What stresses and strains can be experienced by carers and users of home care services? How can they be overcome? Discuss using examples from K101
Being a carer is a very subtle job and although rewarding can be very stressful with other added strains. In this essay I will be discussing the stresses and strains that can be experienced by carers who care for a family member or a friend and users of home care services. And in this essay I will be using examples from K101.
There are six million carers in the UK who care for a sick family member or relative. Often these people fail to recognise that they are a carer and are reluctant to seek help until a crisis happens. An example of this is in the case of Ann and Angus, this case illustrates some of the stresses and strains experienced by many of the six million carers in the UK.
After Ann’s mother died Ann gave up her job to care for her stepfather Angus who suffered from Parkinsons disease. Although Ann found being a carer was rewarding on the other hand she found that being a carer had many stresses and strains. Not only did Ann have to care for Angus she also had the added strain of caring for her husband Bob and daughter Zoe, she felt that caring for Angus was what would be normally expected, as a daughter and that of a woman as caring is seen by many as woman’s work.
Like Ann carers experience many other stresses, caring is physically demanding and for Ann this was the case, as she had to help Angus with using the stairs in and out of bed and with using the toilet. Also for Ann and carers like Ann caring is emotionally stressful as many carers feel they have to care for their friend / relative out of duty also often carers may feel guilty for various reasons, this may be if they can’t cope or feel they are neglecting other family members. Caring is also scary especially as like Ann many carers have to deal with intimate and sometimes very personal care which can be embarrassing for both...