The range of services which can be offered, and the ways they can be provided, have expanded and diversified. A guiding principle underlying many of the changes has been that of enabling people to carry on independent life in the community. Thanks to these changes, fewer people who need care have to be cared for in hospitals or other institutions, and more are being helped to live among their friends and family, in familiar surroundings. These changes are good news. But the success of the new ways of supporting people in the community depends very heavily on unpaid carers, and as carers play an increasingly vital role, the importance of supporting them properly also increases.
Every caring situation is unique.
We do not need to understand every individual's circumstances or motivations for what is often a very personal and private activity. But we all need to recognise the existence and the value of carers, both to the individual person they care for, and to the community more widely. The importance of supporting carers is heightened by demographic trends. We are as a whole an ageing population, as the proportion of older people grows, and increasing numbers of people live longer. There will be progressively more people who need care, and fewer younger people to care for them.