Chances are that today when you step foot onto the bus, train or tram and head home from work, one in every 10 people standing beside you will identify as the carer of a loved one, and you would probably never guess it.

They don’t walk around in uniforms or carry badges of honour for the work they do, but they play a vital role in the lives of millions of Australians living with a physical or mental disability.

This National Carers Week, Equity Trustees pays homage to carers nationwide, and specifically to the carers of our health and personal injury clients.

Equity Trustees Health and Personal Injury National Manager Katrina Harper said people often have misconceptions about what caring involves.

“Caring isn’t always about assisting someone who has suffered a catastrophic injury; oftentimes it’s about caring for an elderly parent or a young child with a chronic illness,” Ms Harper said.

“No matter the level of care, caring for a loved one can be incredibly isolating and taxing.

“It is the carers who assist the injured person with basic everyday needs, and in some cases, they are the ones who wash them, feed them, help them go to the toilet and provide them with their only social connection.”

Equity Trustees’ highly skilled and experienced Health and Personal Injury team supports around 1200 clients in Australia who have been awarded compensation for their injuries.

Ms Harper said by the time compensation is awarded, carers are often financially and emotionally drained and professional support can be just the relief they need to keep on keeping on.

“We deal with a lot of people who are at risk of burnout due to having little assistance and being at financial risk from using up their savings before and during the court proceedings to care for their loved one,” she said.

“Respite is so important because if you aren’t feeling good, fit and healthy, then you really aren’t at your optimum to provide the support and care your loved one needs.”

Ms Harper said National Carers Week was an opportunity to encourage people to “look out” for the carers in our communities.

“Ask if they’re ok and ask if you can support them in any way,” she said.

“Carers are indispensable to our community and to our clients.”

It’s not a widely known role, but in special circumstances, a professional trustee can be not just necessary (like in cases where there are compensation payouts awarded by the courts) but also a relief when the choice is made to appoint a professional trustee company like Equity Trustees as financial attorney under a Power of Attorney if loss of capacity – through illness or age – becomes a real possibility.

“It offers peace of mind and takes away that huge burden from loved ones who are often the same people carrying the caring load,” Ms Harper said.

“The family is going through a grieving process as well, because although the person is still here, they really are not the same person – the body is the same, but the mind isn’t.

“We can offer as little or as much support as they want us to in managing their affairs – it is not uncommon for people to make quite structured and careful plans well before loss of capacity becomes an question.”

Empathy and collaboration must be at the heart of any approach in being appointed to any of the important roles that are formally and legally recognised.

“Our philosophy is to know our client and understand our client so we can provide better service to them and better support their needs.”

“Consulting and working with our clients’ families and carers when needed helps us achieve exactly that.”

You can find out more about the Equity Trustees Health and Personal Injury Service here.