Carers at breaking point as stress hits families

A survey released today by a consortium of eight major national charities has revealed that caring has had a negative impact on 88 per cent of carers’ physical health, with 46 per cent sustaining a physical injury through looking after a loved one.

Meanwhile, 84 per cent said caring for a family member or friend has had a negative impact on their mental health.

The charity partners say the findings are further evidence of a growing crisis, and are calling for better financial and practical support for the 570,000 unpaid carers across Yorkshire and the Humber and 6.4 million across the country.

Ministers are now being urged to provide sustainable social care funding, better signposting and access to support services, and for regular health checks to be offered to carers who are estimated to save the Government around £119bn a year

John Healey, the former shadow health secretary and Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne, last night echoed the calls for more support for families.

“Our social care system is under increasing strain, but many unpaid carers are already close to breaking point,” he said.

“The need and numbers are rising, not just with more older and disabled people but also with war-wounded soldiers from Afghanistan relying on their family for support.

“Carers look after the family or friends they love, but too often neglect to look after themselves.

“There’s a quiet crisis in the day-to-day lives of many carers as they get older or their own health fails.

“They are totally committed to carry on caring, but they need more practical help like health checks, respite breaks and better advice.”

A new initiative by the charity Carers Leeds, called Combat Casualties, is being launched across the city next month to provide desperately needed support to families of wounded and traumatised servicemen and women returning from Helmand Province.

It is part funded by millionaire Yorkshire philanthropist Jimi Heselden, who made his fortune designing rubble bags to protect soldiers in Afghanistan and died in 2010 after riding a Segway upright scooter into a river.

Carers Leeds chief executive Val Hewison, said: “It is a big concern of mine that there are soldiers coming back with mental and physical trauma.

“That is putting a massive strain on families.

“As services are cut we are starting to get more and more families looking after each other.

“We don’t know how many people out there are doing this.”

Yorkshire’s rocketing elderly population is also having a major impact on the amount of unpaid and vulnerable carers.

The number of over-65s in North Yorkshire alone is predicted to rocket by 50 per cent, and the number of over 85s by 65 per cent by 2020, while an estimated 61,000 people are also currently living with dementia in Yorkshire.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Carers make an invaluable contribution to society and it’s vital that we support them to look after their health and well-being.

“We know how important it is for carers to be able to take a break from their caring responsibilities, to protect their own physical and mental health. That is why we have provided £400m additional funding to the NHS until 2015 for carers’ breaks, and why we’ve given the NHS the clearest ever direction to make carers a priority.”