The Carents Room at Channel 4

This year, in support of Carers Week, we were delighted to deliver a workshop for parents and carers employed by the Channel 4 network.  As predicted, our ageing population means that rising numbers of employees are juggling carenting and work commitments. 

This was a remote session which was also recorded so that staff could access the session wherever they were based and whenever was most convenient for them.  

Jackie explained why carenting is on the increase and why some older adults are more likely than others to need support from a carent. Following on from this, she gave an overview of the most common carenting challenges, relevant coping strategies and sources of support.   She also explained how carenting differs from other types of unpaid care such as parent carers, spouse carers and young carers.

“It was helpful to provide the narrative around The Carents Room and explain why I was compelled to develop the platform and related content to specifically support carents”.

Jackie, Founder, The Carents Room

The session concluded with time for questions, enabling attendees to explore some of their pressing and complex practical concerns. These included the common challenges concerning financial fraudsters preying on vulnerable older relatives, and how to encourage reluctant siblings to contribute to the shared responsibility of an elderly parent. 

Open sessions like this, which include opportunities for questions, help me to ensure that The Carents Room continues to meet the needs of adults who are supporting their older relatives.

Jackie, Founder, The Carents Room

The session went well and provided a valuable overview of the key issues within limited time constraints.

It is fantastic to see large corporates leading the way by supporting carents at work. There is overwhelming evidence indicating that carenting will increasingly impact on employees and employers as society ages and intergenerational care becomes more common.