What would we do without CARERS?

Over six million people in the UK care for family, and Carers Week is a time to celebrate their amazing work

- ANNA MATHESON

Each day, 6,000 people become unpaid carers. For some, it happens gradually as their parents get older and their health declines, but for others, it’s sudden, following a terminal diagnosis or an accident that results in disability. Across the UK, 6.5 million unpaid carers are looking after their sick, elderly or disabled relatives. And whether it’s round-the-clock care, or a few hours a day, caring for someone can have a huge effect mentally and physically. Each year, Carers UK aims to raise awareness and celebrate these superstars who live among us.

Here, Woman talks to two families who’ve experienced what it’s like to care and be cared for.

‘I DIDN’T RECOGNISE I WAS A CARER’

Emma Lowndes, 53, is the director of a consulting business. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, John, 58, and their 16-year-old son. She cares for her mother-in-law, Marj, 88. For nearly 10 years, my mother-in-law, Marj, lived on her own and loved her independence. But as she got older, she began to fall more often and became forgetful. Initially, we suggested assisted living but Marj didn’t want to be cared for by strangers. Eventually, in 2011, when Marj was 79, we suggested she move in with us. ‘Are you sure?’ she asked. ‘I wouldn’t have had my mother-in-law living with me!’ But it made sense, and meant Marj could be close to her family.