Piecing together the unpaid carer experience with The Care Mosaic podcast

Published Oct 19 2022

Launching this Carers Week, The Care Mosaic Podcast reveals some of the very different experiences of Australia's 2.65+ million unpaid carers, sharing the challenges, aspirations, ideas and hopes of many.

Featuring diverse carers across the age and cultural spectrum in Victoria, the seven-part series produced by Merri Health's Carer Gateway team aims to help unpaid carers and those around them by sharing their stories and insights.

“I hope that those listening can relate a bit. Or if not, think, ‘Oh well, she's different.’ We're all different. Some carers will be in a really good place, I think. And some won't be. But every day is a new day. That's all I can say," explains Wendy, podcast participant and carer for her husband.

Some of the carers we meet include Rod, a loving father and husband who is the carer for both his son and wife for over 15 years, and Naomi, a young carer juggling school and caring for her two young brothers and grandma.

The podcast, titled The Care Mosaic, explores the challenges unpaid carers face on a daily basis.

Evan Wallace, podcast host, says of the series, “Carers come from all different walks of life and the nature of care they provide looks incredibly different. Some individuals may have cared for a loved one for most of their life, whereas for others it could be for a short and potentially challenging period. In order to stand-out from other carer focused podcasts, the emphasis is on Victorian carers telling their own individual stories.”

Each episode looks at a particular type of caring relationship, including young carers, carers supporting their ageing parents and carers who are partners - focusing on the nature of the caring relationship and how the care relationship features within other aspects of their life.

The stories also touch on the support carers have received, including Carer Gateway. Carer Gateway is a free service that supports anyone who is an unpaid carer looking after someone with a disability, mental illness, a medical condition or who is frail due to age.

The support includes counselling, coaching, group support, respite and skills courses.

Visit Spotify or Apple podcasts to listen now!