When You can become a carer of someone who lives with you, lives nearby or lives far away. It often happens without you even noticing. Initially, perhaps a member of your family or a close friend is diagnosed with a serious illness and you are the only person in a position for caring for them. Maybe, you offer to give a lift for hospital appointments or to get shopping. As time goes by, instead of helping on the odd occasion, you discover that you become more of a personal assistant, caring for all areas of the person’s life on a daily basis. Although this will still involve shopping and hospital appointments, it could also involve paying bills, arranging personal care, meals on wheels, house cleaning and pet care.
In some cases, probably with a member of your family, often an elderly one, it could involve toileting, bathing and feeding the person who is unwell. Caring is effectively helping another person do those tasks that they are no longer capable of, or never have been capable of, doing alone. As a result, the life of a carer often becomes severely restricted by a variety of caring responsibilities. These additional tasks can be difficult, unrewarding or time-consuming and frequently have a detrimental impact on the carer’s health, social life and financial situation.
Caring is a broad school and one that is rapidly growing in the United Kingdom. It is estimated that two million people become carers each year and that it will affect three in five of the population at some stage in their lives. Most people who become involved in the care of another, undertake the role through duty or affection without any expectation of being paid. Nevertheless, a recent report from the charity Carers UK estimates that in their unpaid role, carers save the State £87 billion annually and that without them, health and social service spending would double.
We are lucky in this country to have many organisations that can give guidance in helping us provide for another’s well being. But it’s a question of knowing where to go and to whom. Caring involves a tremendous number of different skills and is often a long term, arduous and frequently exasperating occupation.
Caring for someone with a long-term illness requires sensitivity both to the illness and the ways in which the illness will alter someone’s day-to-day life. Though long term illnesses affect a great number of people in the United Kingdom (about 17.5 million), carers who have never dealt with long term illnesses before may feel unsure about how to cope with them and best support their loved ones.