‘Exhausted older carers in urgent need of support’
MORE than 1.8 million over-60s are unpaid carers, with many of them “exhausted” due to a lack of support, a report by charity Age UK reveals.
Its analysis paints a grim picture of post-pandemic Britain, with many older carers struggling to cope as they have minimal time off.
The research, published yesterday and based on polling by Kantar, suggests 11 per cent of the 16,364,456 over-60s in Britain (1,800,090 people) are carers, either at their home or elsewhere.
Of these, 59 per cent admit they feel tired because of their role.
Almost half (48 per cent) are anxious – while 29 per cent feel overwhelmed and 16 per cent lonely.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “There are 1.8 million older people in the UK who are caring for a loved one and who continue to go above and beyond – many of whom kept going day in, day out, throughout the pandemic.
“Too often this has come at a cost to their own health and well-being.
“These new figures show that older carers are in urgent need of support themselves and we are calling on the Government to provide it as a matter of urgency.”
It remains vital for carers to have help to tend to their loved ones, as well as the opportunity of a life beyond these responsibilities, Ms Abrahams stressed. She added: “Carers need breaks, financial help, good access to the NHS for themselves and the person they care for, and support to juggle work and care if they are employed.
“Investing in people who provide care for free makes huge sense as, collectively, they provide enormous quantities of support for the people they love.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that without them, our health and care system would completely collapse.
“All the evidence is that now, in the aftermath of Covid, carers are incredibly tired and in desperate need of more support. The morally right and pragmatic thing for the Government to do is to provide it.” Age UK is asking supporters to back a Recovery and Respite plan to give carers some much-needed relief.
Carers provided testimony as part of their analysis – and one said: “I don’t have a life. I cannot leave her alone because of the dementia and we can’t afford to pay anyone to care for her.”
Another said: “My life feels like a continuing fight against depression and tiredness”. A third commented: “My responsibilities were difficult but since Covid struck, life is now impossible and intolerable.
“My mother has dementia and I care for her 24/7, 365 days of the year with hardly any support whatsoever.”
‘It’s no exaggeration to say that without them, our health and care system would completely collapse’