Ivan Freer uses the Carer Health and Wellbeing Service to support him through caring for his wife.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00My name is Ivan. I care for my wife. She's incapacitated. I've been caring for her
00:06fully for four years, mainly at home. She doesn't go out a lot because of her
00:13disabilities. Beginning with being a carer, you don't really know what you're
00:18going into. Now I've got to do all the housework, shopping and everything else
00:24there is involved with it, and it's a bit of a shock to the system. It's good for
00:30me because it keeps my mind active and keeps me going. I'm a lot less selfish
00:36and thinking more about my wife, so in that respect it's changed me quite a bit.
00:41I was put on to the carer service through Frankston Hospital. It's
00:46concentrated more on me, whereas I've been to other medical professionals and
00:53asked them the questions and I've never really gotten an answer. With the
00:58service, you'll get an answer that will lead you to the right direction. If you're
01:04a carer, you can't just think only about the person you're caring for. You've got
01:09to think about yourself a bit as well. Visits with a psychologist there, that's
01:14been good, being able to talk to her. I can get in nurses if I need them. I can
01:19get in extra home care if I need it. We can get meals sent in if we need.
01:25It's just made my life a lot easier. We're a member of a four-wheel drive club and
01:30we're also in a caravan club that we enjoy. I don't do a lot by myself other
01:35than taking my dog for a walk. We've got a couple of dog parks within reasonable
01:41walking distance of our place. I'm never away for too long. An hour might be a
01:46maximum. I need to be there but even that now is getting a little bit beyond
01:51me because of my own health problems. A service like this is needed because
01:56there are just too many people out there that are struggling and they don't know
02:02what they can get, what assistance they can get. It's not that easy being
02:08a carer and I was very thankful for the assistance that they gave me.