“She is an inspiration to us all.” This is the heartfelt tribute from South Eastern Trust Carers Development Support Officer, Pamela Smyth to Joan Stangeland who has been a Carer for over three decades.
Carers Week is an opportunity to recognise the dedication, compassion and resilience of those who provide care and support to their family members and loved ones and to raise awareness of the vital role they play and the challenges that they face.
An inspiration to many, Joan’s journey as a Carer began 35 years ago after her son was diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
Joan shared how during the early days of her son’s diagnosis, “It was a very stressful time.” “Learning to enter his world and understand the way he saw life and work with him, for me, brought a great understanding of wanting to get out there. A lot of Carers might feel isolated and need help and support. There are other Carers out there who will not judge or say whether they are carry out their Carer role rightly or wrongly, but simply just be there to listen,” said Joan.
Joan continued, “As a Carer you are not alone. There are groups as a Carer that you can join. People will have a greater understanding of what you are going through. At the beginning of your caring life, it is extremely overwhelming and it is very difficult to grasp that change that enters your life, that you have to cope with.
“I would urge any Carer not to say, ‘I can do this on my own’. Share your Carer journey with other people. The fact that you go out there and talk is therapy in itself.”
When asked what she has gained with working with and meeting other Carers over the years, Joan commented, “I have gained a great understanding of their situation. You have got to go in with an open mind and not say to other Carers, ‘You should do this, or you should do that’. All Carers are individual, the people that they care for are individual and it is up to that Carer to understand the person that they are caring for.”
“I know Carers who are on a 24/7 care package and that is very, very strenuous and takes its toll and these Carers need to be looked after.”
A founding member of the Trust’s Local Engagement Partnership (LEP) which began in 2017, Joan explained how she has been working with the Trust, “On a variety of committees and groups,” that offer Carer support, directories and signposting to services.
Joan added how her message to any Carer who may be feeling isolated is that, “There are Trust resources which can be accessed and the Carer will be pointed in the right direction of where to go for support. Support is so important. I remember in my early days when there was no such thing and you were working blindly until you realised that the person you are looking after, is the person that you have got to understand and cope with and adapt skills for. Skilling is a very important part of caring, you have got to have the skill to understand what you need to do to enable that person to join society again.”
Being a Carer and instrumental to the Trust Carer community, Joan said that her experience has given her, “Both sides of the coin.” “The staff have their experience and I have mine. I have learned an awful lot from the staff and I thank them for that.”
Highlighting the important role of Carers South Eastern Trust Carers Development Support Officer, Pamela Smyth said, “Joan is a true advocate for Carers and has been committed to highlighting Carer issues and rights. Joan has been involved in many Trust initiatives to improve support for Carers.”
“Joan was instrumental in co-producing the Carer Conversation Wheel and was involved in training staff to use the tool. She also facilitated training sessions for carers, empowering them to seek support to help them to continue to care. She has been on many Department and Trust accountability and workshop groups and by sharing her lived experience has assisted in developing and improving services and support for carers.
“She is an inspiration to us all.”
For further information on the South Eastern Trust Carers Support Service, contact carer.support@setrust.hscni.net or phone (028) 4372 1807 or text (07900) 936 726.
