Carers Week
Carers Week is Monday 10th June - Sunday 16th June 2024. It highlights the contribution that carers make to families and local communities throughout the country. The annual campaign also aims to raise awareness about the challenges that carers can face, including unpaid care work. Find Carers Week events in your area by clicking the link below.
About Carers Week
The theme for this year's Carers Week is 'putting carers on the map' to make sure that the voices of unpaid carers are heard by politicians, employers, service providers, educational establishments, journalists and throughout our communities.
What do carers do?
A carer is someone who gives unpaid care to a friend or family member who has an illness, disability, mental health condition, addiction, or who needs extra help as they grow older. The person being cared for is considered to not be able to take care of themselves.
Caring can have a big impact on life. Many carers have to balance their caring responsibilities with work, study or other commitments. Some carers don’t think of themselves as carers and can take time to understand their role.
There are around 6.5 million people in the UK who are unpaid carers. Many are young carers or working carers, who may look after parents or older family members.
Information and support for carers
If your partner, family member or friend has cancer, there can be a lot to think about when you are caring for them.
We have information and support for carers on our website, including:
- Looking after someone with cancer
- Practical support for carers
- Emotional support for carers
- Financial support for carers
- Being a young carer
- Working carers
- Getting support as a carer
- Cancer and dementia. This may be helpful for older carers supporting someone.
Finance and practical advice
If you are looking after someone with cancer, you could be entitled to Carer’s Allowance. Use our benefits calculator to work out which benefits you can get. There are a range of benefits available for full-time and working carers.
Carers can also access information about the impacts of cancer and its treatment.
You can download our booklets:
We also have an audiobook available for download.
You may find our online community useful where you can find forums of support and chat with people in similar situations:
We also have related blogs including:
How can we help you
Carers provide vital support and make a huge contribution to society. There are many ways we can support you.
The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their carers. Call us free on 0800 808 00 00, open 7 days a week 8am to 8pm. We have information about getting emotional, practical or financial help.
You can also email the Macmillan Support Line.
Find out more about how Macmillan can help the person you are looking after.
The following organisations can also provide help for carers:
How to get involved this Carers Week
Macmillan provides specialist information, support and services for everybody living with cancer. We also help people affected by cancer, such as carers. But we couldn't do it without our supporters. Here are accessible ways you can get involved.
