Ten years ago, Kate Mosse began to help her heroic mother care for her beloved father, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease. In this lyrical and humorous book, she reflects on more than a decade of multi-generational living and being an 'extra pair of hands', first for her parents and now for her wonderful 90-year-old mother-in-law. Interspersed with snapshots of the overlooked voices of carers of the past - from poems, diaries and folk remedies that have survived the centuries - Kate looks at the contemporary landscape of care in a world of slashed budgets and at the women bearing the brunt of austerity as they battle to hold families of all shapes and sizes together.