The Emotional Load on Carers: Who Supports Those Delivering Care?

We often hear Care staff being talked about in terms of ‘recruitment pressures, vacancies and funding challenges’. These are, of course, critical matters. But there’s another layer that is less visible and not often designed for; the day-to-day emotional experience of being a carer.

Supporting older people, particularly those living with dementia, frailty or those nearing the end of their lives, is deeply human work. It requires unwavering patience, empathy and resilience. Staff are not simply completing tasks; they are building trust, offering reassurance and often supporting residents and their families through some of life’s most difficult moments.

Over time, relationships naturally form. Carers get to know routines, personalities, histories, family stories and the small details that help someone feel safe and understood. When a resident’s health declines or they pass away, that loss is often felt deeply by the people who have cared for them day after day.

Yet the work continues. Another resident needs assistance. Another family needs reassurance. Medication rounds continue. Staff are often expected to hold that emotional weight while remaining calm, compassionate and fully present for everyone else around them.  It is a role that few truly appreciate the depth of, and one that requires a very particular combination of skill, empathy and resilience.

This emotional labour deserves greater recognition, and it also requires better support.

That support can come through leadership, team culture, training and wellbeing resources. However, it should also come through the environments in which people work. Too often, staff areas in care settings are minimal or treated as secondary spaces, despite the intensity of the role.

Through our work on Wetherby Care & Retirement Village with Springfield Healthcare Group, we wanted to challenge that thinking. Alongside the main staff facilities, the scheme includes a dedicated upper-floor wellbeing space with access to a rooftop terrace. The intention was simple: to create somewhere staff could step away briefly, access daylight and fresh air, gather with colleagues, or take a quiet moment after a difficult experience.

This may sound like a small gesture, but spaces like these send an important message. They recognise that the people delivering care matter too.

As the sector continues to evolve, supporting carers cannot be treated as an afterthought. Compassionate care depends upon compassionate workplaces.

As the available workforce diminishes, if we want people to keep giving so much of themselves to others, then we must ask ourselves far more seriously: who is caring for the carers?

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To mark Carers Week 2026, this blog is the second in a series of three from Julie, exploring the evolving role of care homes and the people who make compassionate care possible. Across the series, she reflects on lived experiences, the emotional realities of care, and why greater recognition of the sector is more important than ever.

And, if you found this of interest and would like to access a selection of other tools and resources, check out the Housing LIN’ dedicate webpages on Bereavement and End of Life Care.