National Carers Week: Caring for Yourself While Supporting Someone You Love
Caring for someone you love can be one of the most meaningful things you do. Whether you’re helping a parent with everyday tasks, supporting a partner through changes in their health or regularly checking in on a family member, your care can make a real difference to their life.
But when so much of your time and energy goes towards looking after someone else, it can be easy to put your own needs aside.
National Carers Week, held from 11–17 October 2026, is an opportunity to recognise the important role unpaid carers play in our communities. It’s also a reminder that carers deserve care, understanding and support themselves.
At Life Care, we understand that supporting someone you love is personal. Every caring relationship is different, and finding the right balance between helping someone else and looking after yourself isn’t always easy.
Recognising the Important Role of Family Carers
Not everyone who provides care thinks of themselves as a carer.
You might simply see yourself as a daughter helping your mum with shopping, a husband supporting his wife with daily routines or a friend making sure someone gets to their appointments.
For many people, these responsibilities develop gradually. What begins as occasional help can become a regular part of everyday life.
You may find yourself managing appointments, preparing meals, helping around the house or providing emotional support, often while balancing work, family and other commitments.
These everyday acts of care are incredibly valuable. They help older people remain connected, comfortable and supported in the places and routines that matter most to them.
National Carers Week is a chance to acknowledge these contributions and recognise the people who make them possible.
Looking After Yourself Is Part of Caring for Someone Else
When you’re focused on someone else’s well-being, finding time for yourself can feel difficult.
You might feel that there’s always something else to do, or that taking time away means leaving someone without the support they need.
But your health and well-being matter too.
Making space for your own needs can help you feel more supported and better able to continue your caring role in a way that’s manageable for you.
This doesn’t have to mean making big changes. Sometimes, it’s the smaller things that make a difference.
Make Time for the Things You Enjoy
Whether it’s catching up with a friend, going for a walk, spending time in the garden or enjoying a quiet afternoon, maintaining your own interests is important.
Even a little time spent doing something for yourself can help you feel more connected to life outside your caring responsibilities.
Stay Connected with Others
Caring can sometimes leave less time for friendships and social activities.
Having someone you can talk to, whether that’s a family member, friend or another carer, can provide reassurance and an opportunity to share how you’re feeling.
You don’t always need someone to offer solutions. Sometimes, simply having someone listen can make a difference.
Recognise When You Need Extra Support
There may be times when your caring responsibilities feel harder to manage, particularly if the person you support has changing health or mobility needs.
You might notice you’re feeling more tired than usual, finding it difficult to keep up with your own commitments or worrying about how you’ll manage everything.
Recognising these feelings doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It may simply be a sign that some additional support could be helpful.
You Don’t Have to Manage Everything on Your Own
Accepting help can sometimes feel like a difficult decision, especially when you’ve been supporting someone for a long time.
You may worry that someone else won’t understand their preferences, routines or the little things that make them comfortable.
But having additional support doesn’t mean stepping away from your caring role.
It can mean sharing some of the everyday responsibilities, giving you more time to enjoy being a partner, daughter, son, family member or friend.
For example, having someone assist with household tasks might free up time for you to enjoy a meal together without worrying about the cleaning. Support with transport could make appointments easier to manage, while companionship and social activities may give the person you care for more opportunities to stay connected with others.
The right support should work alongside the care you already provide, respecting the choices and independence of the person receiving it.
How Life Care Can Support You and Your Loved One
Every family has its own routines, relationships and ways of doing things. That’s why finding support that feels right for everyone is so important.
Life Care provides a range of in-home support services for Older South Australians, designed around individual needs, preferences and goals.
Depending on the person’s circumstances and eligibility, support may include:
- Domestic Assistance: Practical help with cleaning, laundry and everyday household tasks to keep the home comfortable and manageable.
- Personal Care: Respectful assistance with everyday personal routines, including showering, dressing and personal hygiene.
- Social Support and Companionship: Opportunities for meaningful connection, enjoyable activities and support to stay involved in the community.
- Transport Assistance: Help getting to appointments, social activities and other important outings.
- Nursing and Allied Health Services: Individualised support for health, mobility and well-being needs.
These services can help ease some of the practical responsibilities that family carers manage, while supporting older South Australians to continue living independently and doing the things that matter to them.
Our team takes the time to listen and understand what’s important to the person receiving support, so their voice remains central to decisions about their care.
Taking the Next Step Towards Support
If you’ve been thinking about getting some extra help, you don’t need to have everything worked out before starting the conversation.
You may be unsure what services are available, how government funding works or whether the person you care for is eligible for support.
Life Care can help you understand the options available through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), Support at Home or Fee for Service, depending on individual circumstances.
Sometimes, the first step is simply having a conversation about what would make everyday life a little easier for both you and the person you support.
This National Carers Week, Remember That Your Well-being Matters Too
National Carers Week is a time to recognise the care, patience and commitment that so many people give to those closest to them.
It’s also an opportunity to remember that caring for yourself is just as important as caring for someone else.
Whether you’re providing a little help each week or supporting someone every day, you deserve to feel supported too.
At Life Care, we’re here to listen, answer your questions and help you understand the support available for you and your loved one.