Realities, resilience, hopes of local Young and Adult Carers
Famous Turkish author and political exile, Meltem Arikan, has launched her latest book, ‘You Are The Medicine’ on the 8th June at Hay Castle and created a space for people who care to share their stories.
Famous for her critique of society, Meltem turns her attention to unpaid Carers in Powys that she has met through her volunteering roles with local charity, Credu Supporting Young and Adult Carers. The Carers themselves may feel invisible, may not feel remarkable – but Meltem sees the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary lives of young people who look after parents and siblings who are ill or disabled, parents who look after children with complex health challenges, older people who look after loved ones through ill health.
‘The idea behind this book was to support carers around the world and give them an opportunity for their voices to be heard’, says Meltem who is struck by ‘the feeling of abandonment and loneliness that is prevalent within our Caring Community’, even though carers provide 96% of care, which would equate to the entire NHS budget (Carers UK (2023)). Unpaid Carers are everywhere – you may be one and if you are not you will know people who are but might not even realise it. The Young Carer who said, ‘I was a regular child before my mum got sick, then all our lives turned upside down’, would have been surrounded by people who had no idea what she was going through, nor would they see her remarkable strength, her wisdom beyond her years, unless they got to listen to her. This book, gives you that chance.
The book will resonate with most of us; it is full of real life stories, steeped in the realities of care-giving along with beautiful illustrations by Sally Duckers. ‘Inspired by amazing Young and Adult Carers, Meltem had an amazing idea to use her skills as an accomplished writer to give a voice to people who are seldom heard to not only share their stories but share their tips about how they get through the toughest of times. It’s a book for you and me, as well as a book for politicians and policy makers to have access to the raw human experiences of caring’, says Credu CEO Jenny O’Hara Jakeway.
To order a copy go to : https://amzn.eu/d/91vvzxe