Who is a Carer?

A Carer is any individual who provides care and support to a family member or friend who lives with a disability, mental illness, alcohol or drug dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness or who is frail due to age.

A Carer may be a partner or spouse, family member, friend, or neighbour. People who are paid to provide care are often mistakenly called Carers - they are care workers or paid carers.

Carers come from a diverse range of backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers, culturally and linguistically diverse carers and LGBTQI+ carers. In NSW, there are approximately 854,300 carers.

Some examples of the support carers provide includes:

• Shopping for essentials, like groceries
• Cooking meals
• Domestic support such as cleaning
• Managing medical appointments and medication
• Helping the person with showering, dressing and other personal care
• Continence support
• Transport and social support