What drew you to become a trustee for The Carers’ Centre?
As a qualified nurse having worked in the NHS for 44 years, when you work in healthcare you become aware very quickly that the whole healthcare system would fall over if it wasn’t for the amount of support carers give. Another influence was my daughter who had a very serious accident in 2005 when she was 16 which she almost didn’t survive from. I went from being her mum, to also being her carer.
Despite working as a nurse in the NHS, I was completely at sea. It can be very lonely when you care for someone and getting used to the fact your relationship has changed is really difficult. I was lucky that she made a complete recovery, but that experience has stayed with me.
I attended The Carers' Centre AGM in 2014 where I became aware that they were looking for new Trustees. As I approached retirement I was planning to do some volunteering and also work as a trustee so I decided to contact The Carers’ Centre to see if there was an opportunity there to be a trustee.
What did you feel you could bring to the role as a trustee?
I felt I could bring my knowledge of health and social care services that operated in Bath and North East Somerset. I instinctively knew the other key organisations The Carers' Centre needed to link with. I think I’m a compassionate person and am really interested in supporting people during some tricky periods of their life. As a trustee I joined The Carers' Centre board and quickly realised its members had a broad range of experiences and understandings. We have people from the world of banking, estate management, social care, so it’s quite a diverse mix of people. This brings different perspectives to the way in which The Carers' Centre provides and develops it services .I don’t feel you need to have specific experience of caring to be on the board and would be happy to talk to anyone interested in becoming a trustee.
You’re not only a trustee, but you also volunteer as well. Could you tell us about that?
Deciding to volunteer and facilitate one of the dementia cafés has been very fulfilling. You sit there with 8 to 10 people who are going through possibly the most challenging thing they’ve ever faced in their life. It’s really good to give people that hour and a half of space once a month in an environment where they can be very honest and open. It’s a safe space for them. It’s been a real privilege to facilitate that group. For anyone who is considering volunteering, there are many opportunities at The Carers' Centre when you can get very close to the delivery of the service.
You’ve been a trustee for 14 years, what have you seen change over that time?
Year on year we’re seeing an increase in the number of people taking on a caring role, so over my time as a trustee we’ve needed to look at the ways we are helping to support and inform carers. This has included developing new online resources such as the podcast series we developed earlier this year on caring for someone with dementia which has helped us to reach more people. The free Support Line that we provide so that people can phone in for advice and guidance is invaluable as well as developing our website so it’s a much more comprehensive source of information.
Trustees help shape charities and ensure they are aspiring to achieve the best possible outcomes for their communities, and we are grateful to Jenny and all of our trustees for their commitment and support to ensure The Carers' Centre can be the best it can be!
Find out more about the services The Carers' Centre can offer individuals looking after a loved one, below.
