The hidden role informal caregivers play in health care | Scott Williams
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 12.1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 January 2018
⏱️ 10 minutes
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Summary
Once a cared-for patient and now a caregiver himself, Scott Williams highlights the invaluable role of informal caregivers -- those friends and relatives who, out of love, go the extra mile for patients in need. From personal care to advocacy to emotional support, unpaid caregivers form the invisible backbone of health and social systems all over the world, Williams says -- and without them, these systems would crumble. "How can we make sure that their value to patients and society is recognized?" he asks.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This TED Talk features patient advocate Scott Williams, recorded live at TED-at-Mirk, KGA-A, Darmstadt, Germany, 2017. |
| 0:11.5 | Let's put the care back into health care. I've been working in the health care sector for the last 15 years, and one of the things that drew me to this sector was my interest |
| 0:22.4 | in the care component of our health care systems, more specifically to the invaluable role |
| 0:28.6 | played by carers. Now, how many of you in this room consider yourself a carer? |
| 0:37.0 | By this, I mean, how many of you have cared for someone suffering from an illness, |
| 0:41.7 | injury, or disability? Can you raise your hand if this is the case? |
| 0:47.6 | About half of the room. |
| 0:49.8 | I want to thank all of you who raised your hands for the time that you've spent as a |
| 0:53.7 | carer. |
| 0:56.6 | What you do is extremely precious. |
| 1:00.6 | I am a former cared-for patient myself. |
| 1:04.4 | When I was a teenager, I suffered from Lyme disease and underwent 18 months of antibiotic treatment. |
| 1:08.5 | I was repeatedly misdiagnosed. |
| 1:16.6 | Bacterial meningitis, fibromyalgia, you name it, they couldn't figure it out. And if I'm standing here in front of you today, it's because I owe my life to the stubbornness |
| 1:23.6 | and commitment of one care. |
| 1:26.6 | He did everything he could for me, driving long |
| 1:29.6 | distances from one treatment center to another, searching for the best option, and above all, |
| 1:36.3 | never giving up, despite the difficulties he encountered, including from a work and quality of life |
| 1:42.0 | perspective. That was my father. |
| 1:45.3 | I recovered, and this is largely thanks to his dedication. |
| 1:50.1 | This experience turned me into a patient advocate. |
| 1:54.2 | The closer I looked, |
... |
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