This week is Carers Week. It is a time to recognise the important role carers play in supporting loved ones through cancer and to highlight the support available to them.
We know that caring for someone with cancer can be both rewarding and difficult. It can bring many feelings and challenges, and it is not always easy to know where to find help and support.
At Macmillan, we want to help people understand the experiences and challenges carers can face. In this blog, we share some of the support and information available in the Online Community, where carers, family members and friends can connect with others, share experiences, and find support from people who understand.
Many carers find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities, including work, childcare, household tasks and financial pressures, alongside providing care and support for a loved one. This can leave carers feeling overwhelmed and struggling to balance competing demands.
One member of our Supporting someone with incurable cancer forum shared “I just feel overwhelmed by everything, trying to keep down a full-time job, caring for my partner, the house, the money worries as he can't work, the struggle to try and navigate the benefits system.”
Supporting someone with cancer can also feel incredibly lonely. Caring responsibilities may leave little time or opportunity to socialise, pursue hobbies, or maintain connections with friends and family. As a result, many carers find themselves feeling isolated at a time when they need support themselves.
One member shared in the Carers only forum “I am really struggling, I sometimes feel very lonely even though I live with my husband”. With another community member in the forum stating “I feel like a ghost in my own life, no one sees that I need help as well. I don't even know how to raise that issue with people. I only feel seen when I help, otherwise I feel so lonely and unsupported.”
You can talk to other carers and share your experiences in our forums, including the Carers only forum, Supporting someone with incurable cancer forum and family and friend’s forum. These forums are safe and friendly places where you can share how you feel, ask questions, and get support from people who understand what you’re going through.
One member in our Carers only forum shared “I am so grateful to this Macmillan community. I think it has been the only place I haven’t had to fake it! Fake not being totally overwhelmed, fake not being in floods of tears after a letter or appointment. I think having this community both online and a phone call away is such a lifeline to be able to share fears and feelings with people who truly understand what you are going through.”
We’d love to hear from you about your experience being a carer. Your experiences may help others in a similar situation.
Please feel free to reply to this blog and share:
To all carers in our community, thank you for everything you do.
