NSW Nationals Member for Myall Lakes, Tanya Thompson, says this National Carers Week is an opportunity to celebrate the vital work carers do.
Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue, or who are frail aged.
There are more than 2.65 million carers across Australia, with more than 850,000 of them in NSW.
Carers make up nearly 11 per cent of the population, and provide an astonishing 2.2 billion hours of informal care each year.
The cost of replacing that care would be a staggering $78 billion.
The theme of this year’s Carers Week is “Millions of Reasons to Care.”
Mrs Thompson said the week was an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the vital work that carers did for family members and friends in the Myall Lakes particularly unpaid care and support to people with disability, mental health condition, chronic illness, drug and alcohol dependency or who are ageing.
“Caring for a family member or friend takes time, dedication and patience, and National Carers Week is an opportunity to celebrate the vital work carers do in the Myall Lakes,” said Mrs Thompson.
Support is available through the Carer Gateway or by calling 1800 422 737.
You can also visit www.carersnsw.org.au
