Three in five people set to be carers

Three in five people will end up caring for someone who is
chronically sick, disabled or frail at some point in our lives,
according to shock findings of a new report.

The report is published by Carers Scotland – the new name
for Carers National Association Scotland. Research commissioned by
the charity shows there will be an increase of 60 per cent or
300,000 in the number of carers needed in Scotland by the year
2037.

The report shows that seven out of 10 women and almost six out
of 10 men will become carers in their lifetime due to an ageing
population and current community care policies. The research shows
that many carers are forced into poverty, have severe problems in
maintaining paid employment and many complain of being ignored by
social care and health agencies.

Carers Scotland are calling for a radical change in the support
to carers nation-wide. These include welfare benefits designed to
support carers, employment rights allowing a return to work and
flexible hours, social care and health agencies treating carers as
central to all support strategies and reduced service charges for
costs associated with caring.

John Wilkes, director of Carers Scotland, said: “Without
adequate support for carers our whole system of community care will
collapse and an impossible burden will fall on the NHS and social
services.”

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