Christmas is meant to be a time of celebration. But imagine if you had no one to exchange gifts with, no one to pull a cracker with and not even a spare moment to put together a festive meal. 

That is the harrowing reality for many unpaid older carers who are looking after loved-ones with debilitating conditions such as dementia and profound disability.  

A Crossroads service user, widower Craig, 74, whose wife died shortly after their 46-year-old son suffered a catastrophic cardiac arrest which led to brain injury and cognitive and mobility problems, knows all too well how lonely Christmas can be for many unpaid carers.

‘Caring is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that doesn’t stop at Christmas,’ he says.

‘Often people don’t understand what you’re going through, so being out and about can leave you feeling low and even lonelier. The hamper, which Crossroads Care staff hand-delivered to us last year really lifted the spirits of my son and I, and made Christmas Day special.’  

Caring takes an enormous toll on the mental and physical health of carers, with 70 per cent reporting an extreme lack of social contact and almost half of all carers struggling to make ends meet.

Indeed, so relentless is unpaid caring that carers consistently report that they feel on the edge of breakdown. 

That’s why Crossroads Care is bringing back its Show an Act of Kindness Appeal for the third year running. 

For just £25, our staff and volunteers will hand-deliver a personalised Christmas hamper full of delicious food staples to older unpaid carers. 

What unpaid older carers say about Crossroads Care: