An informal carer is “A person who takes unpaid responsibility for the physical and/or mental well being of someone who can not perform the tasks of daily living unaided because of illness or disability” (Unit 1, p17) Using this analogy it is easy to see that Margaret was an informal carer shortly before Edith moved to the nursing home however when the care began it is less easy to say. I will now discuss the four complications and how they relate to my case study.
I will begin with interdependence. When Edith and Margaret bean co-habiting there was a level of interdependence as Edith still maintained her role of mother; she offered advice and emotional support and when she moved in she helped with house work i.e. washing and ironing. This helped Margaret immensely as she was still in full time employment. This level of help from Edith deteriorated as her health did and the level of interdependence also lowered, but at what point the interdependence ceased to exist is difficult to say.
Duration and frequency of care is a prime factor in determining informal care. In relation to my case study, the frequency and duration both increased as time went on. In the beginning it was weekly visits to help with getting out and about. Then she needed a little more help on ‘bad days’. The ‘bad day’s’ became more common and towards the end it was not possible to leave Edith alone in the house as the level of dementia increased. She regularly got up out of bed, day or night, fell, and then needed assistance to resettle into bed. It is difficult to pick at what point the duration and frequency of the care qualified Margaret as an informal carer.
Next I shall discuss labeling. In the beginning Margaret counted herself as a daughter whose mother needed some help. When Lucy moved in and the level of care increased Margaret often commented to Lucy that “it must be like being at work for you”. So it was evident that she recognized that the role was primarily a caring one, however she felt an obligation to fill this role as a daughter. It took some time for Margaret to accept she was a carer and I don’t believe that Edith has ever accepted it.
Finally I will look into networks. There is the possibility of alienating or belittle the role of the network of support by labeling an individual as the main carer. For example without the assistance of John or Lucy, Edith would have had to move into the nursing home a lot sooner than she did. They are not the main carers but this does not make their role any less important.
In this instance Margaret became an informal carer when she needed support from the state, i.e. medical and financial help. She received her label when she realized she needed it. Until she accepted the title of informal carer there was very little support from anyone outside of her circle of support. This case shows varying levels of care and complications. If you select different points in time you can argue whether Margaret is an informal carer.
In conclusion there are many contributing factors to defining an informal carer but in order to receive appropriate support it is essential to accept this label.
Names have been changed in line with the Caldicott protocol.
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Reference: Open University (2005) k100 Understanding Health and Social Care, unit 1 ‘Caring; A Family Affair?’ Milton Keynes, The Open University.
