Carers Week 2023

June 5-11 2023 is Carers Week, a week intended to raise awareness about carers and show support towards all of the amazing work that they do.

Linda Collins is a student carer who has recently completed stage 1 of the DPhych Counselling Psychology programme here at GCU. Alongside her studies, Linda spends time caring for her two children who were diagnosed with autism as teenagers.

Linda explained that “it was actually caring that brought me into the course, I’ve never not been a student carer.

“When I first enrolled at Glasgow Caledonian, I was asked as part of my induction if I was a carer so I ticked the box and then the Wellbeing Team reached out to me. They’ve been really helpful with letting me know about the support that’s available to carers, such as the GCU Students’ Association’s Carers Officer.

“Subsequently to that, I was then diagnosed with ADHD and autism myself so I was put in touch with the Disability Team and a Mental Health Mentor.”

Juggling both her own diagnosis, her studies and being a carer for two autistic children has at times taken its toll on Linda, “I’ve experienced something that I think is really common with carers which is burnout, and you don’t even realise it’s happening. It very slowly creeps up on you and I just found myself at a point where I couldn’t work. I was worried I was going to have to drop out of my course.

“Luckily the course team were really helpful and supportive. My personal tutor has really gone the extra mile for me.”

Linda explained that the support she has received that has allowed her to keep up with her studies is all down to the open dialogue she has had since she started her course.

She said: “The most important thing for carers is that if you’re in a caring role, even if it’s something really informal like a housemate with mental health issues or a sibling, parent or child; it’s a heavy burden for someone to take on. Talking to the University is so important before it gets to the stage where you are burnt to a crisp and can’t bring yourself to do anything.

Talking about support available for student carers at GCU, Linda said: “My course has been really understanding and have let me take time out, given me extensions, Mitigating Circumstances, Fit to Sit, and all these support systems that are in place for people who need them.

“Being a carer at times can also be really financially difficult, especially during the cost of living crisis. People already need to work alongside their studies and if people are in a caring role, then it’s much more difficult so I’d definitely urge people to reach out to the Student Funding Team, because sometimes financially it can get to a crunch point where people think they can’t go on with the studies.”

Linda has found that making use of support services available has helped her balance caring and studying. “Carers really do need to look after themselves. If there’s anything that the Wellbeing Team are offering whether it’s yoga, meditation or counselling sessions, do it because you can’t look after someone else if you’re not looking after yourself.

“It can be difficult to admit to yourself that things aren’t going well. Taking time to reflect on how things are going for you is a good way to weigh up if things are going okay or if you might need to reach out for some help.”

Third year Social Work student, Stacey McFadyen, is a student who did not realise that she was a carer before coming to university.

Stacey explained: “I didn’t realise I was a carer until I sat down with the Wellbeing Team and explained what I do and they told me I was definitely a carer and I was entitled to some help.”

Before joining GCU, Stacey found that the support provided by her school was limited, but once she started university she was given the opportunity to thrive.

“Before I came here I didn’t get much support in school which was very disempowering, so it’s been nice to come here and be recognised and understood. I feel like my needs are put first here.

“It can be quite hard to juggle caring with studying and being on placement, but I’ve had lots of support from the University. It’s changed my life completely, just being able to find a balance.”

Carers Week, which aims to raise awareness of carers and celebrate the hard work they do, is a great way for people to learn about the existence and struggles of carers. Linda explained: “It’s great to just help people be aware of how many people out there are caring informally. Hopefully someone sees this and realises that they too are a carer and then they might reach out and get some support that they need.”

Stacey added: “There’s a stigma and lack of visual representation about carers so I think it’s good to raise awareness that anyone and everyone can be a carer or need one at some point.

“It’s great to raise awareness about carers so people know that carers can go to university, get an education and thrive. They’re not just carers.”

Find out more about support for carers at GCU here.