be causing feelings of burnout or fatigue,” said Michelle Williams, Acting Manager of Carer Gateway at The Benevolent Society. “By delving deeper into what may be causing these feelings, counselling sessions help carers develop coping skills.”
For carers that may be experiencing feelings of fatigue and burnout, these counselling sessions play a vital role helping them develop new ways to approach setting boundaries between their carer roles and their personal lives. “People in carer roles tend to have compassionate hearts and often instinctively prioritise the needs of others,” Michelle adds.
“However, this often means that many caregivers may prioritise helping others to the extent that they neglect their own health and needs.”
“Establishing clear boundaries begins with understanding when to say 'yes' to helping in various caregiving contexts. It's also essential for caregivers to be aware of their own workload, avoid overburdening themselves, and recognise when to say 'no'—a crucial skill for maintaining balance.”
Counselling sessions help carers learn how to strike this balance, so they can bring their best selves to their responsibilities taking care of those around them.
Additional support available through Carer Gateway
Carer Gateway also delivers additional resources available to support the wellbeing and health of Australian carers.
Carer Gateway runs several peer support groups where carers meet, discuss their experiences as carers, and provide advice to each other.
“Our peer support activities play a key role in helping carers connect with others who have similar lived experiences,” Michelle says.
“Carers often feel isolated, as though they are alone in managing their caring responsibilities. By creating opportunities to connect with others in similar roles, we seek to alleviate the social isolation that can accompany caring.”
Carer Gateway also provides online services to help carers develop new skills, connect with other carers, find useful information and emotional support:
Carers can access online Carer Skills Courses that provide practical tips to help them develop new skills to apply in their roles. These free online selfpaced learning modules take approximately 20–40 minutes to complete. Responses can be downloaded to easily refer to as resources.
The Carer Gateway Online Peer Support Service is a forum where carers can talk anonymously with other carers, start group discussions and ask whatever question is on their mind.
“Whether it’s developing new skills in their roles or having discussions about their experiences as carers and asking questions to learn from each other, Carer Gateway’s online resources are focused on support and growth,” Michelle added. By embracing these resources, carers can develop new skills to apply in their roles, connect with
other carers, and find useful information and emotional support.
Additional ways that carers can prioritise self-care
In addition to counselling and regularly accessing other support through Carer Gateway, there are many ways that carers can stay on top of their own health.
Some ways carers can prioritise this self-care include:
Surround yourself with a support network of carers.
Regularly spend time with loved ones, even if it's only a phone call once or twice a week.
Always make time for self-care rituals, activities and hobbies you love. This leads to self-fulfillment and ensures a healthy balance between your caring role and other aspects of your life.
Embrace available coaching and counselling services for extra support.
Carer roles are incredibly rewarding, but they can also often be stressful and time consuming at times. Carers should never feel like there isn’t help available to prioritise their own health and wellbeing alongside their responsibilities.
With Carer Gateway providing easy access to counselling, learning resources and peer
support groups, there are many ways that carers can stay on top of their own health and wellbeing, so they bring their best selves to their role as carers.
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