Hitting the right balance, whatever that is….

Now I will be the first to say that I am no superwoman.  I could probably be best described as disorganised yet driven with a dash of unpredictable workload, looming coursework deadlines and the usual mix of family highs and lows peppered with caring responsibilities.

Checking in this morning to my various Open University (OU) forums, the forum dedicated to carers was depressing reading – or was it? I embarked on my studies before I became a carer, so I’m able to reflect on things from both sides. Research shows that many carers want to participate in learning and training opportunities but they often experience real difficulties in doing so.

Carers experience all sorts of problems; financial for one.  If you qualify for Carers Allowance (which I don’t) you have to meet the strict criteria.  If you are awarded this means tested benefit the government pay you £55.55 per week.  This is based on providing care for a minimum of 35 hours per week, which if you work it out makes the hourly rate less that £1.60 per hour.  Yes that’s £1.60 per hour, and when you take into account that the minimum wage is £6.08 per hour in the UK this reflects just one of the significant divides experience by carers.

In addition you have to be over 21 for Carers Allowance, so young carers don't qualify!

Once you sort out the financial side of things then there is the problem of finding time to dedicate to your course.  Most carers I know for example don’t manage to attend tutorials. That may not be a big deal, but I know many feel guilty and challenged by this.  Many struggle with fitting in day to day stuff, that’s before you even get to the scheduling in hospital/GP appointments and working around day centres, travel etc.  It’s not hard to see that there are many obstacles that seem unsurmountable.This has thankfully not been my experience.  I’m fortunate that at home we work as a team.

Teamwork Rules OK!

The carers I notice who appear to struggle most are those are sole carers, folks that are doing the job single-handed.  The sole carers I have crossed virtual paths with through the OU they sometimes are unaware of the support that is available.  That’s where the forums come in handy.  Other students respond (and quickly at that) to questions and concerns these student carers have.  The information they share is absolutely invaluable.  OK sure if you sat down and trawled through the OU site you would probably come across the myriad of support and flexibility offered to carers who are studying, but in reality I haven’t met a carer yet who isn’t time challenged.  So these forums really are invaluable.

One thing I have noticed though is that there is a bit of a hierarchy of carers, not imposed by carers themselves, but by society.  If, like me, you work and have caring responsibilities you are sometimes not viewed as a ‘real’ carer.  I can understand where people are coming from however being a carer is such a person journey and the juggle of emotion and responsibility is both a challenge and a joy.  I’m thick skinned enough not to mind if people think that I don’t have as many responsibilities as ‘full time’ carers but only because our family have worked hard to make that so.

At the end of the day the thing I’ve noticed as being the biggest challenge for carers who study is not so much the financial stuff (there are ways around this and lost of fees waived etc) or the finding time to meet deadlines and get course work done / exam revision planned and started. What I think most carers struggle with is finding the headspace to truly immerse themselves in coursework.  Sometimes it just isn’t possible to shut yourself away and get on with what you need to do.  Interruptions are common and it’s not just about the time you have to study it’s about the quality of the time you have to study.  In truth this is something I continually struggle with.

So having read some of the messages this morning on the OU Carers Forum although I can identify with most of them my heart is also lifted by the encouragement and practical support that such a forum provides.  I know that being a carer can be a very isolating experience and sometimes you just don’t have the energy to source the support you need.  I can understand how, in no small way, the support the OU offers carers is invaluable on lots of levels, not just in helping them progress through their studies.

Anyhow today I thought I would just give a bit of a shout out to all these carers out there who have taken the plunge and are sticking with it.  I appreciate that study isn’t for everyone but it’s nice to know that there are opportunities for carers out there to pursue their study goals.  I know that my OU tutor is hugely supportive but I am acutely aware that, for me, only way I manage to study is because of a very important approach to life that we have in our home – our approach is ‘teamwork’.  Without it I would be floundering in the dark.

So I’d just like to say a HUGE thank you to my wee team – you know who you are and I am very, very grateful.