If you're supporting someone who struggles with daily tasks due to illness, disability, or mental health challenges, you're a caregiver. Many don’t realize they’re caregivers right away, as the role can look different for everyone.
Whatever your situation, we’ve got lots of advice and resources to help you navigate the challenges of becoming a new caregiver. Below, we explore what it means to be a caregiver.
Let’s break it down. Unpaid or family caregivers (often referred to as informal caregivers) typically provide support out of love, compassion, and personal commitment. This could be a parent, spouse, sibling, grandchild, or any other loved one. They often don’t have formal training but provide support with tasks like cooking, cleaning, or helping someone dress.1
On the flip side, professional caregivers are hired for their expertise and sometimes have medical qualifications, too.1 They might work in hospitals, care homes, or directly in people's homes.
Different countries handle caregiving in various ways. As populations age, the need for caregivers keeps growing.
In some places, it’s all about family support, while others rely on trained professionals. Either way, caregivers provide huge social and economic value, often without enough recognition or compensation (in the case of informal care). With demand rising, it’s more important than ever to support caregivers and ensure they get the help they need to keep doing their important work.
Even if your family member has no mobility issues and completes much of their daily routine independently, they still might need a little help to complete simple day-to-day tasks. Here are a few examples of typical caregiving roles and responsibilities:
Collecting their shopping
Your loved one with low level needs might need a little help with simple things like collecting their grocery shopping from the supermarket or purchasing their incontinence products from the pharmacy.
Helping them stay safe
The person you care for may be quite independent and not need much help. But it’s important to remember that elderly people’s bones are fragile. Even a small accident or fall could injure them and stop them getting about. To help them prevent injuries, try to make their home as safe as possible for them to move around in. Read more in our TENA Home Safety section.
Providing them with companionship
Even in later life, we still love to have our hand held, our back rubbed, or our body hugged warmly. As a caregiver, a big part of your responsibilities is to make the person you care for feel valued and connected.
Helping them with demanding household tasks
People with low-level needs are usually perfectly able to take care of daily tasks in their home, such as surface cleaning. However, you may need to help them with duties that require a more physical exertion, such as garden maintenance, organising high shelves and deep-cleaning the bathroom.
Sometimes our family members may need a little more practical support and care, perhaps due to an ongoing illness or disability. Here are a few examples of caregiving roles and responsibilities for those with medium-level needs:
Providing them with a nutritious diet
You might need to support your family member by making sure they eat good, nutritious meals. This can involve more than just food preparation, as mealtimes are about more than just nourishment. They’re also times for socialising, chatting, sharing stories and having a laugh. Why not invite other family members and friends to eat with the two of you? Socialising helps the people feel connected.
Managing their fluid intake
It is important to make sure the person you care for is adequately hydrated. Overly concentrated urine can irritate the bladder, and dehydration puts them at risk of low blood pressure and a higher risk of falling over. The warning signs of dehydration are dark coloured urine, a small volume of urine, dry mouth, dry skin and feeling tired or dizzy. Encourage your family member to drink whenever they’re thirsty. To help them, make sure they drink during mealtimes, offer them social drinks (for example, have a cup of tea together) and prepare them food with a high-water content (such as soup, jelly or fruits, like melon).
If your relative experiences frequent urination at night, try to limit fluid intake 2-4 hours before bedtime.
Encouraging good hygiene
Personal hygiene is important in any daily routine. Perhaps the person you care for can take care of themselves and get washed without your help, or with just a little assistance from you. If so, that’s good! Try to encourage them to keep cleaning themselves, independently, as long as they can. You might like to check now and then, though, to see if they need your help.
Helping them with skincare
As we grow older, our skin ages too. It becomes quite fragile and dry. Elderly people need a special hygiene routine, one designed for their delicate skin. Scratching dry skin can disrupt the skin barrier, leading to infections. Therefore, it’s a good idea to encourage or help your elderly relatives to moisturise the whole body as part of their daily routine. Using a sensitive moisturiser will soften dry skin and maintain its natural pH.
Being a caregiver involves offering a lot of hands-on support. Here’s a breakdown of what that could include:
Companionship:2 Offering emotional support by spending time together, chatting, or simply providing a sense of comfort to reduce loneliness.
Caring for a loved one is a deeply personal journey, whether you're helping a parent, spouse, or friend. Family caregivers often step in to provide the support their loved ones need, juggling personal care, household duties, and emotional support. The role can be rewarding, but it’s also challenging. If you’re caring for someone, remember, you're not alone and you’re doing an incredible job - even on the hard days.
The emotional toll of caregiving can be significant. Many family caregivers experience burnout, trying to balance the demands of caregiving with other personal responsibilities. The constant pressure can lead to stress, frustration, and feelings of isolation. It’s important to recognize these challenges, seek support when needed, and give yourself permission to ask for help.
In-home caregivers provide a wide range of services to support people who need help but prefer to remain in their own homes. Services can vary from light assistance like housekeeping and companionship to more intensive medical care, depending on the person’s needs.
An in-home caregiver is someone who provides care for a loved one in their home. They can help with daily tasks such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, and medication management. Accessing these services typically involves reaching out to caregiving agencies or directly hiring a caregiver.
People with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or those recovering from surgery often require these services. In-home care is more personalized than assisted living, but it can also be more expensive, depending on the level of care required.
Sometimes our loved ones may need a little more practical support and care, perhaps due to an ongoing illness or disability that’s causing limited mobility. Your daily tasks might include assisting with bathing, preparing meals, or reminding them to take their medications.2
If they’re no longer able to engage in activities they once enjoyed, remember that there are still plenty of ways you can support them and spend meaningful time together. Shared activities can help keep things enjoyable and break up the daily routine. In many cases, a little support can go a long way in helping someone stay comfortable and independent at home.
When it comes to providing full-time or high-level care, the physical and emotional demands can be overwhelming. Caregiving for someone with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or in a palliative care situation requires constant attention, as these conditions often involve complex medical and emotional needs.
The role of the caregiver can be demanding, as it may involve round-the-clock care, managing medication, and offering both physical support and emotional comfort. In these situations, the caregiver becomes a key pillar in maintaining the quality of life for their loved one.
Caregivers come in many forms: friends, neighbors, parents, adult children, or professionals. If you’re providing ongoing care to someone, you’re a caregiver, no matter your background or training. Whether you're supporting a family member or a neighbor, caregiving isn’t limited to professionals; it’s about offering consistent care and helping your loved one navigate their daily needs.
Whether you’re a seasoned caregiver who needs some self-care, or new to caregiving, we’ve got you covered.
TENA supports caregivers with products, educational resources, and a welcoming community. Our range of incontinence solutions and expert guidance can help make daily care easier, enhancing comfort and quality of life for both you and your loved one. From emotional support to tips on choosing the right incontinence care products, our resources are here to help you feel confident and supported every step of the way.
References
1. Springer Nature. ‘Formal and informal care’. 2019. Available from: https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_847-1#:~:text=Formal%20care%20for%20older%20people,depth%20of%20their%20training%20varies.
2. Hopkins Medicine. ‘Being a caregiver’. 2025. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/caregiving/being-a-caregiver#:~:text=A%20caregiver%20provides%20assistance%20in,and%20communicating%20with%20medical%20staff.
1) TENA global research on attitudes and awareness to family caregiving in the general population. July 2022 Poland, Canada, France, UK, USA. Each country interviewed over 1,000 men and women (18+).
