Do you provide care to children or adults who have a disability, mental illness, chronic or terminal condition, or are frail or aged?  Are you constantly balancing the demands of caring, family and work, and wish you had time to seek support from others in a similar situation?

An informal Flinders Carer Support Network is being established to provide an opportunity to connect with other carers at Flinders, share your experiences, strategies, and support each other.

Emma Mackenzie, Educational Quality and Evaluation Officer with CILT, is a carer and convenor of the new Flinders Carer Support Network.  She shares her experiences:

“After unexpectedly and suddenly becoming a full-time carer for my husband in 2018, I returned to work three and a half months later feeling completely lost and out of touch.  Whilst I was fortunate to receive incredible support from everyone at Flinders, I still felt disoriented.  While still dedicated to my role and the university, my goals and focus had shifted and I was literally taking it one day at a time.    

After looking into various support group options, I soon discovered they were not for me.  Morning teas held during the week in council rooms did not fit into my life and sharing stories with full-time carers and retirees was never going to be helpful.  That’s when it occurred to me that what I was looking for didn’t exist – a community of working carers supporting each other at work.” 

With the support of Callista Thillou, Executive Director of the Office of Communications, Marketing and Engagement, all staff who are balancing their caring responsibilities with their work at Flinders University are invited to attend the first meeting of the Flinders Carer Support Network.

Event details

Where: Oasis common room

When:  23 October 2020, 12:45pm to 1:45pm

Please register your interest via iEnrol.  If you are unable to attend the first session, please email the Professional Development Unit to join a mailing list for future opportunities to be involved.