CARE & RESPITE | CARERS | FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF ADDICTS

Carers

In 2003 as an experiment we set aside three days for carers, those who give their lives to care for loved ones, whether it is for a parent, husband or wife, child or other loved one. This was a very humbling experience for those involved in organising it because we learned first hand about the valiant role of so many who give their service, day and night, month after month, and in many cases, year after year, to love, support and care for their loved ones, while often denying themselves opportunities for personal freedom, career development or other choices.

This army of volunteers do a great service because they give their time and valuable support without extra costs to society or governments. However, their dedication is not without pain and heartache, both emotional and physical. Their efforts are not always appreciated or understood by those for whom they care, nor by society at large. The carers themselves invariably wrestle with their own emotions of guilt, sense of failure, sense of duty, sense of lost opportunities or loss of sensitivity through sheer exhaustion and frustration.

While it might be seen as a thankless task, we discovered that these same carers surpass themselves in their love, dedication and commitment as they reach down to the depths of their being to receive that inner strength that only comes from God. Many of them said:"we don't know at times how we are able to carry on but we get a strength to survive". Another carer said:"you can suffer, not only from broken backs but also from broken hearts". A carer wrote to us after her retreat: "To everyone who helped and cared for us on our recent stay at Minsteracres, a huge thank you to each and everyone of you. We had an unforgettable time. Kindness and thoughtfulness was shown to us at every time. For an all too brief, but very worthwhile time, you became our carers".