Carers throughout the UK are struggling behind closed doors without adequate help or advice, according to recent research released to mark Carers Week 2014.
Independent Age highlights that only one in three (33%) carers polled say they received enough support to do the role well. This fell to a shocking one in four (27%) amongst women who were carrying out a caring role. When asked what would make it possible for them to do their caring role well, the top choice from seven in ten (69%) carers was to know exactly what help they could get, right from the start.
Across the UK today 6.5 million – one in eight adults – are caring for a loved one who is older, seriously ill or disabled. With an ageing population and people able to live longer with disability and illness, this number is rising fast and in just over 20 years the number caring for family and friends is set to reach nine million.
“Without the right support caring can quickly lead to crisis and we hear from too many carers struggling under the emotional, physical and financial strain of caring,” commented Heléna Herklots, Chief Executive of Carers UK. “The reality is that all of us, at some point in our lives, will either be carers or need the help of carers. This survey is a wake-up call, clearly and alarmingly showing that as a society we need a much wider understanding of the realities of caring.”
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