SPOTLIGHT: Caring for Talien

SPOTLIGHT: Caring for Talien

Hamilton mum of four Shannon cares for her beautiful youngest child Tailen, who has Cystic Fibrosis.

Her days generally stretch from 6am to 1am, and include an intensive medication regime, two to three physio sessions, up to 30 nappy changes and the ever-present fear of infection.

The financial pressures are immense and she admits most days, she sits down and cries, but manages to keep going for the love of her family.

REMEMBER: Jill Pitkeathley

We still have the notes Carers NZ co-founder Laurie Hilsgen took during an historic telephone call with Jill Pitkeathley, then CEO of the United Kingdom's Carers National Association, in the early 1990s.

Laurie and Dorothy McCaw were in the process of finding out how other countries supported their family carers. Those were pre-internet days when discovering who was who in the world of caring wasn't as simple as a Google search.

REMEMBER: Helen Kelly

REMEMBER: Helen Kelly

Although Helen is no longer physically with us, her contributions to society and worker rights will be with us for years to come.

I think she was an important person in the history of our country, not just within the union movement but across society. A leader who was tenacious, passionate, caring. A leader who happened to be a woman.