Summary
The healthcare systems of virtually every nation are struggling to meet the demands placed upon them. Carers help these systems by functioning as low- or un-paid healthcare workers, yet society remains stubbornly unaware of carers' pivotal role. Policymakers often fail to incorporate them in healthcare decision-making; doctors object to including carers in discussions about the healthcare of the person under their care. The international carers' movement, however, has achieved major successes in its two-and-a-half-decade lifespan. The plight of carers is no longer unknown; today, it is in the media spotlight, and subsequently in the political domain. Many countries have assumed legal responsibilities to compensate and support the people who devote part (or all of their life) to caring for someone close to them. The movement has crossed the north-south divide, and is expanding into developing nations. As one carers' campaigner points out: "The whole subject of family care is going to explode".
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