k101 tma01
Throughout this essay I will share the reasons I have found for there being difficulties and also rewards of being a carer for a family member. ‘A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to care for family or friends who could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.’ (Carers Trust) I will attempt to use my course materials to draw on the experiences of Ann Walker who cares for her elderly step father Angus who has developed Parkinsons’ disease. Firstly I will look at some of the following difficulties that I have identified and due to the limitations of this study I will then briefly discuss the points I’ve made.
Being a carer can be challenging for many reasons. For example, it is time consuming and often people will give up their jobs and social lives in order to care for someone. We heard during Ann Walkers discussion with her friend that she had left work and missed being there. However, she would not go back as she felt obligated to care for her stepfather because of a promise she had made to her mother. This put Ann in an isolated position, with no work and no outside time to meet her social needs. ‘The ensuing isolation and loneliness seem to be an inevitable part of caring. This has been referred to by other carers as the caring syndrome’ (Cavaye, 2006. K101 Resources). Using up lots of time to care for someone can then increase strain in other relationships, as your balance between them may not be equal. Ann’s relationship with Bob her husband was strained at times with tension between them; this was due to the demands that were made of Ann. Caring can be physically strenuous as the person who needs help may need assistance in and out of bed, the bath and up and downstairs. Being the person responsible for someone’s care may also be stressful as you are responsible for their well being, making sure they have what
Being a carer can be challenging for many reasons. For example, it is time consuming and often people will give up their jobs and social lives in order to care for someone. We heard during Ann Walkers discussion with her friend that she had left work and missed being there. However, she would not go back as she felt obligated to care for her stepfather because of a promise she had made to her mother. This put Ann in an isolated position, with no work and no outside time to meet her social needs. ‘The ensuing isolation and loneliness seem to be an inevitable part of caring. This has been referred to by other carers as the caring syndrome’ (Cavaye, 2006. K101 Resources). Using up lots of time to care for someone can then increase strain in other relationships, as your balance between them may not be equal. Ann’s relationship with Bob her husband was strained at times with tension between them; this was due to the demands that were made of Ann. Caring can be physically strenuous as the person who needs help may need assistance in and out of bed, the bath and up and downstairs. Being the person responsible for someone’s care may also be stressful as you are responsible for their well being, making sure they have what
References: Carers Trust, (no date) ‘What is a Carer?’ available at www.carers.org/what-carer (accessed 22nd October 2013) Cavaye J. (2010) ‘Unit 1: Becoming and Being a Carer’ K101 resources P7. The Open University.