Each day in Australia, millions of people provide care and assistance to another person needing help to go about their everyday lives.

Whether it be for a partner, family member, friend or neighbour – every caring situation is different and can include looking after someone who has a disability, mental illness, chronic illness, dementia or who is frail aged.

While there are support services available to carers, many people don’t realise, recognise or identify themselves as carers, which means they don’t seek the help that’s available to assist them in their caring role.

Recognising this challenge, the Australian Government launched Carer Gateway, which is a national online and phone service that provides practical information and resources for carers.  The interactive service finder also helps carers connect to local support services.

Although lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) carers face the same challenges as any other carer, they may experience other issues such as discrimination against their sexual orientation, a lack of recognition of their gender identity or intersex status, or of their relationship and caring role.

Through Carer Gateway, LGBTI carers can access trusted information including practical tips on how to access respite care, financial assistance, and links to organisations that provide health-related programs and services for the LGBTI community. 

There are a range of informative videos on the website and free online resources specifically for carers, including a guided relaxation audio recording and information brochures and posters for use by health and community groups.

To ensure information is of the highest standard, Carer Gateway works with information partners, such as the LGBTI Health Alliance, who are valuable in providing quality, trusted content for publication on the website.  

To find out more, Carer Gateway can be contacted on 1800 422 737, Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm, or by visiting carergateway.gov.au