"Forty-five years ago in the early stages of my photographic career I made a very tender photograph of a 96 year elderly lady with her cat. Her son and daughter in law who lived with her told me that they were now in their seventies and found it hard to manage caring for her."
"I am now in my seventieth year and have now confronted those difficulties first hand. I watched my father who in his nineties was the sole carer for my mother who had Alzheimer’s. Now together with my brother we find ourselves caring for my 95 year old father, once a pathologically independent man,
now having lost his mobility as a result of a serious fall, needing constant care. It goes without saying it is a privilege and a pleasure looking after the man I love dearly. When Carers First asked if I could make photographs for them documenting the lives of carers it was an assignment very close to my heart."
"When I met Colin, who cares for his daughter Gemma, the tenderness between the two of them overwhelmed me.
When I asked Colin if perhaps we could take some pictures in the garden he gently told me in would be impossible as Gemma was unable to stand which explained why she was always sitting on the floor, even drinking a cup of tea she would be at Colin’s feet."
"He recently had an accident and fractured a bone in his leg and the hospital wanted to admit him, but he was unable to stay in hospital as he needed to be home with Gemma. Even though his son and other daughter helped out as much as they could, it meant his daughter had a 40 mile round trip a day and they both had families of their own."
"Colin has been Gemma’s main carer since 2008 when his wife sadly passed away. The pandemic has added additional stress for both Colin and Gemma as she has been unable to attend her day centre and Colin has not had a break in over 18 months."
"What I realised caring for my father is how much closer you become, your roles reversed. Kulbir described these feelings so much more eloquently than I could have:
'It’s quite a lot to actually put yourself into a position to realise actually, that person needs you. So the bond has got closer and it’s actually a bond that I can’t compare with anything.
'There is a lot of sacrifices my mum made when I was younger. Now in my adulthood, I’ve made a number of sacrifices. I don’t have any regrets, I’ll treasure these times, they made me the kind of person I am.'"
"When Winston was preparing meal for his mother Florence, I saw him constantly leaning out from the kitchen checking on her.
Florence was sitting at the table, but Winston’s need to keep an eye on her, illustrated the pressure on Winston from the unpredictability of his mother’s illness:
'You don’t know what’s in store, you don’t know how they’re going to react. As soon as you get over one hurdle, there’s another. When you’re living with someone with dementia, it’s hard to get out and do things because my mother relies on me so much. You’ve got to have patience above everything. If you’ve got that the rest will follow.'"
"When Christine’s son Ashley was three years old, he banged his head and he was having seizures 60-70 times a day for six weeks. They then stopped for three weeks, but then he has continued having them everyday.
Ashley attended a day care setting, which Christine said was important for him so he didn‘t lose out on having his own thing to do and space. It was also important for her, giving her time to herself. When COVID-19 struck, Ashley could no longer attend the day care setting he had been going to so had to stay at home while Christine worked."
"Abbi and Teri are ten years old and their older sister, Samantha, has complex needs. For Sam, her younger sisters returning from school is a moment she looks forward to with excitement. They entertain her, help their mother with the cooking and feeding her. Sometimes in the morning their mother finds one of the girls asleep in Sam’s room, having gone in to comfort their older sister in the night.
On the one hand their caring role with Sam is a normal part of their life, but it also adds an extra strain on their normal ability to be children. Teri, an enthusiastic gymnast, finishes her school day, goes to her gymnastic training, comes home helps with Sam, has a half hour to do her homework before bed, maybe up in the night to comfort Sam before getting up and off to school. But the joy and love between the three of them is something to behold."
"Moraiah, 16, helps her mother looking after her younger brother, 14, and is autistic and epileptic:
'I mostly help out around the house, helping everyone to keep calm. If something kicks off I help to keep a balance for my mother from getting upset and my brother from getting upset. Having the support from Carers First helps and gives my mum advice about how she can help me cool off. It also gives me something to look forward to each month.
'We go on outings and I get to meet with other young carers. It gives me a break from being in the house - it gives me a breather. It helps me reel in that I am a child as well as a young carer.'”