Carer's Week 8th June to 14th June 2026 UK.
When you care for someone you love, you do the best you can to look after them but it is not easy at times.
Unpaid carers are truly amazing and I have seen first hand through my work utter selflessness and love given everyday, even if the carer is exhausted and pushed to their limits
Carer's week UK is a national annual campaign that highlights the vital love, care and support provided by unpaid carers in our communities.
Unpaid carers are individuals who look after someone who is ill, frail or disabled without being paid to do so. It is estimated that currently there are between 5.7 and 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK but there are far more worldwide.
I am grateful that we have this week to acknowledge and celebrate unpaid carers but feel a lot more could and should be done to support carers in our society as caring for a loved one is not easy both mentally and physically.
The current benefit system for unpaid carers is minimal compared to the cost of care in a professional capacity and unpaid carers save the government millions of pounds every year.
If you are a carer in the UK providing 35 hours a weeks care you are entitled to claim carer's allowance and possibly the carer element of Universal credit which will be of some help towards the cost of staying at home caring for a loved one. You can find more details on the benefits and support you may be entitled to on Welcome to GOV.UK
You can also find out more information about carer's week and much more on UK | Carers UK
Carers across the world should be respected, acknowledged and supported every single day.
There are organisations across the globe that support unpaid carers , here are just a few:
Eurocarers – European Association Working for Carers
AARP Resources for Caregivers and their Families