One in five unpaid carers has not had a break in years, report finds

LAURA PATERSON

and physical. Carers in Scotland said breaks were the top factor able to make a difference to their health and wellbeing but only 16 per cent were currently accessing them through services such as respite or alternative care.

The vast majority of carers (86 per cent) said they “struggle” to take time away from caring duties, with the care needed not being on offer the largest reason behind the difficulty (29 per cent).

More than a quarter (27 per cent) reported the cost of a break as a barrier while the same percentage cited the person being cared for being unwilling to accept support from others.

Further obstacles to securing time away were low confidence in the quality of care (17 per cent) and lack of awareness of how to request a break (16 per cent).

Carers Scotland director Simon Hodgson said: “Our research shows carers are struggling to get a break because appropriate support for their loved ones is not available or services they rely on are being cut or charged for.”