When caring ends: Exploring the hidden aspects of loss in trajectories out of caring in Australia

Abstract

Over 2.6 million Australians provide informal, unpaid care to a family member or friend who lives with a disability, long-term health condition, terminal illness, or frailty. Inevitably, all informal care experiences come to an end, though the circumstances may vary; for example, the person being cared for may recover or improve, others may take over caring duties, or caring may end in bereavement. Former carers have been shown to experience profound aftereffects of caring, including poor health, loneliness, limited employment opportunities, and financial precarity. Current carers have been shown to have concerns for the care recipient after their caring ends, and for their own post-caring l..