Male carers should take Men’s Health Week as an urgent reminder to get an annual “grease and oil change” with a health check at their GP, according to Carers Australia CEO Joan Hughes.
A study by Deakin University has shown that carers “had the lowest wellbeing of any population group” and carers were more than twice as likely to experience chronic pain, while a third of carers experienced severe or extreme stress.
Male carers were even more likely to have lower rates of health and wellbeing than average. Some 52% reported that caring had affected their health, 71% had suffered minor injuries and sprains while giving care and 19% had been significantly injured while caring. Many also had what studies described as “destructive” coping mechanisms.
Ms Hughes said Men’s Health Week was a reminder for all male carers to urgently visit their GP and have their health assessed. Continuing good health was important not just to them but also to the person they are caring for. Carers support family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic conditions, terminal illness or who are frail.
“We already know that men would rather spend half a day servicing their car than ‘servicing’ their own health,” she said.
“It’s essential that male carers look after themselves and get a checkup. Make Men’s Health week the time for that check.
“What is also needed is a way of identifying men who are male carers so that medical and allied health professionals are alert to their health status.”
Prior to the recent Federal Budget, Carers Australia recommended that the Australian General Practice Network have a checkbox to identify the patient as a carer.
“This would remind GPs to ask if the patient had a caring role, which would also result in more data to assist planning by governments, service providers and also by Carers Australia,” Ms Hughes said.
“In our submission to the Senate Inquiry into Men’s Health in March we recommended that all male carers be considered an ‘at risk’ or vulnerable group in all future men’s health planning. That is still our assessment.”
Another related problem was that many men in a caring role are not identified, or supported, as carers.
Contacts: Andrew Geraghty, (02) 6122 9911 or 0411 444 145
Alison Kemmis, (02) 6122 9917 or 0417 604 305
Carers Australia, PO Box 73, DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600, Australia
t: 02 6122 9900 f: 02 6122 9999 email: caa@carersaustralia.com.au
www.carersaustralia.com.au
Time that male carers had a “grease and oil change”
