Caring for a friend or neighbour involves a different set of challenges than caring for a family member or spouse.
They're likely to be living separately from you, and you may feel more uncomfortable about assisting them with personal care requirements.
If, at some point, you feel you have more caring responsibility than you're comfortable with, you may want to explore other avenues of care, such as family members or a local authority assessment. If you carry on doing more than you're able or willing to do, you might start to resent the person you care for and your relationship may suffer.
This might be the case if you used to give only a small amount of care, but this gradually changed. For example, you may have started by going to the shops occasionally for them or just checking in on them once a week, but then washing, dressing and feeding became part of your role.
It may be difficult to fit caring for them with your other family responsibilities. It’s important to be honest about how much you can do. If you want to be part of their life but can’t continue caring at the same level, tell them but reassure them that you will help them replace the support you currently provide. This support may come from your social services or from local charities or voluntary organisations.
For details of these organisations, search our directory of local carers’ services or call the Carers Direct helpline on 0808 802 0202.
