Someone has to do it

Original title: Iemand moet het doen

Many people consider it the most normal thing in the world to look after their partner if they become ill. Informal carers often provide intensive, complex care to their partners and experience this as a heavy burden. Despite this, they do not readily call on help. This report investigates the reasons why informal carers do or do not seek help.

More than 60 informal carers who are looking after their partners were interviewed in group and individual sessions. Some of them have difficulty in coming to terms with the situation in which they find themselves and are living in isolation. Others manage to alleviate the burden by pursuing other activities outside the home alongside their care tasks. This report describes the subjective experiences of informal carers, which range between two extremes.