Being a carer has always been an existing role, in different tribes at different times. At times, people have been carers without even knowing so. While being a carer is no easy task, it is often something we can undertake love and little experience as our motivations come from a good place at heart. However, there is a difference between occasional care that does not alter an individual’s lifestyle and long-term, heavy-duty care in which the individual providing the care must make some sacrifices in order to have available time for several time-consuming tasks.
Again, caring and sacrifice feel like opposing words, as if caring was a drain, or it made one give up other things – such can signify a sense of guiltiness from the individual’s perspective as of course, collectively, we understand, caring comes from love, community and sometimes, as a natural cycle of life responsibility.
So why is the study of care such a complex topic? Well, it is because of a wobbly ground involving multiple mixed emotions, often conflicting ones. It’s not only wellbeing the main focus but the legal side of the subject matter, and also, the human rights that come with it – finally, to equate fairness in all citizens (in whatever scale that is achievable), it is important to first recognise the act of caring, mostly an unpaid task, as an alteration of an individual’s lifestyle and therefore, we must have a closer look at the individual’s quality of life landscape.
For instance, if the individual’s mother is sick, they have to give up their job abroad to move home and look after her, what consequences will come with that? Will the individual feel isolated? Will the individual give up exciting job prospects or will they be offered the flexibility of remote working in the time being? Will the individual get some financial support? Is the individual remotely qualified to be able to look after their sick mum and if not, how can they become a bit prepared to face such a journey? There are many alterations to the individual’s life all at once, and while the individual’s motive is wholesome, we must still acknowledge that it is affecting the individual’s life, regardless of their sense of duty.
Further thoughts in the study of caring involve the lack of recognition and praise these individual’s get, and again, while the motivations come from personal responsibilities and familial sense of priority, it is important to highlight the relevance of these unseen heroes’ work. And find ways in which we can celebrate the existence of these people, who undertake such roles that bring such alterations to their life, whether they choose to do this out of choice or not.