This month Carers UK published the results of a survey undertaken with 3000 carers titled ‘State of Caring’. Here is some information and statistics from that survey which highlight why our work to support carers through our talks and seminars is so important:
“Caring is becoming part of life for more and more of us as our ageing population and the fact that people are living longer with disability and ill-health brings changes to family life.
Our survey of carers looked at a wide range of issues affecting carers and their experiences to build a picture of the current state of caring, reflecting wider social, economic and political trends.”
“Of carers responding to the survey:
Over half (56%) of carers who gave up work to care spent or have spent over 5
years out of work as a result
More than 4 in 10 (44%) of carers surveyed have been in debt as a result of caring
84% of carers surveyed said that caring has a negative impact on health
The difficulty of juggling work and care came out clearly in our survey; nearly two thirds (65%) of carers in work have used annual leave to care while nearly half (47%) have done overtime to make up for taking time off to care.”
More evidence that we need to empower people with information about planning ahead and help people prepare for a future that may involve caring responsibilities.