This campaign has now closed
"I was an trainee accountant in London, when I had a call that my mother had suffered a brain haemorrage and would require 24 hour constant care. as I left London to go and care for my mother, I never realised that my life would change forever", Anne Marie, carer and trustee of Carers UK. Getting the right information at the right time is crucial for carers. It can make the difference between finding support and being able to cope and feeling isolated and alone. Carers UK research shows 60% of carers missed out on benefits for over three years because they didn’t know they were entitled to them. In one week we informed 23,000 carers about benefits. But providing information is only one piece of the jigsaw. First carers need to identify themselves as carers. We need to help carers and the general public to do that by reaching out to them through television, radio and the press. We need GPs, hospitals and community nurses to understand the needs of carers and to have the information at their fingertips to pass to carers. We need to provide information for carers at places they visit frequently. We must also increase the opening hours of our CarersLine to cope with the rise in demand as more carers get in touch as a result of our media campaigns.
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Our £2 million appeal Putting the Pieces Together will help us to help 2 million carers – that is only £1 per carer. We aim to: • Run a media campaign featuring celebrities and carers telling their own story to help carers recognizing themselves as such. We will also provide information at places where carers visit frequently such as shopping malls and supermarkets • Ensure that every GP, hospital and primary care team have carers packs on how to get practical help, as well as places where carers visit frequently such as supermarkets • Increase the opening hours of the CarersLine from 2 days to 5 days a week with an out of hours service as many carers are not able to phone until the evening if they are at work or busy during the day Help us Put the Pieces Together and ensure that carers are able to identify themselves and be informed where to go for help and support, which can on some occasions, help keep their family together by enabling carers to go on caring. Please help us Put the Pieces together for all the carers who need our help