Welcome to Carers Compass.
I’m Diane Gatto and have been a carer for 8 years whilst working full-time and running my own business.
Through my own personal experience and challenges, I now help families manage and find support when caring for aging, disabled or terminally ill loved ones.
Because we all know…. most people don’t plan for disability or a terminal illness. We simply believe it will never happen to us or our loved ones.
Until it does.
And when it’s happened or is happening, there is a lot to deal with. You are juggling work, your family’s needs and caring for your loved one. You’re managing the best you can, but some days are tough… really tough.
I hear you.
You find yourself constantly asking ‘whose needs will I put first today‘? And what about yourself. How do you even find time to care for yourself?
You are stretched … almost to breaking point. Sound familiar?
My story …
In late 2013, my father was diagnosed with Stage 4 Brain Cancer.
We had no warning signs. He simply drove onto the wrong side of the road one day and after a quick medical check-up, we were told he had malignant tumour – a GBM (Glioblastoma Multiforme). The most aggressive brain cancer there is.
And just like that. Life for my father and our family changed overnight.
We researched, consulted, spoke to anyone with a heartbeat. But no-one gave us an clear instructions and guidance on what to expect when, and where to find the specific support we were going to need for my father and ensure that the rest of the family didn’t fall apart during our caring journey.
Those months of providing caring support, mostly through trial-and-error, were the most difficult I had ever experienced. I was caring for my father, my family and working in a corporate job. I had no guidelines. I didn’t know what to expect. who to call or even what questions to ask.
I made many mistakes. Many became regrets of “why wasn’t I told about this or aware of this?”.
I never thought my own experience would open me up to the opportunity to help make a real difference in the lives of others. This is what inspired me to create Carers Compass. It’s the service I wish I had available to me as I navigated caring for my father, my family and myself.
Finding that balance and resilience has made me stronger and unbreakable. You can experience that too.
I can’t take away the pain of losing a loved one, but I can help make that caring journey a little easier for you, your loved one and your family.
Balance is key. And that balance comes from being better informed about choices that give you back control.
If you want to learn how to have more resilience, support and balance during this critical time as you care for your loved one in their final chapter of life, click on the Email Us button below to see how we can help.
About Carers Compass
Caring for our loved ones should not be so difficult. And it needn’t be – if you know what to do, who to ask and what to ask for.
Carers Compass was created to help families care for their aging loved ones. Through my own experience and the hundreds of other
We are here to help you care for the health and well-being of your terminally ill loved one without sacrificing the quality of your own life and well-being.
There is a better way forward and we are ready and willing to help.