Tma01 K101 Essay Example
A carer is somebody who looks after a friend, relative or neighbour who needs support because of their sickness, age or disability (Direct Gov) although this is a very ‘loose’ definition giving that some carers do a lot more than others and their personal circumstances vary so it is sometimes difficult to label someone as such.
I will cover the difficulties and rewards that come with being a carer for a family member using Ann and Angus as my main case study although will be drawing in on other examples covered in Unit One, including a personal statement from a family member (Robert Shire) who I covered in Activity 12 ’Your Family?’ in regards to his time caring for his terminally ill wife.
In the beginning of Unit One it quickly becomes apparent that there are many difficulties involved in being a carer. The difficulty that stood out the most to me was the fact that many carers feel they have little choice when it comes to decision making in regards to who will care for the family member in question. We are made aware almost immediately that Ann was expected to take over the role of her deceased mother six years earlier, as the woman of the house and that a previous deathbed promise bound her to Angus. Ann, along with many other carers feel a strong sense of ‘Family Duty’ when it comes to caring for a relation, this is made clear to us later on in Unit One when we hear the views of other carers with ‘disabled’ children - clearly described to us during activity 11 by Tahir’s mother who says ‘They are your children and you have to look after them’. Moral standing isn’t the only difficulty with being a carer - physical and emotional exhaustion can often be seen in these care situations - reaching a peak called ‘Carers Overload’ as seen in Activity 6 - usually a crisis occurs which seems to make carers realise how much pressure they have been dealing with, it is typically not until this point that those carers seek help, if ever at all. Many carers, just like Ann,
I will cover the difficulties and rewards that come with being a carer for a family member using Ann and Angus as my main case study although will be drawing in on other examples covered in Unit One, including a personal statement from a family member (Robert Shire) who I covered in Activity 12 ’Your Family?’ in regards to his time caring for his terminally ill wife.
In the beginning of Unit One it quickly becomes apparent that there are many difficulties involved in being a carer. The difficulty that stood out the most to me was the fact that many carers feel they have little choice when it comes to decision making in regards to who will care for the family member in question. We are made aware almost immediately that Ann was expected to take over the role of her deceased mother six years earlier, as the woman of the house and that a previous deathbed promise bound her to Angus. Ann, along with many other carers feel a strong sense of ‘Family Duty’ when it comes to caring for a relation, this is made clear to us later on in Unit One when we hear the views of other carers with ‘disabled’ children - clearly described to us during activity 11 by Tahir’s mother who says ‘They are your children and you have to look after them’. Moral standing isn’t the only difficulty with being a carer - physical and emotional exhaustion can often be seen in these care situations - reaching a peak called ‘Carers Overload’ as seen in Activity 6 - usually a crisis occurs which seems to make carers realise how much pressure they have been dealing with, it is typically not until this point that those carers seek help, if ever at all. Many carers, just like Ann,