Are you a carer?

A carer is "a person of any age, adult or child, who provides unpaid support to a partner, child, relative or friend who couldn't manage to live independently or whose health or wellbeing would deteriorate without this help. This could be due to frailty, disability or serious health condition, mental ill health or substance misuse." - The Royal College of General Practitioners, 2011.

​

A carer could be:

​

• a 15 year old girl looking after a parent with an alcohol problem

• a 40 year old man caring for his partner who has terminal cancer

• a 80 year old woman looking after her husband who has Alzheimer’s disease.

​

Many people don't see themselves as a "Carer", as they feel they are simply looking after the person that they love.   In 2014, a new Law was passed, call The Care Act which changed how care and support is provided in England. It introduced new rights for unpaid carers - to enable them to get support to help continue caring but also to look after their own health and wellbeing.