Dear Mary: I have become a carer for my wife who is ill and we are no longer intimate. Is it ever alright to pay for sex?

Question: My wife was diagnosed with an illness a few years back which has led to me being more of a carer than a partner. It has been very sad for both of us but we have soldiered on for the sake of the children and because, as anyone who has had long-term illness entering their home knows, bills still have to be paid. If anything, life gets more expensive when one of you is battling a disease.