Who is a Carer?

A Carer is a partner (spouse), family member, friend, or neighbour, who provides care and assistance to another person. Care is most often regular and sustained over time without payment other than a Carer Payment or Carer Allowance from Centrelink - this is not considered a wage.

Carers provide support to people:

• who are aged/frail
• with disabilities
• with mental illness
• with dementia
• with a terminal illness
• living with HIV/AIDS
• with alcohol or other drug dependency

Some examples of the help they provide are:

• Doing the weekly grocery shopping
• Cooking meals
• Doing housework
• Taking the person they care for to medical appointments
• Helping the person with showering, dressing and other personal care

People who are paid to provide care to others who are aged and frail, have a disability, chronic illness or condition are often mistakenly called Carers - they are care workers or paid carers.