Your role as a carer

What is a carer?

You are a carer if you provide ongoing unpaid care and support to a person who needs help because of an illness, disability or ageing. Becoming a carer can happen without warning or develop over time.

There are many different types of caring situations:

• you may be a partner, family member, child, friend or neighbour
• you might not see yourself as a carer, but as someone simply helping out a person in need
• you may feel that caring is part of your relationship with the person affected, or you may feel pressured to be a carer out of a sense of duty
• care may be needed for a few hours a week or on a 24-hour basis, and this may change over time
• you may provide care for a short time (days to weeks) or long term (months to years).

What carers do

Although every caring situation is different, the range of tasks involved can be grouped into 4 general areas. There may be other tasks involved depending on what the person you are caring for wants help with.

• Support for medical care – As a carer, you may attend medical appointments and treatment sessions, as well as advocate for the person with cancer and look after paperwork on their behalf. Carers often help the person with cancer deal with symptoms of the cancer and side effects of treatment, as well as managing prescriptions and medicines.
• Practical support – Carers may provide transport, prepare meals, do shopping, look after the home and people living there, help with personal care, and organise aids or mobility equipment.
• Emotional support – Carers often offer companionship and be a good listener, as well as keep family and friends updated. You may arrange professional support for the person with cancer if needed. 
• Legal and financial matters – As a carer, you may help pay bills, investigate sources of financial support and arrange professional legal or financial advice. Carers may also help the person plan for the future, organise legal documents and talk about end-of-life wishes.

For information about your rights as a carer, see Cancer Care and Your Rights and Cancer, Work and You.

More information on the carer's role

Carers in Australia

About 12% of Australians provide care to someone with a long-term illness, disability or ageing. This does not include people who are employed to look after someone.

Under Commonwealth legislation carers should have:

• the same rights as other Australians
• recognition and respect
• support to enjoy good health and social wellbeing
• economic security and the opportunity to do paid work and seek an education
• access to appropriate services
• acknowledgement as individuals with their own needs
• recognition as partners with other care providers.

All state and territory governments have also passed their own Acts and policies to recognise carers.