THEY are a 'social service for society' and should be proud of their role.

"If they weren't caring for people the cost to the NHS and Social Care would be astronomical. They provide an enormous service and they should be proud of that," says Chris Whiley, director of Carers' Resource, the local specialist carers' centre for Bradford and Airedale, Harrogate and Ripon and the Craven districts of Yorkshire.

Looking after a loved one is the natural thing to do, so it is not surprising that many carers don't actually recognise they are carers.

However, recent research published as part of Carers Rights Day by Carers UK shows that those looking after older or disabled loved ones are missing out on vital practical and financial support with disastrous consequences for their own health and finances.

Many carers are forced to forego their own careers to look after a loved one - two in five carers (42 per cent) said missing out on support as a result of not identifying as a carer caused them to give up work to care.

"It is understanding it because people expect to look after their loved ones and want to do it. They think it is part of life and over and over again carers say 'I didn't recognise myself as a carer' until I got in touch with you," says Chris, referring to the people who contact Carers' Resource.

Sally Goodman cares for her husband Steve Hill. Steve has early-onset Alzheimer's. The couple moved from their London home to Skipton to be closer to family and for a better quality of life.

Steve's short-term memory began to fade about nine years ago and, in 2013, as his memory loss became 'significant and consistent' comprehensive test results carried out by specialists revealed he had a frontal lobe disorder. An MRI scan also showed his brain was shrinking.

Says Sally: "From that point on I became Steve's carer; something I never thought I'd become. I look out for him - constantly.

The 55-year-old, who originally trained as an acoustics engineer but was working full-time as an environmental management consultant with a London firm, has now given up her role.

"I'd left him something to cook in the oven which would take 30 minutes but he'd got confused and put it in the microwave instead for 30 minutes. That was the end of the microwave - and I gave up my work," explains Sally.

She says while she was able to work out the paperwork and form filling for such as Carers Allowance, she admits it can be overwhelming.

"You are thrown into this whole new system and you have to work it out yourself. People along the way have been very helpful. Carers' Resource has helped enormously, as have the health professionals and Airedale Hospital; I can't fault any of them."

Steve, who has a PhD in nuclear physics and was an IT security consultant at the time of diagnosis, took voluntary redundancy as he was finding it difficult to maintain the high-level of concentration his work demanded.

"Steve's awesome and he copes with it amazingly well and from the start we both said we've had a good life and we'll continue to stay as normal as possible for as long as possible. He's always been very philosophical about it," says Sally.

Often carers are reluctant to seek help, believing they would be seen to be failing or not coping with their situation, but this can eventually impact on their own health.

According to the findings from 'Missing Out: the identification challenge' released by Carers UK, three quarters of carers (78 per cent) said missing out on support as a result of not identifying as a carer meant they suffered from stress and anxiety.

Chris says often carers feel they have failed if they seek support - while acknowledging how they feel, they want carers to know that it is ok to ask for a bit of help, particularly as many are caring 24/7.

"It is about recognising that there are lots of people from all sorts of backgrounds - it is quoted that three out of five of us will be a carer at some point in our life - it affects a lot of people but because they take it for granted it is raising the level of awareness so that if you do care for somebody you can get a bit of support."

According to Chris it is about listening to the needs of the carer and their loved one. "We listen to what the carers want, what would be best for them and see what we can put in place."

For more information visit carersresource.org