Young Carer Bursary 2020

Applications for the Young Carer Bursary are now open!

The Young Carer Bursary helps young carers under the age of 25 who are currently studying or training, or will be in 2020, by awarding $3,000 scholarships.

This year there are more bursaries on offer with 1,000 places available to eligible young carers. Applications are open until 3 September 2019, so head to the Young Carer Network to submit your application today!

Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Standards

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Standards held hearings in Mildura, Victoria in late July.

The hearings focused on carers, particularly the experiences of carers in regional and rural areas. The majority of witnesses at this hearing were family and friend carers, although representatives from support services, academics and government also appeared.

Carers being unable to access suitable residential respite care was a continuing theme, as was the failure of assessors and service providers to enquire about carers’ needs as well as the needs of those they are caring for. The absence of specialised, expert dementia support, issues with Home Care Packages, and dealing with Centrelink and with My Aged Care were common complaints.

Access to peer support groups was cited by many carers as the most important and sometimes the only source of support to help with their own needs.

Carers Australia will continue to monitor the Royal Commission and push for greater recognition and supports for carers.

Carers Australia calls on the Government to Raise the Rate

Carers Australia is joining the call for the Federal Government to ‘Raise the Rate’ of Newstart.

“The notion that an unemployment payment well below the poverty line is adequate to meet the essentials of daily living is difficult to comprehend in the land of the ‘fair go’,” said Ara Cresswell, CEO of Carers Australia.

“We are also aware that many unemployed people who are providing care for people with disability, chronic illness, mental illness or who are frail aged, may not meet the strict criteria which would qualify them for the Carer Payment or Carer Allowance."

“However, their caring responsibilities can constitute another barrier to finding employment, especially if they need to seek employment in reasonably close proximity to the people they care for.”

My Health Record

The Australian Digital Health Agency has created a series of resources to help you control who can look at your My Health Record information.

The resources include an explanation of how your information is protected, a guide to adding extra privacy controls to your record, and how you can add information to your record.

You can find out more about your My Health Record at their or by phoning 1800 723 471.

Integrated Carer Support Services

The Australian Government is introducing the biggest reform to carer services in over a decade.

From September carers will be able to access supports and services through a new network of Carer Gateway service providers, who will work with carers to plan and access tailored and flexible services.

These changes do not affect other carer services delivered through My Aged Care, the National Disability Insurance Scheme or state and territory governments.

Visit the Carer Gateway for more information or call 1800 422 737 8am-6pm Mon-Fri.

Australian Digital Health Agency Consumer Advisors

The Australian Digital Health Agency is inviting carers to express their interest in becoming a Consumer Advisor. A Consumer Advisor is someone who interacts with the healthcare sector regularly, and who would be able to provide feedback to the Agency’s work.

This will include improving the user experience of the My Health Record, ensuring programs meet the needs of everyday Australians, and advising on enhanced models of care.

Australian men urged to seek mental health help

Australian men are being urged to seek support for their mental health amid worrying statistics.

Mental health support agencies have stated that men are three times more likely to self-harm compared to women. In 2016, this resulted in 2,100 men dying – three times the number of people who died in road accidents during the same period.

Chris McIntyre, a psychologist at Mates4Mates, believes a reluctance on the part of some men to get help is the source of these statistics.

“There’s still a need for a cultural change around how men go about asking for assistance and how they go about talking about the issues that they’ve got going on in their lives,” he said.

Those seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.