National Carers Week highlights role of unpaid carers

National Carers Week, which ran from 8 to 14 June 2009, involved a wide range of events and projects to highlight the vital role of unpaid carers in the UK. 10 national charities supported the Week, including the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Carers UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Counsel + Care. Results of two surveys carried out by Carers Week itself and YouGov were announced at the start of the Week and included:

• 86% of people surveyed think that carers make a valuable contribution to society, placing them just a few percentage points behind fire fighters and nurses.
• Almost all respondents think that carers’ benefits are too low with 76% saying that the current level of Carer’s Allowance is ‘unreasonable’.
• There is a huge gap between the perceived and actual number of carers in the UK. There are over 6 million carers, but 71% of people surveyed thought that there are 1.5 million or less.
• The stress experienced by 76% of carers is pushing them to breaking point, with 63% stating that their lives are made harder by lack of recognition of their role by professionals such as GPs and social workers.
• Over half of carers are worse off financially and / or in poorer health because of the care that they undertake.

Carers Week manager Paul Matz explains why it is so important to raise the profile of the UK’s carers: ‘In many instances carers can be equated to the emergency services – because they do step in when there is an emergency, often becoming a carer literally overnight…the work they do saves the UK economy an estimated £87 billion every year. Carers Week is calling on the Government to do more to support carers…Carers shouldn’t have to struggle on alone when they contribute so much.’ The initiative has received widespread support from politicians including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who commented: ‘I am delighted to support Carers Week. It is a valuable opportunity for organisations across all sectors to recognise and promote the increasingly important role that carers play in our society.’ You can find a wealth of information about Carers Week on its website.