Help carers like Sheryl, before they reach breaking point.
Sheryl began caring for her husband Jason when he received a shock diagnosis of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a form of terminal brain cancer. She took on this role wholeheartedly and with love.
Sheryl continues to care for Jason at home, since his treatment stopped working and he was discharged from hospital into Silverchain’s in-home palliative care program earlier this year.
“We knew from the beginning that there was no cure, and that it was just a matter of time. It was a huge shock,” Sheryl said.
“I think a lot of carers who go through something like this experience depression, whether it’s recognisable or not. It’s so important that people can get help early on. Just being able to talk to someone who’s been through it would have made a huge difference for Jason and me.
“I hate to think I could reach a point of burnout and that Jason would need to go to hospital purely because I wasn’t coping with the demands of caring on my own.”
Jason and Sheryl pictured (right) celebrating Jason’s 53rd birthday in July last year.
For Dr Smith, better support for carers is a personal story.
When Dr Smith cared for her own mother in her last year of life, she experienced first-hand the personal toll of caring.
From this experience, Dr Smith grew passionate about creating positive change for carers across the country.
Dr Smith knows that testing and trialing is critical in improving health and care outcomes, not only for our clients, but also for carers. “We can use the data to pilot and evaluate interventions with our clients to improve their carers’ health, wellbeing, mental health, resilience and quality of life,” Dr Smith says.
A donation today will help fund a one of the first research projects of its kind in Australia that supports carers through caring, bereavement and beyond.
Your generous donation can help Silverchain:
- Develop, test and trial tools to identify characteristics of vulnerable carers to implement early intervention support.
- Prevent unplanned hospital admissions for clients and improve carer experiences.
- Develop long-term bereavement support for carers.
- Bring evidence-based models of care to life to improve the health and wellbeing of carers across the country.
Pictured left: Dr Karen Smith OAM, National Director of Research and Evidence