An unpaid family or friend Caregiver sometimes also referred to as a Care Partner, is someone who provides care and support for a loved one or someone they have a longstanding relationship with such as a spouse, life partner, aging parent, other relative, friend, neighbor, co-worker etc., who may be experiencing an illness, injury or disabling and condition and requires personal care and assistance with life tasks. There is no singular definition for an unpaid Caregiver and each caregiving journey is unique to the individual. 

This care can be provided inside or outside of the home environment as some Caregivers provide care and support from across the miles long-distance coordinating medical appointments and services and others may be providing oversight and coordination of services for someone placed into a skilled care nursing facility.

Caregivers may perform hands on assistance with activities of daily living including bathing, dressing, getting out of bed, help with eating and incontinence. Caregivers may also perform assistance with instrumental activates of daily living such as transportation, grocery shopping, house keeping chores (i.e. laundry, house cleaning), meal preparation, oversight of financial affairs and more.

Many people don’t recognize that they are in fact a Caregiver. This lack of identification can sometimes be a barrier for seeking out support as the person simply views themselves as a helpful spouse, life partner, family member or friend.

In the LGBTQ community, it’s not uncommon to rely upon a network of social support through “families of choice” versus biological families of origin where there may be strained relationships or no relationships at all. Chosen family may include life partners, close friends or other loved ones that are not biologically related nor legally recognized but serve as a significant source of social and caregiving support.