The plight of disability carers has been dramatically underlined in a new Australian TV commercial by Wesley Mission.
Impetus for the ad comes from the charity’s own research which found that eight in every 10 disability carers fear a mental breakdown in the absence of respite care.
“Help us give carers a break before they breakdown” is the simple but informed message from the 15 and 30 second advertisements devised by Wesley Mission and creatively executed by Sydney content agency, Storyhead.
“Caring for someone with a disability is a non-stop 24/7 commitment,” said Wesley Mission CEO Rev Dr Keith Garner.
“Carers are more likely to take up the role of a primary carer due to a sense of family responsibility, with 60 per cent of carers providing more than 100 hours of care per week. The caring role has a significant impact with life becoming extremely complex, any sense of self being compressed, and freedom and options disappear.”
The extremely moving concept was developed by the Wesley Mission creative team, who commissioned Storyhead to produce the commercial in order to bring the creative aspect to life for the well-respected brand.
The TVC vividly features a woman breaking apart and crumbling to dust on the footpath, leaving behind a child with disability who is alone and without support.
Disability is a major issue in Australia, with 4.2 million Australians classified as having a disability (ABS, 2012) and 2.7 million Australians classified as informal carers. Caring for someone living with a disability is all consuming.
“Carers do the best that they can to provide a stable environment. However other areas in life such as finances, employment and personal time are no longer a priority and fall a distant second,” Dr Garner said. “We need to give carers a break.”
Wesley Mission continues to have a strong relationship with Storyhead: the story-based marketing agency has created Wesley Mission’s community service announcements for the past two years.
CREDITS: Creative Director: Grainne Hogan Business Development Manager: Paul Mendham SFX: Jeremy Kelly-Bakker Director: Geoff Young Producer: Tom Olyslagers Shot on: Panasonic GH4 (in 4K) Production Company: STORYHEAD
