Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is raising awareness of all the support that is available to those people to take care of those who are living with poor mental health during this year’s Carers’ Week, which takes place between 12 and 18 June 2017.
Carers’ Week is an annual awareness campaign that is designed to highlight the challenges carers can face and to recognise the contribution that they make while helping people with poor physical and mental health to live well.
Sandra Baker, Family and Carers’ Lead at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Families and carers play a vital role in supporting people with mental health problems.
“We know this role can sometimes be demanding and lonely, but we are here to support you if you are caring for someone and could do with a little support yourself.
“We work in partnership with the Meriden Family Programme, which has recently designed a new app, MyCare, in collaboration with families and carers, to support people to take good care of themselves.”
Support is available for carers to access all year round from Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, and from the many organisations who work closely with the Trust, to provide the best possible support and advice for families and carers.
John Short, Chief Executive, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Being a family member or a carer for someone who is on their journey towards living well with their mental health can be quite challenging and is often very isolating.
“In Birmingham and Solihull, we actively encourage people to contact us to access the services that we provide and the many organisations in local areas who are able to offer invaluable support.
“It can be very difficult to ask for help as many people believe that they should be able to cope on their own with taking care of the people they care for. However, it isn’t always easy to cope alone and the support is there to help carers take care of themselves while looking after others.”
To find out more about the support that is available in your area, please contact Sandra Baker, Family and Carers’ Lead at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, via email at: Sandra.baker2@bsmhft.nhs.uk.
For further information about the MyCare app, which is free to download, please visit: www.meridenfamilyprogramme.com/mycare:
To find out more about Carers’ Week and the many events that are taking place in your local area, please visit: www.carersweek.org
