Episode 42: Carers' experience and reactions to the Royal Commission

Get Real: Talking mental health & disability

We’re continuing our conversations about the findings of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. These findings will reshape mental health services, not just in Victoria but potentially across Australia.

In this episode we talk about some of the recommendations for reform specific to carers.
The royal commission findings have specific recommendations that will affect carers, including eight family and carer led centres across Victoria and elevating the leadership and promoting the valued role of family members and carers throughout the mental health and wellbeing system.

Carers provide a service that would otherwise fall on the health system - in Victoria they provide $3.7 billion worth of unpaid care annually.

People don’t always identify as carers – they see themselves caring for someone they love.

Our guests today are Karen Rule and Susan Lovegrove, two women with lived experience of caring for children (now adults) with mental health conditions and disability and they have also channelled this to provide their learnings and experience for advocacy and support to others.

Karen's youngest daughter is autistic and was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at age 17. Sue has a son with Down syndrome. Both women share some of the challenges they’ve encountered as parents and carers and also the ways they’ve grown through the experience.

Karen: “In looking after myself and modelling that for my daughter, I think it’s helped with her mental health as well”.

Sue: “I fell into postnatal depression after the birth my youngest son and that’s when I first learnt about caring for myself”.

Our first episode of Get Real was about the experience of carers, and it’s our most listened to episode to date, so we know that there’s an interest around the challenges and needs of this very important group of people.

CONTENT NOTE: if you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or go to lifeline.org.au

Useful info:

Tandem Carers - Tandem is the Victorian peak body representing family and friends supporting people living with mental health issues.

Down Syndrome Australia

PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)

ermha365 provides a range of mental health services designed to help people experiencing mental health challenges to thrive in the community.