This Friday will see carers celebrated in Salford on Carers Rights Day. Langworthy Cornerstone will be one of several venues across the UK hosting events as part of a national campaign to help carers understand their rights under care legislation.

Each year Carers Rights Day is held on the final Friday of November. It helps bring organisations across the UK together to aid carers in understanding their rights and the help they are entitled to.

Despite the day being an acknowledgement of the often-silent labor of hardworking carers, ‘Salford Carers Service – gaddum’ has put an emphasis on the role of professionals in the care sector.

Those in the professional sector include nursing staff, doctors, consultants, health professionals and social workers.

The service has invited professionals down to gain insight on the Triangle of Care: a ‘therapeutic alliance between the service user, professional and carer that promotes safety, supports recovery and sustains well-being.’

Service Manager Ruth Hannan was key in the implementation of the Triangle of Care and has a wealth of knowledge on the matter, leading on the legislation for six years.

She believes the situation would be easier for carers if they were better supported financially:

There are seven million carers in the UK, and three in five people will likely end up caring for a family member at some point in their life.

Ms Hannan believes Carers Rights Day is very significant as most carers don’t think they receive enough recognition or support:

“Some of them are really at risk of poor mental health, poor physical health, social isolation and neglectful of their own well-being because they’re caring for someone else.

When we think about young carers and young adult carers, their life opportunities can be significantly impacted by being a carer so it means they might not be able to go to university, or advance into further education or even struggle to get a job due to their caring responsibilities.”

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The bearing a caring role can have on a young person’s life can be extensive, even if they are not alone in the duty. Salford Carers Service assesses each situation alike; there is no compulsion to favour the young and Ms Hannan says: “we provide an all-age service, and cater to each age group equally.”

The necessity of such a day suggests that there may be an overall dissatisfaction with earlier legislation, however it may instead imply a lack of awareness. The role of carers is often understated due to its obligatory nature; caring for a family member is a task many take on with little hesitation.

The negative impacts are often overlooked as it is seen as something one should do. Ms Hannan believes the day is about: “trying to make cultural changes so that people realise carers are part of their day to day business in terms of health and social care.”

The Care Act 2014 has helped bring carers back into societal relevancy. Carers Rights Day is vital as it has helped push many struggling people into the spotlight.

If you want to get involved, here are some ways you can help.

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