Carers
Watching a loved one become unwell with Long COVID can be very confusing, difficult and frightening. Many carers find themselves moving between hope, grief, frustration and acceptance, as they adjust to the changes brought by Long COVID. These webpages share support and resources to help you manage that change.
You might also prefer to download our Carer’s Resource, which brings all this information together in one document.
What is a carer?
A carer is any unpaid adult or young person who looks after a family member, partner or friend to support them with their illness, disability or long-term condition, including Long COVID. Caring can be anywhere from a few hours a week to round the clock care.
You may help someone with some of or all the following:
Daily tasks: cooking, cleaning or shopping
Personal care: helping them to wash, dress or eat
Medical admin: taking them to appointments regularly or collecting medication
Emotional wellbeing: providing emotional support or keeping them company
Life admin: helping with paperwork or finances
Carers are invaluable.
They are the backbone of support for many people living with Long COVID. Research suggests that one third of people in the UK living with Long COVID rely on carers, and that the estimated value of the unpaid care provided by Long COVID carers is £4.8 billion (Kwon et al (2023), Impact of long Covid on productivity and caregiving. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/pmid/38146040/).
