From the moment they wake up in the morning until they go to sleep at night, Mary Donovan is by the side of her husband Bruce.
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She became his full-time carer 10 years ago when he was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, robbing him of his ability to move freely.
And while the full-time caring role means Mrs Donovan almost never gets time out, she wouldn't have it any other way.
"I look after him in the morning, getting out of bed, showered, shaved, do his hair, cut his hair too, just all the general things he would do normally in the house, so do puzzles with him to keep his brain active," she said.
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"We visit family and friends, have fun with the grandchildren, just care for him all the time.
"He's our family and we love him, we just do it and take it in our stride. We don't need any physical award, we just do it because we love to."
Mrs Donovan is one of Tasmania's estimated 80,000 carers, ranging from the partners of people with a chronic mental health condition, to parents of children with a disability.
This week is National Carers Week, in which carers are given the opportunity to enjoy an afternoon at the movies, or other community events, as a way of saying "thank you".
Aly Mellor has been caring for her husband for 18 years, who lives with bipolar disorder.
She said just knowing that she was making a difference in the life of a loved one was all the thanks she needed.
"The main thing you need to be a carer for someone with mental health is patience and to be able to judge their moods, their mood swings, as best you can in order to deal with them," Ms Mellor said.
"The rewards can be sometimes you will sit back and he will thank me for doing what I do which is a huge thing."
Last year, the National Carer Survey found that almost one-in-three Tasmanian carers had to either quit their job, stop looking for work or reduce working hours to care for a loved one.
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