InLife Coordinator Mandy Whitechurch is a Mum and carer to her two sons who have a rare genetic disease. She shares her top wellbeing tips for other carers.
InLife Coordinator Mandy Whitechurch works full time while also acting as a carer for her two sons who have a rare genetic disease - Niemann Pick Type-C.
During National Carers Week, she shared her top tips for carers.
Make time for yourself and accept help: It might sound like a cliche but if you can’t look after yourself you’re not going to be able to help someone else.
Learn to have important conversations: Reach out and talk to your loved ones for support. Don’t suck it up, let it out!
Try and get as much sleep as you can: Caring can be relentless and sleep is important. Whatever task you have missed out on today will still be there tomorrow.
Ask questions: Carers often take on an advocacy role as well as a mountain of paperwork as they seek support for loved ones. Ask for reports when you see a medical specialist so you can document submissions. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions when it comes to getting and receiving support. If you don’t ask, you won’t know.
Find a good quality support provider: You can’t do everyone on your own and finding the right support can make a big difference. A good provider can help simplify the administrative burden and put together and manage a support team that ticks the right boxes.
News
16 October 2022
When InLife coordinator Mandy’s two sons were diagnosed with a rare genetic disease she became not only a carer but a strong advocate and lifeline for other families who had received the same diagnosis.
News
20 September 2022
Mel spent a year in aged care before moving into Specialist Disability Accommodation with the support of a team of InLife support workers.
News
8 September 2022
Having the conversation doesn’t need to be hard. Four InLife team members share their stories about the impact asking “are you okay?” can have.
