Caring for Neighbors

The term carer refers to a person who looks after someone close to them who needs support for a variety of reasons, such as: old age, a disability or a long term illness that makes them unable to manage without support. This person could be a family member, a close friend or a neighbour. Throughout this essay the term carer is not being used to describe a proffesional care worker as the care provided is unpaid. This essay will focus on both the rewards and disadvantages faced by someone who cares for a person close to them. I am using the experiences of Ann Walker to help me do this. Ann is 37 years old and she cares for her step-father, Angus McPhail aged 79, Angus has Parkinsons disease. Ann lives in Angus’s house with her husband Bob Walker and her 12 year old daughter Zoe Walker. Ann became a carer when her mother died, she made her a promise that she would take care of Angus after her Mother passed away.

Ann cares for Angus alone, she doesnt appear to have any support, Zoe is only a child and her husband works and plays football for a local team. Ann is faced with many difficulties in her role as a family carer. Caring for Angus is very time consuming, she had to quit her job and this must have had a negative impact on the family income. There is no respite for her because she lives in the same house as the person that she cares for. There is also a strong sense of duty felt, this can lead to Ann neglecting herself because she spends all of her time taking care of Angus.

Caring for a family member can lead to the carer feeling isolated because she is unable to go out alone, this could lead to a loss of friendships which would reinforce the feeling of being isolated and lonely. When a person cares for a family member on a full time basis exhaustion can be a difficulty because the person they care for will have needs throughout the night, such as getting in and out of bed, going to the toilet and maybe taking medication, the carer would