By Tyler Wright
Carers in the Cockatoo community will have access to additional support services through a $10,000 boost to Taskforce Community Agency from Australia Post’s 2022 Community Grants Program.
Taskforce Community Agency’s Carer Wellbeing: Restorative Activities for People Who Care project run at Cockatoo Community House will see a series of upcoming parent support sessions, mindfulness sessions, yoga and supported art programs.
The activities will be designed to promote carers’ mental health and mental wellbeing through access to informal support.
Cockatoo Community House coordinator Lisa Sawatzky said the organisation applied for funds after seeing a need for additional support for carers in the area.
“Some of the challenges have been around difficulty accessing therapeutic support, or accessing therapy based appointments during [Covid],” Ms Sawatzky said.
“Consequently, at times there’s significant waiting lists for those supports to be in place.”
The recognition that people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable around Covid also created additional isolation, Ms Sawatzky said.
“Some of those carers and people with complex health needs haven’t completely re-engaged with community, so having some support around how that might happen is important,” Ms Sawatzky said.
Guest speakers are expected to visit Cockatoo Community House and cover a range of areas including awareness around government funding and entitlements, access to support services in the area and self care.
Ms Sawatzsky said carers in the community include parents of young children who have a disability, carers of adults with a disability, and those caring for a partner or an elderly parent.
“We want to connect with all of those people within our community who have a caring responsibility, and just providing a bit of additional support to those people,” Ms Sawatzsky said.
One of the other key outcomes is providing support that will help carers achieve better well being,” Ms Sawatzsky said.
“If a young mum’s dealing with a recent diagnosis of a developmental delay or a disability [with] their child, it was about a feeling that they were a bit isolated and perhaps their other friends had a different journey,” she said.
“Having that opportunity to meet with others who have similar challenges and similar experiences was something that they articulated was important.”
The series of parent support sessions will commence after a consultation process.
