Unpaid carers are the heroes of our society - YEP letters

Nice to see Laura Collins bring to mind the plight of the unpaid carer.The “job” of a carer differs considerably depending upon the individuality of the cared for. Some are easy to manage and some require constant care for different reasons.

As Ms Collins says, the unpaid carers are the heroes of society, never mind the pandemic, and they carry on without any thoughts of rewards or recognition. In many cases love wins out and parents, siblings and children do what they do because the alternatives do not compute.

If you ask a carer what is the most important part of their role, the answer will be “being there”. Whether their “being there” is for a trivial moment or 24/7, it is their being there that is foremost in the mind of the cared for. It is the reassurance the cared for receives that enables them to manage their lives. That is why carers carry on regardless, until they are unable to continue.

Ms Collins says the Government must put forward plans to help these carers, which may prove to be difficult. How do you challenge someone to change what enables the cared for to manage? There are so many questions as to how to help, you cannot categorise the many different ways in which the cared for need caring.

Many carers have tried to get help but cannot face the questioning assessments etc that are required by the authorities in order to receive even minimal help. The result is they carry on but have the burden of not knowing what will happen on that fateful day when they are unable to continue. That should be the focus of future government plans to ensure that when that day does arrive, they will know and be able to accept the future for their loved relative who they have cared for.