REGIONAL, AUGUST 6 – McCann Australia acknowledged the good carers provide with the launch of the first phase of the federal government’s national care awareness campaign – ‘Care Aware’, which kicked off with the unveiling of www.careaware.com.au, a website that is the hub of the initiative.
The website provides tools and resources to help carers connect with other carers in their area to share experience and support among other offerings. The site also features information on how to become a Care Aware Workplace, as well as social interaction to help spread the Care Aware message.
The website also hosts moving short films featuring carers’ stories, such as that of 17-year-old Courtney who has been caring for her mom, who has multiple sclerosis, since she was nine years old.
The Care Aware campaign aims to highlight the extraordinarily large contribution Australia’s 2.6 million unpaid family carers make to the community and society, and raise awareness, recognition and support for unrecognized carers.
More than 10% of Australians provide unpaid care and support to someone in need, at an estimated replacement cost of $40 billion annually.
McCann executive creative director John Mescall said: “From the agency’s perspective, we can’t imagine a more important campaign to be working on. Caring for a loved one is a natural part of the human condition, and most of us have done it or will do it at some stage. Carers aren’t martyrs; they’re doing what anyone would do for the people they love. That’s why it’s important to acknowledge their contribution and help them feel valued and supported.”
The face of Care Aware, acclaimed Australian actor and author William McInnes, said, “Many Australians don’t realize it, but at some stage in our lives we are statistically likely to become a carer for a family member, or require caring ourselves. This is why it is so important that we as a nation understand what caring is and what it involves.”
The headline event for the campaign will be a continuous 24-hour symphonic concert in October at Melbourne’s prestigious Hamer Hall. The Impossible Orchestra 24-Hour Concert will be performed with the support of members from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Australian National Academy of Music, as well as musicians from around the country.
The journey to the Impossible Orchestra 24-Hour Concert will be filmed over a six-month period, with a resulting documentary to form part of the campaign.
Care Aware is being funded by the Australian Government and forms part of the National Carer Strategy released in 2011.
