Written by Alec Barnett
Australian carers, often overlooked and socially isolated, play a vital role in providing essential care and support to family members and loved ones in need.
In an ambitious effort to shed light on their experiences, Kintsugi Heroes board member and project lead Vinay Nair has teamed up with Carers Victoria and co-host Kerrie Atherton to launch a unique initiative.
The Kintsugi Heroes Australian Carers podcast, a limited series, explores the stories of unpaid carers who support family and friends living with disabilities, mental illness, chronic health conditions, or age-related challenges.
This collaboration aims to bring greater recognition to their invaluable contributions.
Recent modelling by Carers Victoria projects the number of carers in Victoria alone will reach one million by 2025. That’s one in seven people providing unpaid care. There is also increased pressure on Carers, which has been growing since COVID-19.
“This pressure and the lack of visibility for carers have led to carers feeling isolated and unable to reach out, and with around 40% of carers having to deal with mental health issues, alone and without support,” Vinay said.
“I hope that by calling attention to these individual experiences and everyday challenges, more carers will feel that it’s okay to ask for help and reach out and access the support they need.”
Increasing pressure and the lack of visibility for carers have led to carers feeling isolated and unable to reach out.
Vinay is also keenly tuned in to the hurdles that need to be cleared in order to reach Australia’s multicultural communities.
“Half of Australians have a family member who is multicultural or born overseas and mental health resources can be difficult to access by these communities due to language or cultural barriers,” he said.
To overcome these barriers, Vinay believes resources like the Kintsugi Heroes Australian Carers podcast will show carers come from a diverse range of backgrounds and to make visible the amount of support and resources that are available for people providing crucial care.
The Kintsugi Heroes Australian Carers podcast is out now and generously supported with grant funding by Carers Victoria.
Vinay Nair has been a part of Kintsugi Heroes since its conception. Invited to serve as a board member by friend and Kintsugi Heroes Founder Ian Westmoreland OAM, Vinay donate his insight and knowledge that he has cultivated from a storied twenty year career as a mental health advocate, consultant and counsellor, as well as his lived experience as a carer, father and migrant exploring the peculiarities of Australian life.
