Why_Can_It_Be_Difficult_to_Decide_Whether_or_Not_a_Person_Is_a_Carer,_and_Does_It_Matter_

Why can it be difficult to decide whether or not a person is a carer, and does it matter' It is important to say who is a carer so that person can receive extra help and support to continue giving the person they are looking after the care that they need. In the case of a family member of mine Mrs C the information I have gained from unit 1 was very relevant to her situation at the time. Mrs C was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease when she was 72, in her late 70’s Mrs C suffered a very severe stroke which meant she had to move in with her son as he was the only adult relative that could look after her due to a family breakdown in recent years with her daughter. Mrs C’s daughter refused to help her brother when he had initially asked her for some moral support. Mrs C’s son could also not call upon the help of his ex-wife either as they had ended their relationship on bad terms. The only person that could provide a minor amount of support was Mrs C’s granddaughter. Mrs C had no movement on her left side which made it extremely difficult to speak and move around on her own. Another contributing factor was her Alzheimer’s disease which often made her confused and upset which meant that her son could not leave her on her own for long periods of time. Mrs C’s son had to get her up on a morning, wash and dress her; feed her, take her to the toilet and put her to bed at night. As well as this her son also had to take care of the house, do the laundry and give her medication. Mrs C’s son also had to find a way of communicating with her when he could see that she was getting more and more frustrated. Mrs C’s son would also take her out 3 afternoons a week so that she could get a change of scenery and he could meet up with his friends at the same time. Mrs C’s granddaughter would come around once a week so that she could go and do the weekly shopping to ease the pressure of her father. Mrs C’s son did not see himself as a carer as all he was doing was providing for his mother as she had once done for him when he was a child. Mrs C son only had his daughter to support him but as she was only 16 at the time she couldn’t provide help in other aspects of Mrs C’s care even though she wanted to help with her grandmother. I believe my chosen person is recognised as a carer as he was the only person responsible for looking after Mrs C’s personal needs. Mrs C’s son looked after her for over 35 hours per week as he had no support network to step in to help and he was also unemployed. Mrs C’s son still does not believe that during the period he was caring for his mother he should be recognised as a carer as he did it out of the love and respect he had for his mother. I feel that this case illustrates the problems of defining a carer as if you genuinely love and care about a person it does not matter if you are recognised as a carer but you should still be able to get the help and support you need from the authorities.