Carers Supported at Phyllis Tuckwell

This year, Carers Week (8-14 June) focusses on building carer friendly communities, like that at local hospice care charity Phyllis Tuckwell.

Carers can be family or friends of a patient, and are not paid for the care they provide their loved one. Phyllis Tuckwell recognises that carers are individuals with their own needs, and offers them support, advice, signposting and a listening ear.

“Sometimes people do not even recognise themselves as a carer, they are simply looking after someone they love,” said Caroline Baker, patient and family welfare team lead at Phyllis Tuckwell. “Caring for someone can be challenging, and we want our carers to know that we care about them too.”

When someone you love is approaching the end of life, it can feel as though everything has changed at once. The practical help and emotional support that Phyllis Tuckwell offers the carers of its patients helps them understand what is happening, what comes next, and how to cope with the pressure of trying to hold everything together, while also offering support through grief and bereavement when it is needed.

Phyllis Tuckwell offers carers the opportunity to complete a CSNAT (Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool) to help them identify their own support needs. Its online carers group sessions meet over six weeks and cover a range of different topics, as well as offering a space where carers can meet and chat to each other. A drop-in session provides a relaxed place where they can come for advice, information and informal support, and its Listening Lounge offers a welcoming, understanding place where bereaved carers can find support in the company of others who are also bereaved and truly understand how they are feeling. Counselling support groups and individual counselling sessions are also available both pre and post bereavement.