Being a family carer – there’s no love like it

Watch our film of real carers’ stories

Millions of people care for loved ones. There can be no joy like it, no pain like it – and ultimately no love like it.

With over 60 years’ experience supporting carers, TENA understands the reality they face. Dealing with incontinence is just one of the challenges. Family carers experience many other physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding situations.

Carers do an amazing job, and we want to do everything we can to support them. Explore the range of useful guides, information and support tools TENA has developed to help family carers, or watch the #NoLoveLikeIt film to hear stories of real carers.

Key resources for family carers

Carer’s questions, answered

Find answers to many common questions family carers have.

Hygiene guide

Key information you need to know from TENA’s experts to help with important health and hygiene care.

TENA’s collaboration with real carers

TENA’s #NoLoveLikeIt campaign explores the emotional stories of real carers and their families, to raise awareness and provide recognition of the unique experiences and challenges faced by family carers everywhere.

Share the film via social media to help raise awareness of family caregiving.

Middle aged man hugs his daughter in the sofa

Andrew

“Initially it was quite a shock being told you’ve got a disabled daughter. There are very few people who understand what we're going through.”

Cares for his daughter Phoebe

A woman plays chess with her husband, in bed

Simone

“I do feel lonely and invisible at times. You feel like the waves are crashing down on you. The person you care for gets all the sympathy, but as a carer it feels like it doesn’t matter how you feel, you just have to manage.”

Cares for her husband James

A woman talks with her mother as they leave the house

Rebecca

“I started caring for my mum in 2015. In some ways it feels like our roles have reversed. It’s been tough. Caring for my mum is a very special kind of love, it's a beautiful kind of love, it's infuriating kind of love.”

Cares for her mum Harriet

A smiling young woman helps her laughing teenage sister brush her teeth.

Chloe

“The bond between us is special. You don’t get that with all sisters. We don’t need to talk because we communicate in loads of ways that no one else understands. It’s really, really beautiful.”

Cares for her sister Phoebe

Find more of TENA’s support content

Discover a full library of helpful resources, including carer advice and carer support.

Dealing with emotions

This article explores the emotional side of caregiving, with tips on how to look after your mental health.

Defining a caregiver

TENA research shows half of carers do not identify as such. This guide helps define all types of carer.

How to support a caregiver

Discover everything you need to support a caregiver in this handy guide.

And elderly woman’s hand grips the hand of her carer

Caregiving facts and statistics

New research from TENA reveals that while caregiving is becoming more common, society has yet to recognise the scale and contribution of family carers:

Millions of people care for a loved one – as many as 1 in 5 adults
50% of people worry about needing to care for a loved one in the
55% say they would struggle to balance caregiving with daily life and work
Only 1 in 4 people feel they would know what to do if they had to care for a loved one
2 in 5 people don’t know where to find support if they become a carer