Care crisis: ‘I don’t tell my parents how much the costs set me back’
“SANDWICH” carers who look after elderly parents and children are forking out more than £2,600 a year to meet their loved ones’ needs, research reveals.
One unpaid carer left in debt as a result is Simon Wainwright, 49, who spends more than £100 a week on looking after his parents.
He recently took out a “Buy Now Pay Later” card, which lets customers defer payments, and said: “I don’t tell my parents how much the cost of caring for them sets me back because I don’t want them to feel bad.
“I have to sacrifice so much to ensure they have enough.”
Care costs came under the spotlight last month when ITV presenter Kate Garraway, right, revealed that looking after husband Derek, who died in January, cost her £16,000 a month. Now Seniorcare by Lottie, which helps firms support workers looking after older relatives, has calculated that sandwich carers are left out of pocket by an average of £217.82 a month – or £2,613.84 per year.
The money typically goes on expenses, buying extra care, getting respite cover and access to training.
Co-founder Will Donnelly said: “With an ageing population, access to appropriate eldercare is one of the biggest challenges we’re facing as a society.”
Simon, a single dad from Runcorn, Cheshire, said: “The Government has no clue of what it costs to help your parents or the agony it can cause.
“My dad is an Army veteran and I’ve had to fight to be able to provide simple items for him, and now I’m spiralling into debt.”
He admitted it had impacted his nine-year-old daughter, saying: “I had to cancel a holiday to Butlin’s recently because I just couldn’t afford it and it deeply affected me because I feel like I’ve let my daughter down. “She kept on asking me why we couldn’t go, and I didn’t know what to say other than ‘Grandpa and Nanny are not well, so understand that I have to look after them’. The guilt I felt was unbearable.”
The Carer’s Leave Act is due to be rolled out from Saturday, requiring businesses to give a week off without pay each year for caregiving duties.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We recognise the importance of unpaid carers, who play a vital role in our communities. We’ve earmarked £327million through our Better Care Fund this year to provide carers with advice and support, as well as short breaks and respite services.
“We’re investing £42.6million for innovative local projects focused on transforming the care sector, many of which will support unpaid carers.”