Deborah and Emily were delighted to join presenter Julie Royce on her show, Hoolia’s Hopscotch, on Kingston Hospital Radio on Tuesday 14 July.
Deborah shared her own experience of coming to us for support after her daughter was diagnosed with autism.
Having benefited from our neurodivergent carers’ support group, she was inspired to become one of our volunteers and now helps other carers navigate the benefits system, helping people through what can often be a stressful and complicated process.
“I found the support group really supportive as a carer. Following that, I felt I would like to give something back, so I became a volunteer. Now I’m supporting other carers with the benefits process because it can be extremely complicated, and lots of people need that extra support.”
Deborah
Emily spoke about the many people who don’t recognise themselves as carers and encouraged anyone supporting a family member, friend or neighbour locally to get in touch. She also highlighted the incredible contribution our volunteers make and shared simple ways people can support carers in their own communities.
“If you’re wondering how to spend your 67 minutes on Mandela Day, think about someone you know who might be caring for a loved one. Instead of saying, ‘Let me know if you need anything’, offer something specific, like picking up their shopping, dropping off a meal or sitting with their loved one while they have a cup of tea. Practical offers like these are much easier to say yes to and can make a huge difference.”
Emily
You can listen to Deborah and Emily’s interview here.
We’d also like to thank David Nicholls and Julie Royce for generously donating copies of You Are Here for our carers following Julie’s musical review of the book on last week’s programme. You can listen to that episode here.