‘Joanne’ is 17 years old and recently transitioned over from the Young Carers Service to our Young Adult Carers Services. Joanne cares for her mum who has rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which means day to day she doesn’t know whether she’s going to be able to get out of bed. With two younger siblings, Joanne describes having a parental role in supporting the family.
Joanne’s caring role means she feels the pressure to run the household, look after her mum and two siblings, as well as do well in school. She does the cooking, cleaning, washing, and also helps her mum with contacting companies regarding bills. This pressure and stress has led to a negative impact on her mental health.
Through Young Adult Carers, Joanne attends groups which allow her to take time away from her caring role and spend time with other young adult carers.
Alongside this, Joanne has regular one-to-one support from her support worker, where she is able to discuss the stresses and anxieties she feels in her caring role, school, and day-to-day life.
Joanne says that these one-to-ones are so helpful in enabling her to speak about how she’s feeling, which in turn helps her to feel better in herself.
The service has also helped her find out opportunities that are available to her she and has accessed a respite fund, allowing her to purchase a tablet to help with her schoolwork and to socialise online, things that are very important in helping her feel good.