Pensioners caring for relatives passes 2m mark for the first time

More than a million older carers in England have a long-term health issue of their own, charity finds

THE number of over-65s acting as a carer for a relative has risen above two million for the first time.

Age UK said that 2.29million people of retirement age provided care in the year 2015-16 – 16 per cent higher than the 1.83million five years earlier.

The figure suggests that more than one in five over-65s has acted as a carer at some point during the year, and they provided 54 million hours of unpaid care in England in 2016.

More than 400,000 of them were over 80, and this oldest age group provided 12.7 million hours of care per week, the charity’s research found.

The charity warned that the underfunding of the national care system was forcing elderly people to care for their relatives. It added that more than half of the over-65s who were providing care had a long-term illness or disability themselves.

In some cases, people in their 90s were providing care for partners of the same age, putting a strain on their health and leading them to fall ill.

Almost one in three carers told researchers that they felt lonely as they struggled to maintain relationships while caring for a relative.

Last month, the Competition and Markets Authority warned that wealthier families were paying extra care home fees to make up for a £1billionper-year shortfall caused by low local authority rates.

Caroline Abrahams, the charity director of Age UK, said: “I have heard that there’s a view in some parts of Whitehall that the state can go on underfunding social care because enough good-hearted family members will continue to step in, despite the personal cost, and take on the role for free.

“This is extremely complacent and, as these new figures show, it risks undermining the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of older people who want to help a loved one, but who we can’t expect to do it all themselves.”

Heléna Herklots, chief executive of Carers UK, which offers advice and support to carers and campaigns on their behalf, said: “This research shows that older carers are at breaking point, with many witnessing a fall in support as their hours of caring increase.

“As we approach the new year, we know that many older carers will be looking into the future with a great deal of uncertainty. It is vital that the Government recognises the growing pressures and commits to increased funding for social care as a priority.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We recognise the invaluable contribution unpaid carers make to society. That’s why carers will be a fundamental part of our Green Paper on care and support for older people.”