Caring for Carers What is a ‘Carer’?
Dr Marie Anne Essam Clinical Lead and Ambassador for Social Prescribing Dr Marie Anne Essam is a GP in Hertfordshire and works widely to develop and support social prescribing with regional, national and international development of the link worker role. Contact her on info@equiptoempower.co.uk and be sure to follow her on Twitter: @marieannedoc. www.bluestreamacademy.com
Informal carers – often family members, sometimes friends and neighbours – are the backbone of support for many vulnerable adults and young people. Some of these people will be officially recognised by social and medical services, their names recorded as a ‘go to’ in the event of a crisis; many just get on with it, and don’t even see themselves as providing mission-critical compassion, company and assistance for the person in question. A badge they sometimes prefer to wear is quite simply, “I look after someone”. Caring Affects Health
Caring is now recognised as a ‘social determinant of health’ by Public Health England.[1] This means there is evidence to show that what anyone who cares, and anyone who cares for carers, will tell you is true: caring can detrimentally affect your health.
Pouring yourself out on behalf of another, having your phone handy 24/7 in case you’re needed, and making sure not only your own affairs but also those of another are attended to can be wearing. Musculoskeletal aches and pains can result from lifting and manoeuvring. Lack of sleep undermines many aspects of our health. Worry, stress and social isolation affect our mental wellbeing. There are joys and privileges associated with the trusted role of carer, and I do not mean to take away from that. This article aims to draw attention to the immense personal effort and cost that caring can involve, and to be a reminder to all of us, in any public arena, to look out for carers as well as the people they bring to appointments. Continued on Page 30
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