Carers Week (9-15th June 2025) is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges many unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution carers make to their families, communities, and wider society. In 2025, Carers Week focuses on ‘Caring about Equality’ and aims to highlight the inequalities faced by those providing care – higher risk of poverty, increased health inequalities and loneliness. In this blog, Lynsey writes about the realities of unpaid care, why businesses and organisations need to be more flexible, and which organisations can offer support to unpaid carers based in Essex.
“As an unpaid carer it can be really hard to get your needs, or those of the person you care for, met. In June it is Carers week and the focus this year is on equality.
There is often no equality for unpaid carers and those we care for- we can end up unable to meet either our own needs, or the needs of those we care for, because of the lack of flexibility from organisations and businesses. This can be extremely distressing.
It is important that organisations understand the challenges unpaid carers and those we care for face. Then perhaps they would allow greater flexibility.
Some people may not be able to get ready and out of the house early enough for expected timings, some need advance warning so they can prepare the person to attend.
Unpaid carers have to juggle their own needs, other responsibilities, and those of the person they care for. This can often lead to the unpaid carer having to put off their own needs in order to ensure those of the person they care for are met, which can often end with the unpaid carer getting worse and ultimately being unable to care.
Some unpaid carers have jobs they have to juggle, often with little leeway or understanding. They may have their own family’s needs to attend to, and others have their own health issues that can be made worse by providing care.
Unpaid carers provide care because the person they care for means something to them, or because it is a role they have been left to fulfil and most of the time the role is poorly understood.
It is a full-on job involving personal care, physical care and emotional care. Unpaid carers encounter tears, tantrums, anger, love, and confusion from those they care for. But they also have to deal with the change in their own role and all the same feelings themselves, as well as seeing the person they love diminish before their eyes, often with little or no support from others. They help with walking, falls, mobility, keeping the individual safe, first aid, bills, banking, phone calls, helping the individual cope with, and understand emotion and illness. All whilst worrying. All whilst battling systems that fail them.
Many unpaid carers and those they care for are still struggling with no support because the very organisations who should publicise the help, refuse to do so. Every unpaid carer should be made aware that there are organisations out there that can help. Organisations such as Essex Carers Support, Action for Family Carers and Carers First and others, offer groups, individual support, and advice.
There also needs to be a higher level of understanding from organisations – carers should not have to battle for support for themselves or those they care for. Let’s help make unpaid carers lives a little less pressured. And care a little more about their needs.”
Lynsey Rozee