1.1  Who is a carer?

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A picture of a woman with her arm around a boy who has a learning disability, both smiling, with a man looking at the boy and also smiling.

 

Carers Trust Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council define a carer as:

Anyone who provides unpaid care, for a friend, partner or family member, who due to illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.

(Carers Trust, 2020)

We recommend you use this definition in your institution to maintain consistency and clarity.

Activity 1.1  Reflection

Timing: Allow around 5 minutes

Three in five of us will become carers at some point in our lives (Carers UK, 2020) so caring may well be very close to home for you. As you go through the course, please take a moment to reflect on your own life and people you know. What is your experience of caring and what impact has it had on you or the lives of those around you?

Make some notes in the text box below or in your learning journal if you’re using one.

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Introduction

1.2  What do carers do?