Why Can It Be Difficult to Decide Whether or Not Someone Is a Carer, and Does It Matter? Base Your Answer on the Case of Someone You Know.

Some people become carers suddenly when their relatives, friends develops an illness or has an accident. Others make a more considered choice to look after an older relative. For many people becoming a carer is not a decision they consciously make_ it just happens gradually as someone they care for or someone who is close to them becomes ill or dependent.

There are different ways for caring for someone. One may decide it is better to live away from the person they care for, or one may choose to live with them, or may already be living with them together as part of a family. The job of looking after older disabled relatives may be taken on by one or more family members. Aa carer is someone who provides support and help to anyone with any kind of disabilities,sickness,age. Aa carer does not mean a professional care-worker in a nursing home, for example or someone employed by a disabled person.

• As we can see in the case of Ann and Angus, Ann become a carer without even realising she was one. She become a carer when her mother who was taking care of Angus died, she took responsibility for her step-father Angus who has Parkinson's disease. She felt she had no choice but be responsible of Angus as she felt people expected her to do so and it was a woman's job.

• Ann was already living with her family in her parents' house when her mother caring for Angus died.

• Ann had promised her mother that she would take care of Angus on her death bed.

Ann does a lot for Angus to be considered just as the daughter. She does more than what a daughter would normally do; this includes private and personal things.

There are complicating factors when trying to decide if someone is a carer, there could be a possibility that more than one person doing the care. For example bob Ann's husband does the helping of lifting angus when he falls at times, but bob is not a carer as he seems to be doing something that he does as they live together. Another complicating factor is not recognising yourself as a carer as Ann, considered herself as a mother and wife, on the DVD Ann tells the social worker she looks after angus but she's not the carer that means Ann does not label and identify herself as a carer ,to her she did what she did because she had made a promise to her mother .Aanother complicating factor is a lot of people have progressive conditions as Angus does, Aangus has both good and bad days, this means that Ann sometimes or some days does more than other days. On other days Angus does some things on himself. This means that the duration and frequency of care that Ann gives to Angus varies from day to day care. Even if angus did not have this problems that's not to say that angus is willing or able to view himself as needing care. This can create problems to Ann getting the support she needs. For example to qualify for carer's allowance angus needs to be on disability living allowance or attendance allowance.

It would matter to Anna and other people to be recognise Ann as a carer because of the following reasons:

• She could apply for financial or practical support

• To budget holders who need