EUFAMI is excited to launch the ‘Schizophrenia – Carer Playbook’, a project supported by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV to provide guidance and advice to carers of those living with schizophrenia, helping them to navigate the struggles they may face. We understand and appreciate that being a carer is often far from easy, and can feel overwhelming at times. The internet provides a lot of information, and whilst this is good, the sheer volume available can be confusing and not all of it is reliable. In response to this, we decided to develop the ‘Schizophrenia – Carer Playbook’.
The content of this interactive PDF has been informed from the experiences of patients, carers and healthcare professionals, to offer tips and tricks covering a variety of topics. The playbook itself focuses around four patient/carer stories; we follow Marie, Álvaro, Klaus and Anna, as they share their experiences of preparing for appointments, deciding on treatment options, looking after their own wellbeing and tackling the stigma which is unfortunately so prevalent around schizophrenia.
At EUFAMI, we want to empower carers, giving them the tools they need to make the positive and profound impact they have on the person they care for, day in and day out. While schizophrenia is a chronic and long-lasting illness, we know that it is possible to live a good and fulfilling life with proper treatment and management. The role of carers is critical; with nine out of ten involved in reminding the people they care for to take their medication, over half making treatment decisions, and half regularly helping with the more practical parts of life, such as transportation and providing meals.
Research tells us that the health and wellbeing of carers can be negatively impacted by their role as a carer, however it doesn’t have to be this way. Knowing your limits and setting boundaries is key to stay well, and we hope that the advice contained within the playbook will help with this.
It is our hope that through the ‘Schizophrenia – Carer Playbook’, we can support those caring for the 21 million people worldwide who face schizophrenia.
