Carers information

Who are carers?

A carer is someone, of any age, who provides unpaid support to a relative, friend or neighbour who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health issues or is affected by substance misuse and who could not manage without their help. They are often called “unpaid carers”.

Unpaid carers may provide practical and emotional support, assist with personal care, financial matters, physical help, and much more; and often doing all these things while trying to maintain a life of their own.

Young carers are under the age of 18 and often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected from an adult. The tasks undertaken can vary according to the nature of the illness or disability, the level and frequency of need for care and the structure of the family as a whole.

A young carer may do practical tasks, such as cooking, housework and shopping and many do physical and personal care, such as dressing, washing, helping with toileting needs as well as managing the family budget, collecting benefits and prescriptions. Some provide high levels of care as the main carer, while others offer regular support, such as helping a sibling. Either way, caring can affect their ability to enjoy a typical childhood or social life.

Anyone, young and old, can become an unpaid carer and this can happen gradually or overnight, but there is support available for anyone at any point of their caring journey.

Why do we support carers?

The Health Board recognises the enormous contribution that unpaid carers make to society and the important role they play in keeping families and communities together.

We know that while caring can be positive and rewarding, it can also have a negative impact on the physical and emotional well-being of unpaid carers. Most accept their responsibilities as they wish to help and support their family and friends, but we also know that caring can be lonely. It can exclude people from employment, lead to social isolation, financial hardship and difficulties maintaining a life of their own.

Our vision is to ensure that unpaid carers are recognised and valued as equal partners in the care they provide. We want to help people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to be recognised as such. Our aim is to help them to self-identify as unpaid carers and access the support they need to maintain their own health and well-being.