GWENT care bosses Laura and Karen Clatworthy have launched a campaign, ‘You Can Care’, to address the local shortage of care workers.

Laura and Karen, who run the Newport, Caerleon and Cwmbran office of at-home care provider, Home Instead Senior Care, will be raising awareness, banishing pre-conceived ideas about what caring is all about, as well as informing people about just how rewarding working in care can be.

According to Welsh Government statistics, the human health and social work sector has seen the largest increase in employment of any sector, up 23 per cent with a large number of jobs available.

This reflects the increase in our ageing population, with the percentage of over 65s in Wales estimated to increase from 20 per cent to 25 per cent over the coming years. There is a huge requirement for care services for older people and Laura reports that this is reflected here in Newport, Caerleon and Cwmbran.

Home Instead, which specialises in care for older people in their own homes in Newport, Caerleon and Cwmbran, is hoping to fill 35 jobs in 2018 in order to keep pace with demand.

Laura said: “We want to show people the human stories, the fantastic relationships and the real side of caring, as it should be. Being a caregiver can be a wonderfully rewarding career for compassionate people and the new ‘You Can Care’ campaign will champion all the positive aspects of care.”

The hashtag #youcancare has been created to support the campaign. As well as sharing positive stories, the company will also be offering tips, advice and support for the hundreds of people caring for family members in the local area.