National Carer's Day was established in 2018 thanks to the involvement of eight patient organisations inspired by the 'Letter to a Carer' social action, run as part of the next edition of the 'Medical Nutrition - Your Meals in the Fight Against Illness' campaign. The organisations included: Institute for Patients' Rights and Health Education, Polish Coalition of Oncology Patients Foundation, Mazovian Association of People with Parkinson's Disease, Foundation "OnkoCafe - Together Better", EuropaColon Foundation Poland, Federation of Amazon Associations, Alivia Oncology Foundation and Appetite for Life Association".
Caring for a chronically ill person is both mentally and physically engaging. The patient's carer is someone who supports the patient on many levels. He or she often takes over all the daily household chores, organises treatment, and also supports the patient emotionally - sharing his or her fears and anxieties. While caring for a loved one, they often forget about themselves, their own needs and mental comfort.
Providing adequate support to a carer can be a difficult task. It is not only the practical challenges such as finding time and resources that get in the way, but also the psychological ones - the taboo around the subject of illness in the family, the inability to have difficult conversations and share one's emotions or, finally, the caregivers' acceptance of help. A tool that has been created precisely to highlight the need to support carers at this difficult time for them is the Guide "I am a patient carer... On how to support sick loved ones and not forget yourself". It can be found at https://zywieniemedyczne.pl/powiedz-jak/poradnik/.
One's solidarity with and appreciation for carers can be expressed in many ways. That is why this year, on the occasion of National Carers' Day Nutricia Foundation has prepared a special profile picture overlay on the Facebook social media channel. The initiators encourage people to use it on their profile to show emotional support for carers.
A link to the overlay can be found via the Nutricia Foundation fanpage:
www.facebook.com/profilepicframes/?selected_overlay_id=259327932378570