The thread that connects carers, ex-carers and their supporters

Where I’m from in Scotland, Perth, is the home of the Black Watch regiment. This regiment has a long history stretching back centuries and has a notion of a ‘golden thread’ that connects all current and ex-soldiers in a single narrative – the history of the Black Watch.

I feel this same sense of shared history and common purpose with people who work to support carers. Once you have been a carer or worked to support carers, you become part of something that lasts even if your caring or work role ends. You never stop caring.

When I joined the carers’ thread, the first two carers I met were Martine and Freya. I still remember being rather dumbstruck when listening to them. It was a guy called Stewart who introduced me to them and helped me understand the issues. But more importantly, it was his passion that affected me. He was utterly selfless in his efforts to support carers.

Since, I’ve met other people who have joined the carers’ thread and seen how their passion and determination has grown. As I leave working to support carers, I think the thread is stronger than it ever has been.

In my fourth ever blog, I recounted how I had arrived for a meeting at Parliament to find a note on the door at the end of the corridor telling me it was cancelled. This feeling of having struggled along a never-ending road to find that when you get there, the door is shut is too  common for carers.

In my first blog, I said that there was no single magical solution to solve all the different problems that each carer faces. This means that we can’t just kick the door down once, we have to do it over and over again for every individual carer. Sometimes this will mean that while we make progress for some carers, others may not benefit.

But with more and more people waking up to the issues that carers face there are more and more people trying to kick down the doors. One day, there will be more people kicking down doors than there are doors. That thought may seem far away for many carers, especially when they are struggling alone.

But they should know that they are not alone. They too are part of this thread that connects carers, ex-carers and everybody working to support them. You may not know it and you may not feel it, but there are many, many people who care about you.

Take care, and goodbye

Gordon

PS: I, and my partner Claire, are starting a new blog for when we’re working in Cambodia: http://phnompenhpal.blogspot.com/