CARING FOR THE CARERS

From left to right: Ashish Chadha, Luka Ryan, Roweena Ow, Zoe Richter, Will McLeod, Yeran Hettiarachchy

Archival experience of our UTS Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) Capstone Project showcase from Thursday 9th November 2023

CONTEXT

Our group aimed to answer the question, ‘Who Cares for the Carers?’, delving into why informal carers experience the challenge of taking time for themselves. According to a sample test conducted in 2016 with 2,145 responses, 37.4% of caregivers do not use respite care (Caring NSW, 2016). Among those who do, only 40.2% use it regularly. The primary obstacle appears to be a lack of knowledge about accessing respite services and uncertainty about whether these services can meet the specific needs of the person cared for and the primary carer (Caring NSW, 2016).

This issue is pertinent given that almost 1 in 10 university students care for family members (Denejkina, 2023). Research shows that nearly 71% of caregivers experience poor physical or mental health due to the demands of providing care around the clock (HM Government, 2016). Therefore, recognising the importance of self-care and breaks is very crucial. However, it is not necessarily the lack of resources surrounding respite care or self-care tips; the challenge lies in conveying the significance of respite care and instilling the confidence in caregivers to entrust their beloved family members to someone else while they take the essential breaks they need.

Station 1:

ByProducts of Care

(Pill boxes, 2023).

Through guerrilla marketing, the strategy will be a subversive form of marketing to comment on the use of marketing within pharmaceutical companies.

These packages were originally designed, printed and made for this project.

How do we play on care as a tangible good, visualising the invaluable in the hopes of beginning to unpack the concept and value of care?

The nature and value of care work are hard to measure, making it difficult to exchange with other commodities in a capitalist and market-based economy. Undervaluing care work has been built into the values of modern society with a culture rooted in sexism and capitalism. These boxes play on the idea that issues such as disproportionate gender representation, financial remuneration, lack of staff, compassion fatigue, and more can be cured with a pill. The reality is much less simple systemic interventions, and innovative solutions must be implemented to relieve the burden of such issues on formal and informal healthcare workers.

Station 2:

Pour from an Empty Cup

(IV pole, IV pump and giving set, boxes, cardboard, masking tape, 2023)

Intravenous therapy (IV) is often used in clinical settings to give patients medicine or fluids, such as electrolytes, directly into the vein or for blood transfusions.

The visual metaphor illustrates the grand scale of the continuous nature of caregiving and its draining impacts, which flows into a large-scale medication pill organiser. The value of unpaid caregivers is often unseen every day of the week.

Special thanks to the UTS Nursing Department, Erica Calderone (Manager, Simulation and Laboratories) Jackie Benson (Clinical Simulation Officer) and Emily Adams (Senior Clinical Liaison Coordinator) for making this installation possible.

Station 3:

Choir of Care

(Audio file, 2023)

The story speaks for itself. Carers’ experiences (both professional and unpaid) are crucial to understanding this problem space. Therefore, we have taken audio from interviews with at-home carers to amplify their experiences. We hope to reveal the stress, anger, exhaustion, empathy, relentless and sometimes rewarding nature of care. They are the heartbeat of informal care.

Special thanks to Dr Barbara Doran, Dr George Catsi, Ashish Chadha, Candace Lum Mow, Milena Jevtic Petrovic and Umar Muhummad.

BCII Capstone Showcase Results

Our showcase was marked live on that day by two BCII tutors. We received the highest mark within the cohort, receiving 25/25.

“This was an outstanding showcase - the best I have seen. Every aspect was clearly linked to your purpose, each activity relevant, engaging and powerful, building awareness through the provision of immersive and highly interactive experiences. You demonstrated excellent teamwork with every student thoroughly engaged with the audience and able to pick up any aspect while also playing to your strengths. Based on sound research, the big picture problem space was alarming, and your attention to detail was impeccable, e.g., the printed medication boxes and the IV drip. I loved the stories you collected and listening to those real voices made an impact.

Congratulations, team, you can be very proud of yourselves and this achievement!”

— Betty O’Neil (BCII Tutor)