Caring for someone else in the home is a labour of love, because not only can it be an arduous and time-consuming vocation - often it's close to being a 24/7 situation - but it can also lead to feelings of isolation from the so-called "real world" outside, with long hours confined indoors and very few opportunities to get out of the house yourself.

Even if the person being cared for is able to get out from time to time, it frequently requires a wheelchair and even concentrated supervision from their carer, as many are not able to understand the dangers of traffic and so on, or, even where they do, they may be physically unable to cope with the rush and crush of life beyond their front door.

By and large, money is going to be tight - yes, there are Carers Allowances and a number of potential additional benefits that can be paid for unusual or extreme circumstances, but they're not exactly overly-generous, to say the least and unexpected events can strain an already taut budget to snapping point.

For instance, if you were caring for someone who was incontinent, either because of age, or for a variety of other reasons, one of the most important things you would need in the house is an efficient washing machine and a tumble dryer would hardly be a luxury, either, given the unpredictable nature of the English weather.

With bedding and clothing possibly needing to be changed four or five times in any 24 hour period, imagine how you would feel if, one morning, having loaded up the machine, put in the powder, sachet, or liquid, whatever you found best, you pressed the button to start up and ... nothing.

Or, perhaps, a few whirrs, clunks and rattles, followed by noises that you know aren't part of the machine's normal operational noises.

Of course, the machine may be reparable, but at what cost nowadays? And how long might such a repair take? Two days? Three? Four? A week?

Consider, for just a moment, what that would mean to the rapid build-up of dirty washing? On the other hand, don't consider it, as it's doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

With modern built-in obsolescence, far more often than not the only option when a washing machine goes on the blink is to replace it - it's generally as cheap to take that route anyway.

But, when you're existing on a very tight budget, even the cheapest of washing machines is way out of reach - and a cheap washing machine is unlikely to stand up to the rigours to which your situation will put it through anyway.

So, what do you do?

Yes, you can apply for help to the DHSS, but that means form-filling, delays and, as often as not, a payment that goes only part way to saving your situation - sometimes, even, because your overall household income is deemed to be above certain levels, you may be told you don't qualify for further help, even though you may have nothing in the bank and just a few pounds in the housekeeping tin over the fireplace.

That's just one example of where we can step in and help and, as soon as we have satisfied ourselves that it is a genuine emergency (and that doesn't take very long at all), we can make available the money needed and help ensure that you get the best value for it, too.

On a completely different tack, we appreciate the human strain - people can wear out, just like machines and a break of even a few days can make such a difference, sometimes a break involving both the carer and his or her relative sharing the same break, sometimes just enabling the carer to be able to get into a different environment and just switch off, however briefly.

As we build up this website, we'll endeavour to explain more of what we do in far greater detail and there is also plenty of information available on the Carers UK website, but please remember, what we do at Portsmouth and SE Hants Carers is all done for the benefit of our local carers and community and anything you do to help us will be received and appreciated by people who may be living, not just in the same city, town, or village as you, but maybe even in the same street.