Real Carers Real Stories – Monira
Monira, who arrived in Australia from Egypt in 2011, cares for her friend Frial, aged 85. Frial, who lives on her own, is recovering from a stroke and experiences memory loss. Monira’s caring role includes helping Frial with dressing, cooking, shopping, and driving Frial to social activities.
As Frial does not speak English, she communicates with Monira in Arabic. Monira is her main carer and undertakes caring duties daily including taking Frial to doctor’s appointments.
While Monira is happy to care and support her friend, Frial’s increasing health challenges required Monira to take on more responsibilities and care duties. Monira was worried she would not know what to do if certain situations arose with Frial’s care.
Recognising she needed help and emotional support, Monira spoke to a friend who told her about Carer Gateway. Monira went to the Carer Gateway website and found information that helped her.
‘I was so happy to learn about Carer Gateway and how it could support carers like me,’ she said.
‘I explored Carer Gateway step-by-step and found information in Arabic that I could easily understand.
It was simple and clear. This gave me the confidence I needed.
‘I rang the referral line and a real person spoke to me which was so refreshing. They gave me the information I needed as well as some dates of support groups that were conducted in Arabic. I was so happy about this as I could express myself better in my own language.’
A key feature of Carer Gateway for Monira was the number of support services available and practical tips on the website.
‘When I had trouble supporting my friend to eat, Carer Gateway was there with practical tips. And it worked!’
Monira highly recommends Carer Gateway and believes all carers should get in touch, especially early on in their caring journey as it can help carers better look after their loved one.
‘I want to say thank to Carer Gateway. It is now like my best friend as it is always there so I no longer need to be worried about whether I am doing the right thing or not. I love it a lot and it is helping me become a better carer.’
View the full Real Carers Real Stories – In Their Own Words Digital Exhibition
Monira's real life story in Arabic
Monira's real life story in Turkish
Monira's real life story in English
Listen to audio files of Monira's story
Real Carers Real Stories - Monira's Story - Arabic (MP3 11.2MB)
Real Carers Real Stories - Monira's Story - Turkish (MP3 8.5MB)
Translated resources
View our translated resources available in Arabic, Chinese Simplified (Mandarin), Chinese Traditional (Cantonese), Croatian, Greek, Italian, Turkish, Vietnamese and more.
Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS)
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