Older Carers
Carers Trust’s journey so far
Dr Moira Fraser
Director of Policy and Research
mfraser@carers.org
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Carers Trust
• Is the largest UK charity specifically supporting carers
• We reach more than 450,000 carers, including more than
30,300 young carers, through a unique network of 200
independently managed carers centres and schemes, 107
young carers services and interactive websites.
• Support provided by Carers Trust network partners
includes advice, information and advocacy, training,
emotional support, peer support, and desperately needed
breaks.
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Older Carers
• Age of carers supported, 2011/12, Carers Trust Carers Centres
• UK Base: extrapolated from age breakdown provided by 128 centres
for 261,444 adult carers, and total of 21,216 young carers.
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Older Carers
• Rising demographic – clear need to address issue
• Lack of research to inform our policy and service
development
• Need more clarity on specific issues
• Need basis to start from – can’t fundraise without track
record
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
How we approached the project
• Low (i.e. no) budget and in-house
• Need to generate stats and media coverage with
possibility of further work later
• Survey monkey and hard copy via local services
• Tied in with fundraising appeal, therefore support from
colleagues on data input
• Analysis via Survey Monkey, Excel, SPSS
• £100 M&S voucher donated as incentive
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Respondents
• 639 carers 70.5% women, 29.5% men
250
209
200
138
150
127
100
76
35
50
30
21
3
0
0
90-94
95-99
100+
0
60-64
65-69
70-74
75-79
80-84
85-89
did not
specify
• Proportion of men increased with age
• Significant negative correlation between age and
number of people cared for r= -.157, p>0.001.
• 65% have own long term health problem or
disability.
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Paid employment
• Around a quarter of the carers in the 60–64 age group are still in work.
• Still significant number in paid work 65–69 and 70–74 – 8.1% and
4.9% respectively.
Those still in work often commented that this added to the aspects of
their life they had to juggle and often their levels of tiredness.
• “An average day for me is 6am–12pm nearly every day. This is due to
the combination of my caring role looking after my daughter and two
grandsons as well as having a part-time job.”
• “Very tiring physically and mentally, especially as I have to work full
time to pay for the things I need to carry out my caring role.”
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Finances
• Carers in the youngest age group surveyed (60–64)
reported having the most difficulty financially.
• Few of this group said they felt able to save money a lot of
the time or always (20%)
• only 30% said they are satisfied a lot of the time or always
with their financial position.
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Impact of caring on physical health
• 68.8% of older carers reported that caring had had a negative impact
on their physical health.
• 49.8%. said their physical health had deteriorated in the last year
• lack of opportunities they now have for exercise and other activities –
not able to leave the person they care for or too exhausted,
– “Unable to leave house unless ‘sitter’ relieves me – hence lack of
fresh air/exercise.”
– “I have had to lift my wife and her wheelchair on occasions … and
this has given me a crumbling spine which I have to be careful
about but it’s not too bad.”
• A third of respondents stated that they had delayed or cancelled
treatment for a health condition due to the demands of caring
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Impact of caring on mental health
• A 68.8% reported negative impact of caring on mental health
• Higher in the 60–69 age group - 76.7% of carers of this age reporting
a negative impact.
• 42.8% of carers said their mental or emotional health had deteriorated
over the last year
– “If I really stopped to think about what I was doing, and for how
long I might be doing it, I could despair.
• Caring for more than one person particularly stressful. Combining this
with paid work, may explain the stress of those in the 60–69 age
group.
– “I get depressed and very low at times being in the house
sandwiched between generations.”
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Launch
• Media launch Sept
2011
• Used as basis for
direct marketing
fundraising
campaign
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Thinking about what’s next - Our strategy
• Profile – how can we raise awareness?
• Solutions – what will work best for carers?
• Influence – Who needs to be persuaded and how?
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
• Research provided evidence of particular needs of dementia carers.
Proposal for research to explore their experiences and service
requirements funded by Ecclesiastical. Carers Trust currently
working in partnership with The University of York/Firefly
• High level policy round table event held in 2013 with HRH the
Princess Royal.
• Dementia Action Alliance national call to action on carers– outcomes
fed in
• Peoples Health Trust - report used as evidence to base bid for health
lottery funding to develop local support for older carers
- £1.3M 2011-2014, funding 22 projects across England, Wales and
Scotland.
• Currently developing significant bid for 3 year finding for older carers
policy and service development work.
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Thoughts and Suggestions?
• What now? Think in terms of:
– Profile
– Solutions
– Influence.
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net
Our research report:
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers (2011) Always Concerned , Always
on Call, Essex: PRTC.
Can be found at:
http://www.carers.org/sites/default/files/always_on_call_always_concerned.pdf
© Carers Trust
www.carers.org
www.youngcarers.net