In the uk, there are around 6.5 million carers that care for someone in need of assistance or support. This could be due to an illness, disability, mental health problems, injury support, or simply needing assistance after recovering from surgery. Being a private carer can be both a rewarding and enjoyable experience, and many people get a great deal of joy from caring for someone other than themselves, knowing that they could make a difference to their life. Improving the quality of life for someone who is unable to do so themselves, can make the carer feel valued and helpful.

For carers, there can be an array of benefits or rewards, such as:

• Facing new challenges and overcoming them
• Strengthening your relationship with the care recipient and knowing how much they appreciate your help
• Having the opportunity for personal growth and developing new skills
• The satisfaction of knowing you are helping someone better their life
• Receiving the acknowledgement from their family and friends

On the other hand, there can be moments where it can become overwhelming, whether you are a hired private carer or caring for a loved one. When an individual is diagnosed with a medical condition or disability, or is undergoing an operation and needs aftercare, it is completely normal for them to feel vulnerable which could result in having more focus on them from other people, particularly their carer. As a private carer, you could be providing an array of different support and assistance such as emotional support, helping to cope with mental illness, personal care or medical assistance. However, providing these levels of care could eventually have an impact on the carer, as well as their family and friends. As time goes on, it could feel as if all the focus is on the person being cared for, whilst the impact of the carer is not being recognised. It could be easy to assume the carer is coping, or that do need any help or support themselves.