With three million unpaid carers in Australia providing an estimated 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care each year, many carers juggle these responsibilities with other commitments like school and work. Having access to support at the right time is key to helping carers prioritise their health and wellness.
Social connections are an important part of this support system for many carers.
The Benevolent Society’s Carer Gateway team deliver this assistance through peer support groups.
They create welcoming spaces where carers can meet, discuss their experiences as carers, provide advice to each other, and seek further support from Carer Gateway.
The image above is of Josh smiling.
Building connections and support
Joshua Blancato joined Benevolent’s Carer Gateway team as a Peer Support Coordinator in May 2024 and plays an important role in how the team plan and deliver this support.
In addition to helping carers connect with each other, these peer support groups and the facilitators leading them provide carers with practical skills on a range of caring topics.
“These sessions cover skills and learnings around topics like setting healthy boundaries, time management, navigating how to best care for someone with dementia, or caring for a child on the Autism spectrum,” said Josh.
Over the last 12 months, Josh and the team have seen more carers seeking out workshops that give them practical skills and confidence in their caring role, alongside more respite-focused activities like overnight workshops or fun outings like bowling.
“More carers are looking for a mix of skill building workshops and meaningful connection, balanced with opportunities for genuine downtime,” added Josh.
Tailored support
With carers across Australia coming from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, Josh and the team carefully curate peer support sessions to ensure every caring community feels genuinely comfortable and has opportunities for connection.
“With our male carer group for example, we often have activities that can be something less formal to get comfortable, like lawn bowls or even an ice-bath, rather than a sit-down chat to more naturally ease the carers into those deeper conversations. Across the team, we’ve taken our learnings across these groups and avoid a one-size fits all approach.
“I also use this approach when working with our LGBTQIA+ carers and my other team members do the same for CALD communities and First Nations carers. We shape our approach to match what each group responds to best. It’s made our work really fun and constantly evolving as we try new things.”
Meaningful connections
For Josh, one of the most rewarding aspects of his work is seeing real, lasting and meaningful connections form between carers through peer support.
“I recently met with one of our male carer cohort at an overnight workshop who told me that the group has become an invaluable supportive place for him where in a time of need he sent a message to the group asking for someone to reach out and he was overwhelmed by how quickly the other carers lifted each other up and provided the support and advice he needed from other carers who shared his caring role of caring for a parent with dementia.
“The Carer Gateway team is an amazing team to be a part of and I find so much value in the work that we do. A lot of people haven’t heard of Carer Gateway and there is a shared passion amongst the team to share this program with everyone who would benefit from it,” added Josh.
The Benevolent Society is the Carer Gateway service provider for metropolitan Sydney (excluding South-western Sydney and Nepean).
For more information on The Benevolent Society’s Carer Gateway program, call 1800 422 737 or click here.