K101 - Tma1

|Name               |Hayley Lucas                                                                                       |
|PI number           |A2720406                                                                                           |


Part A: Essay

|Title     |Why can it be difficult to decide whether or not a person is a carer, and does it matter? Base your answer on|
|         |the case of someone you know.                                                                                 |


It is important to recognise carers so they can receive help from professionals who can give them the help and support they need. I am going to consider the situation of one of my relatives who I will refer to as Jane. Jane is a partner to her boyfriend, referred to as Adam, and a mother to her 2 year old son referred to as Lewis, who has Cystic Fibrosis. Jane cares for Lewis as a mother; she also manages the care of his Cystic Fibrosis.

      It is difficult to decide if someone is a carer because there are four ‘complicating factors’, these are ‘duration and frequency’, ‘labelling and identity’, ‘interdependence’ and ‘networks’.

      When thinking about the complicating factor ‘duration and frequency’ I recognise that the government decided that a person qualifies for carer’s allowance if they are caring for more than 35 hours a week. It is difficult to determine whether Jane cares for Lewis at least 35 hours a week because some weeks are worse than others, therefore requiring more care, Jane thinks that on average she does care for Lewis 35 hours a week. I have set out two tables below, table one shows the ‘frequency and duration’ of the care Jane gives Lewis on a good week and table two shows the ‘frequency and duration’ of the care she gives Lewis on a bad week.




Table 1:

|                                         |Hours a day               |Days a week               |Total hours a week         |
|Administering Medication...