Recognition of informal carers: a solidarity-based approach

Abstract

This article analyses the relevance of the ethics of solidarity for unpaid care and discusses its implications for public health policy. It combines philosophical and health-policy-oriented methodologies and claims that solidarity obliges us not only to care for the most vulnerable populations but also to care with those who care. Both draw attention to the work of carers, who, despite their indispensable contribution, are notoriously invisible to healthcare systems. The article argues for their threefold recognition: as partners in healthcare provision; as co-citizens and employees with special needs; and as a potentially vulnerable population themselves.