14/06/2026
This has been Carer’s Week, a time to celebrate, recognise and appreciate the unsung heroes among us who care for their loved ones. Carers or Care Givers or Supporters are people who provide invaluable support to their family or friends. They fulfil countless tasks, often going above and beyond on a daily basis. If this is you then THANK YOU !
Care givers pour their hearts into the daily responsibilities that often go unnoticed. They often sacrifice their own wellbeing, prioritising the needs of those they care for.
One of our volunteers, Brian, has shared with us his very honest advice for care givers, based on his experience of looking after his wife.
In Brian’s words:
My words of advice are simple to say, harder to do, but they add so much to your care giver survival kit:
1️⃣ My first lesson was you can only deal with what’s in front of you, don’t overthink things. Concentrate on the journey and not on the destination.
2️⃣ My second word of advice if you are dealing with various outside agencies and the Health Service is to keep records of everything. It always seemed to me that these agencies never communicated with each other. The reality I am told is that most professionals often don’t have time to read the backstory in detail before seeing you because they are so overworked.
3️⃣ My third lesson is to share your situation, warts and all with someone that you trust. Be totally honest even at the risk of embarrassment to yourself. That’s a massive move to most people, especially us men. It is not a sign of weakness or an admission of failure. It’s a way of organising your thoughts and emotions and the chance to let some of the pressure that builds up inside dissipate a little. Often talking to a good listener and someone you feel completely at ease with doesn’t require smart answers just good questions.
4️⃣ Lesson Four. Try and imagine walking the proverbial mile in the patients shoes. Try to imagine how you might feel if it had been you that had been given a potentially life changing diagnosis.
5️⃣ Don’t beat yourself up, you will get things wrong, you can’t control everything. Be kind to yourself. Even superheroes have Kryptonite.
6️⃣ If you are working, let the organisation know what you are having to deal with. Give them a heads up early on and update them if the situation changes.
7️⃣ Let your GP know that you are a care giver, they do understand the enormous strain that can come with that responsibility and can be helpful.
8️⃣ Be kind to yourself – you didn’t choose this role, it chose you, don’t blame yourself for everything that doesn’t go according to plan.
9️⃣ Make daily time to get out of the caring environment, to clear your head and recharge the batteries. You need at least an hour.
1️⃣0️⃣ Read ‘The Carer’s Handbook', it’s written by someone who knows. The CSC library has copies available to borrow.
1️⃣1️⃣ Come along to the care givers group at the CSC where you will meet people maybe in similar positions or who have been there, you can be amongst people who really understand what being a care giver involves.
Thank you Brian for being so candid.
Thank you to all care givers for the incredible work that you do, please remember that taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of them.💙
We’re here for care givers. We offer a range of services designed to support people who are caring for a loved one that has cancer, from counselling and support groups to complementary therapies.
Please get in touch for more information. Karen, our experienced therapist, and Brian run our care givers' support group and can have a chat with you.
