My carer’s duties ended on April 7th 2022 when my Mother moved into a care home. I stopped claiming Carer’s Allowance (£69.70) from the Department of Work and Pensions and decided to take a few weeks to rest and consider what I was going to do next. Naturally, being 54 years of age, the most immediate consideration has been one of employment. We all need an income to survive. At present the State Pension Age in the UK for men is 67. This is when you will receive your State Pension, which is based upon your National Insurance Contributions that you have paid throughout your working life. That is 13 years away, hence why I’ve been considering returning to work. However, Mrs P took early retirement from the Civil Service seven years ago and raised the point that if I returned to full time work, we would no longer have so much time together. Although caring for my parents has been tough, it revolved around a schedule thus affording Mrs P and I windows of opportunity to do things.