If you think of informal care, you might think about helping someone dressing or helping shopping. Physical work. But there is also a large group of caregivers that you cannot see that they are an informal caregiver.
The 17-year-old Briahna from Eelde for example. Her father is an ex-soldier and has PTSD, a post-traumatic stress disorder. “I have to take noise into account. He is quickly triggered by this,” says Briahna. “Whether it is a pan that is put on the counter or a door that closes. Or if you raise your voice if you play a game too enthusiastically. In fact, there are many things that I have to take into account. That’s why it was very difficult to be a child.”
Briahna is therefore not related to physical care tasks, but is an informal caregiver. “Being a caregiver is a very broad concept. In my case I take care of my father to make his life lighter, but that also changes my life. I can’t do certain things that others can do at home, but I do it out of love for my father,” she emphasizes.
Briahna worked with other young people on a film about invisible caregivers in the municipality of Tynaarlo. The film is called ‘my concern, my strength. Seen young caregivers’ and was shown for the first time last night in Café Onder de Linden in Vries.
It is a project from, among others, the Welfare Organization Neie Naober of the municipality of Tynaarlo to bring invisible informal care to the attention. “With the film we also hope to reach young people who are caregiver, but do not yet know it,” says Jade Damstra of Neie Noaber. For young caregivers, their worries are often so obvious that they themselves do not even realize that they are an informal caregiver. “We can support them from Neie Naober.”
Young caregivers tell their own story in the film. “During the making I saw so many strong and wise young people. I have a lot of respect for that,” smiles Damstra. “I hope that other organizations, such as schools in the surrounding municipalities, also signal through this film that there are young people who have extra care tasks at home and can therefore use extra support.”