Nuturing carer relationships - Wellways Australia

This week, Wellways Carer Gateway hosted a first-of-its-kind event to mark National Carers Week 2024.

The Carers Week Breakfast, organised by Wellways, provided carers with a chance to take time out from their carer role, relax, and hear from sector advocates on the importance of carer relationships. Representatives from Wellways’ Carer Gateway partners, including North and West Remote Health, Little Dreamers, Selectability, Dementia Australia and other carer organisations, were also present.

Guests were greeted with tea, coffee, and live music from Brisbane’s string duo Angel Strings before enjoying a sit-down spread of fruits, pastries and cooked breakfast options. The formal program began with Wellways Board member Kaye Toshche, followed by a Welcome to Country from Uncle Billy Cummins, a proud Turrbal man who shared stories of his ancestors and their connection to the land.

Wellways CEO Laura Collister and Director of Carer and Family Services Rachael Lovelock expressed heartfelt gratitude to the carers, acknowledging their journeys and the importance of wellbeing and connection.

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Identity and recovery: mental health carers

The expert panel then discussed the significance of healing, growing, and maintaining relationships as carers. Dr. Maryanne Wyder, Senior Research Fellow at Metro South Health, presented her research on relational recovery for mental health carers. She touched on the emotional challenges families face when caring for loved ones in distress and stressed the importance of supporting caregivers in a way that allows them to maintain their own identity.

“When things go well, we recover and grow, but unresolved grief and trauma can hold us back.”

Caregiving, culture and country

Anne-Marie Eaton from North and West Remote Health spoke about the importance of relationships in supporting First Nations carers and their communities. Drawing on her work with the Aboriginal communities of Mornington Island and Doomadgee, Ms. Eaton highlighted the need for deep understanding and commitment to these relationships, explaining that supporting First Nations carers requires acknowledging their unique connections to country and community.

Ms. Eaton then introduced special guest Gloria Gavenor, a carer from Mornington Island, and shared her story. Gloria cares for her son and faces the challenges of living in a remote community, where accessing hospitals often requires air travel. Her story illustrated the realities of caring in a remote setting and how important relationships with support networks are when navigating the complexities of caring off Country.

Navigating relationships in young carers’ developmental years

Finally, Madeleine (Maddy) Buchner, founder of Little Dreamers Australia took to the stage to share her experience of becoming a carer at a young age. “Caregiving is inherently relational; the emotional bonds are something we can’t describe or show to others. It can be strained. Not everyone wants to be a carer.” she said, acknowledging the deep emotional bonds that form but also the strain it can place on family dynamics. She noted that young carers often miss out on social activities and face isolation, with some hiding their role to avoid being treated differently.

Ms. Buchner emphasised the need for early intervention to support young carers: “Proactive support early on can make a big difference. Delaying it increases the risk of lasting impacts.”

A picture paints a thousand words

Graphic Recorder, Debbie Wood, captured the event’s messages in real-time through a range beautiful and easy-to-understand visuals. Watch these stories come to life.

‘Tune in to Care’ Season 2 launched

After some questions to the panel from the audience, Ms. Lovelock had one final surprise to reveal: the release of Season 2 of the Tune in to Care podcast, which continues to explore carers’ diverse experiences and share expert insights.

Each carer received a postcard with details on how to access the new season, and one lucky carer on each table, holding the ‘winning’ postcard, took home a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Carers and guests spent the rest of the morning socialising, taking photos at the Wellways Carer Gateway media wall, and enjoying more music from Angel Strings, leaving with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper appreciation for their role and the support networks around them.