A decade of caring for the carers
In
1994 when Rosemary Warmington was appointed executive director of the Carers
Association, the organisation had 2.4 staff positions, a $30,000 debt and an
uncertain future.
Ten years later, the not-for-profit organisation employs 50 staff, has an
annual budget of $3 million and several thousand members across South
Australia.
The UniSA social work graduate took a pay cut from her government job to work for the Carers Association. It is a decision she has not regretted.
"I felt the time was right for such an organisation and the more I understood it, the more I became determined to fight for its survival and growth," she says.
"Ten years ago people didn't talk about carers, even people who were carers didn't recognise themselves as that … I remember when awareness was so low that a prominent politician opening Carers Week called it Careers Week and didn't realise he had made a mistake," says Rosemary.
A combination of timing, intuition, hard work and passion has led to the extraordinary success of the organisation under Rosemary's leadership. She decided to raise awareness of carers by knocking on doors and meeting with people who had an impact on carers such as doctors, politicians, bureaucrats, service providers and nursing homes.
"As awareness of carers grew, governments realised how much money carers save them. Governments now understand that the health system would collapse if it weren't for the work of carers.
"In South Australia more than 235,000 carers contribute $2 billion a year to the State's economy by keeping their loved ones out of hospitals and nursing homes.”