There are already nearly ten million unpaid carers in the UK, but the coronavirus pandemic meant that an additional 4.5 million Brits began caring for older, disabled or seriously ill loved ones voluntarily.
These figures have been revealed to promote Carers Week, which is taking place from Monday June 8th to Sunday June 14th.
According to the campaign, which aims to highlight the great job millions of people do to help their family and friends in need, 2.7 million women and 1.8 million men have helped with food shopping, managing finances, providing emotional support and collecting medicine for loved ones with physical or mental illnesses or who might be elderly or disabled.
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said this huge number of people who have volunteered to help those in need “demonstrates the scale of the care being provided behind closed doors, mostly hidden from view”.
“Unpaid carers are the pillars of our health and social care systems. Yet many say they feel invisible and ignored. There are thousands caring round the clock without the practical support they would normally rely on to take a break, while others face increased costs accessing food and care products,” she stated.
The findings showed that 69 per cent of the public think the government has not given enough support to unpaid carers during the pandemic, and 75 per cent believe it should provide financial assistance and investment in care and support services to enable carers to take a break.
Ms Walker went on to say: “The government must not take unpaid carers for granted in this crisis. It must ensure their physical and mental health is looked after and it is imperative that, moving out of the pandemic, the government rebuilds our care system so that carers are supported and families have the services they need to live better lives.”
As carers might find it difficult to access support from the government, our Outreach Team provides advice and assistance in being able to claim benefits, discounts and other community help to offer some relief for loved ones.
It supports hundreds of older people every year, giving information on how to fill out paperwork for benefit claims; tips on reducing their energy bills; and signposting to other services that could improve their quality of life.
While this support is invaluable to lots of people, some might require a greater level of assistance. In this case, respite care in Worthing could be a good option to relieve the pressure for carers. This enables people to stay for a short period of time, from one to six weeks, so carers can take a much-needed break and return to their loved one refreshed and re-energised.
One daughter of a respite customer benefits from the service, saying: “I know that mum is in a safe, secure and very caring environment and that gives me the confidence to enjoy some time away on holiday where I can relax knowing mum is having a nice time.”
Indeed, those who stay at the centres can enjoy spacious en-suite rooms; in-house entertainment and outings; free weekly treatments at the beauty salon; all meals and drinks; and personal care.
