My name is Susan Greer and I work in the Continuous Improvement Directorate. I registered as a Carer a couple of years ago following my Dad’s diagnosis of Dementia.

Registering was easy to do via Pegasus. You just go to the Human Resources tab and select ‘My Personal Details’ and select the check box. Simple.

Registering means you are automatically added to an email list that sends out information for carers and you will also receive invitations to the Staff Carers’ Network meetings. This provides a great opportunity to feedback to the University the things that could help support us as carers and also to learn about what is available that you perhaps didn’t know about.

I went to my first Staff Carers’ Network meeting out of a sense of obligation. I didn’t want to go as I didn’t think I would get anything out of it but felt I should attend at least one as a show of appreciation for the help provided by the organisation. That first meeting changed a lot for me. I got help and advice on completing a difficult form related to my dad’s care.

I also discovered that talking to people outside my family and friends, who understood what I was going through but weren’t emotionally invested in my situation, was incredibly cathartic.

The introduction of the Staff Carers’ Network Teams site has been transformational for those looking for help and advice but who find it difficult to say it out loud. It also means if you can’t attend a meeting there is still a resource you can use to reach out to others.

Not long after my Dad’s diagnosis, I submitted a permanent flexible working request, compressing my hours to give me one day off midweek in order to care for my dad by taking him shopping and doing his housework. Although he has since moved in to 24-hour care, I still use this day to spend quality time with him. For the first year, I didn’t use the any of the five days’ paid carer leave which was available, largely due to my own guilty feelings that surrounded this provision. With the support of my line manager, I came to terms with the fact this resource is available to me, I am entitled to use it, and have since used it once or twice for things like dad’s hospital appointments.

Flexible working has also been a great help. I can work from home whenever Dad might be in extra need of support, knowing that I’m only 10 minutes away if needed. I also very much enjoy getting on to campus as the mental health benefits of interacting with colleagues in person are huge.

The articles in Inside Strathclyde, and carers week activities are excellent. They are not always relevant to me but even then, it’s just comforting to know that your organisation makes these sorts of provisions for all carers, and I imagine it helps educate those who are not in a caring role. My guilt around taking the extra leave was partly because I thought people might judge me and think I should just use my allocated annual leave for Dad’s appointments. Communication with everyone is key to teaching us to better understand the many things we are all coping with in daily life and it’s nice to know that this is thought about by the organisation.