Real Carers Real Stories – Aakriti
Aakriti is an unpaid carer for her friends Himanshu and Neha, who both live with muscular dystrophy. Despite living in a different state from her friends, Aakriti is able to visit them regularly to provide physical care and offers emotional support with regular phone calls when they are apart.
When Aakriti visits Himanshu and Neha in Sydney, she helps with food preparation and chopping up hard vegetables. She also helps with turning door handles, and general household duties. As friends, they enjoy excursions and spending time together.
‘Although I moved to South Australia, I continued to stay in touch with Himanshu and Neha, offering remote support via telephone, the occasional video call sessions, and two-monthly visits to Sydney,’ Aakriti said.
‘We share stories from our day-to-day lives, of good days and of days where we have struggled. Any new journeys that we have embarked on. During these calls, I would provide emotional support while sharing our daily lives. I really value this friendship as there is positive two-way sharing and wisdom for which I am grateful.’
Carer Gateway’s library of online course and self-guided coaching helped Aakriti manage her role as a voluntary carer.
‘I had to be organised in how I provided care and support, given I have a full-time job. Most importantly, I wanted to make sure I was being sensitive and providing appropriate care.’
‘The online courses were really important in helping me understand how to provide the best kind of support while exploring how the caring role affects different areas of my life.
‘Keeping a good work, life, care balance is essential if I am to continue providing proper care and support, and Carer Gateway was able to help me do this.
‘I would highly encourage carers to browse through the website, there’s something for everyone.
‘Not only did I get the support and skills development I needed, the information was easy to access and it was culturally appropriate. It was refreshing to see cultural diversity depicted in various ways. This made me feel seen and understood.’
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Aakriti's real life story in English
Listen to an audio file of Aakriti's story
Real Carers Real Stories - Aakriti's Story - English (MP3 6.6MB)
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