A carer is anyone who gives unpaid care to a family member, partner or friend who could not cope without their support. This may be due to a long-term illness, disability, a mental health condition, or an addiction.
A caring responsibility may be short-term (e.g. to support recovery following an accident) or long-term, and might include physical care (e.g. helping someone out of bed), personal care (e.g. helping someone wash), emotional support (e.g. reassuring them, checking on their wellbeing), collecting prescriptions and helping to give medicine, and providing emergency care. For young adult carers, this might also involve practical household tasks (e.g. cooking and cleaning), managing the family budget, and looking after siblings.
If you're aged 25 or under, you may be referred to as a ‘young adult carer’.