Emily Kenway

We are proud to be hosting Edinburgh-based writer, activist, and former policy advisor Emily Kenway here in May. Emily joins to talk about her new book, Who Cares: The hidden crisis of caregiving, and how we solve it; a vital re-examination of caregiving that lifts the lid on a subject which society is rarely willing to confront.

The UK is on the brink of a care catastrophe – one in eight people in the UK are caring for long term unwell, elderly or disabled loved ones and with people living longer and rates of dementia, cancer and other illnesses skyrocketing, it’s likely that many of us will become caregivers in our lives.

Blending memoir, investigation and polemic, Who Cares combines Emily’s experience caring for her terminally ill mother, interviews with caregivers across the globe – from the UK to Nepal, Norway to Nebraska - and research into the future of care. For instance, Emily discusses care robots being tested in New York and Japan, asks vital questions about the future of the family and calls for radical changes to our working lives, proposing ways that we can reimagine the fundamental building blocks of the care system and society in order to tackle the crisis in care and provide better support for carers worldwide.

‘This is a beautiful book ... a visceral, unsparing picture of our current situation. I can't recommend it highly enough.’
Rob Delaney, author of A Heart That Works

‘Emily Kenway deftly blends heart-breaking personal stories with facts, figures and policy analysis … offers a radical vision of how we might do things better in future. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care should be the first to read it.’
Lady Brenda Hale, author of Spider Woman: A Life