CARERS TOGETHER
Carers can come from anywhere ©
How do people become carers?
A carer is a carer because of compassion, duty, kindness, love and neighbourliness.
A Carer is
not paid
not chosen
not elected
not useless
not amateur
not ignorant
not incapable
not appointed
not uneducated
not unprofessional
not unable to think
not unable to speak
not lacking in skills
not in need of charity
not in need of a hair-do
not there to be patronised
not able to live a ‘normal life’
not always recognised by themselves
not free to do what they want when they want
not always treated well by statutory organisations
not always consulted by statutory and voluntary organisations
not always appreciated by the person they care for or by others
not always recognised by social, healthcare or voluntary workers
not accepted as capable by some social, health or voluntary workers
not respected / considered by some social, health and voluntary workers
Just because carers find themselves in a caring role, it does not mean they have lost their intelligence or become incapable of thinking, feeling or speaking for themselves. Carers retain their qualifications and their experience and so do not suddenly become unprofessional because they are carers. Carers come from every walk of life and bring with them wide ranges of skills and experience.
Where do carers come from?
Carers do not come from outer space; they were not invented or manufactured. They could have attained any career and bring with them a wide range of skills and experience.
| A | Architect or Accountant |
| B | Banker or Baker |
| C | Councillor or Counsellor |
| D | Doctor or Dentist |
| E | Education Officer or Electrician |
| F | Farmer or Fireman |
| G | Geologist or General |
| H | Hairdresser or Health Visitor |
| I | Inventor or Intelligence Officer |
| J | Judge or Joiner |
| K | Kitchen Assistant or Knight |
| L | Lawyer or Lecturer |
| M | Model or Milliner |
| N | Nurse or Nanny |
| O | Optician or Orator |
| P | Policeman or Pharmacist |
| Q | Quantity Surveyor or Quiz Master |
| R | Radiographer or Racing Driver |
| S | Social Worker or Student |
| T | Teacher or Theologist |
| U | Undertaker or Umpire |
| V | Vicar or Veterinarian |
| W | Writer or Window Dresser |
| X | Xylophonist or Xenophobic |
| Y | Yachtsman or Yeoman |
| Z | Zoo Keeper or Zoologist |
Carers are not amateurs because they are unpaid and voluntary
Carers do not need someone else to tell them what they want or need.
Carers do need a range of flexible support services to enable them to manage their own time effectively, and have a break from caring when, how and where needed.
Who is a carer?
A carer is someone who, without remuneration, has the main responsibility for providing or arranging care for someone else who, because of long term illness, disability or old age, is not able to care for him or herself.
or
A carer is a person who gives support, help and assistance to a relative, friend or neighbour who needs help because of an illness or chronic condition
or
A carer is anyone who provides or intends to provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis.
A Carer could be
A parent, sibling, relative or guardian looking after a disabled child.
A son or daughter looking after a parent who is disabled either physically or mentally, some as young as 6 or 7, some in their late 70s
A husband or wife caring for a spouse with a physical disability e.g. arthritis or stroke.
A husband or wife caring for a spouse with mental illness e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease.
A parent or sibling looking after an adult with learning difficulties.
A relative, neighbour or friend who is caring for or about someone who is ill or disabled by health problems.
A relative, friend or neighbour who is looking after, visiting or taking responsibility for all the affairs of someone in residential care.
Caring with Carers in Hampshire
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