Brandon and Renee

New touch notebooks for the twins

Twin brother and sister, Brandon and Renee care for their parents who have ongoing physical and mental health needs.  They also have two younger siblings and as the eldest, they provide family care for them as well.  The younger sibling also has a disability. Their caring roles are quite significant and average between 21 to 40 hours per week. They are registered young carers with Raw Energy through Carer Support.

Their mother has Sticklers syndrome, bipolar and their father, also has Sticklers syndrome (which is a genetic disorder that can cause serious vision, hearing and joint problems and often have distinctive facial features), brachial neuritis (inflammation of the nerves) and depression.

Renee’s caring role seems to provide significant emotional and practical support for the youngest sibling and Brandon does a lot around housekeeping and management.

The parents struggle to respond to the developmental needs of their growing children with their very limited social and financial resources.

The twins have just transitioned to high school and are settling in well.  They are struggling to complete homework tasks and research projects as the one family computer was no longer working.   They  requested assistance to purchase a new computer to be shared or an iPad each in order to assist them with their schooling.   The parents try and be as resourceful as they can but times have been tough.

Their applications were approved and 2 Asus Touch Notebooks were purchased.  These were presented to the young carers and they were delighted and excited to start using them.  The notebooks will make a huge difference to their schooling and enable them to interact with their fellow students and teachers and add value to their learning as well as their self-esteem.  The parents expressed their gratitude ..."We really appreciate what you have done for us" and it was evident that they were so proud of their children.  The family certainly made an impression on our team and reinforces our passion for helping carers and making their lives a little easier.