For National Carers’ Week, which begins on Sunday, TasWeekend spoke to the heads of three state peak bodies working in the carer space — Mental Health Carers Tasmania, Alzheimers Australia, and Carers Tasmania.

All reported the sector as being “at a crossroads” and see a crisis looming because of the state’s ever-ageing population.

While the state’s formal carers struggle under the strain of growing workloads, there are also an estimated 2.8 million Australians classified as informal carers.

A report commissioned by Mind Australia in 2016 estimated the replacement cost of this informal care at $60.3 billion annually.

Nepalese migrant Debaki Thapa, 20, is an informal carer to her mother who has epilepsy, her father and grandmother, who are living with cancer, and two younger siblings.

Since arriving with her family as refugees in Hobart four years ago, she has given up her studies to focus on looking after the family.

“This is me, and it is a valuable place to be. Becoming a carer was my turning point. It made me strong,” she said.

Alzheimers Australia’s Penny Clifford said she worried carers such as Ms Thapa may fall through the cracks of NDIS reforms.

“Carers are a linchpin of the NDIS reforms — we need to make sure they continue to be supported,” she said.

Ms Thapa said she hoped her future may hold a career in social work.

“Our future in Nepal was taken away from us and now we must make our own here,” she said.

Read about the secret life of carers in TasWeekend