Make a pledge to improve the lives of the UK’s 6.5m family carers and the people who they care for

COLCHESTER, U.K. - June 5, 2014 - PRLog -- Carers Week is an annual awareness campaign organised by charities including Age UK, Carers UK, the Carers Trust, Independent Age, Macmillan, Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Parkinsons UK, skillsforcare and the Stroke Association. It celebrates the contribution unpaid carers make to people’s lives and aims to raise awareness of the help and support that is available in their local communities.

According to the charities behind Carers Week, 6,000 people take on new caring responsibilities every day. It’s also claimed that there are 175,000 young people under the age of 18 who provide care and 1.5 million carers over the age of 60.

Launched as part of this year’s campaign, the Carers Week Quest is designed to encourage businesses and members of the public to reach out to carers, recognise the vital work that they do, and find ways of working together to conquer some of the hurdles they face in their everyday lives. Celebrities, such as Lynda Bellingham, and many MPs have pledged their support to the campaign, with their pledges available to see on an online pledge wall.

The Carers Week Quest was guided by the findings of the Prepared to Care report published last year. During Carers Week 2013 over 2,100 carers were surveyed for the report and asked what impact their caring responsibilities have had on their lives. The results revealed that becoming a carer can have a significant impact on many aspects of people’s lives, including their relationships, careers, finances and health and wellbeing. Statistics from the report include:

• 61 per cent of people find it difficult to maintain friendships after becoming a carer

• 45 per cent of people gave up work because of their caring responsibilities

• 49 per cent of people used their savings to pay for essentials such as heating and food

• 92 per cent of people feel more stressed because of their caring role

Care UK runs a range of care and support services for older people, including care homes, day care clubs and care at home services. Many of its care homes organise events and provide advice and companionship to local people, including family carers:

• Silversprings care home in Thorrington, Essex, organises a weekly dementia activities club designed to enhance and maintain social skills and improve memory and independence.

• Kingsleigh care home in Woking, Surrey, hosts a weekly dementia café providing support and information to family carers and people looking after a loved one living with dementia, and

• Stanley Park care home in Stanley, County Durham, invites family carers to a fortnightly dementia café which is organised in partnership with the local branch of the Alzheimer’s Society.

Maizie Mears-Owen, head of dementia at Care UK, said: “Providing care to someone is one of the toughest challenges anyone can face but those who do often face this task alone, with appropriate support all too often received later than it’s really needed. Because of this, it’s very easy for family carers to become isolated and feel like they’re unable to maintain their hobbies or see their friends as often as they would like to. However, I can’t stress enough how important it is for family carers to remember to look after themselves and to make sure their own health isn’t suffering as a result of their commitments.

“Our care homes and day clubs can help to tackle the issue of social isolation by providing them with the opportunity to manage their other commitments and to forge new friendships with people in similar situations. In addition, our free guides Listen, talk, connect and As Easy as ABC can help family carers to overcome communication hurdles commonly associated with dementia and to find ways of supporting their loved ones. Carers Week is the perfect opportunity for people to find out more about the support that’s available to them and I strongly urge anybody who is feeling stressed about their caring responsibilities to seek help and advice.”

Information about how to get involved with Carers Week can be found online and an interactive map allows people to search by postcode to find out what events are taking place near to them. Other resources that family carers may find useful include a report from the Carers Trust and a campaign by the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA).

The Carers Trust report A Road Less Rocky – Supporting Carers of People with Dementia examines the challenges faced by carers of a relative living with dementia, the type of support that they need, and when they most need it. The report discusses how family carers aren’t receiving the support that they need and suggests they should be seen as “partners in care and offered support that is personalised to their needs”. It also identifies 10 critical points at which support is needed and discusses how best practice models, such as the Triangle of Care, can help to achieve better collaboration between healthcare professionals and family carers.

The Carers’ Call to Action is a campaign organised by the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) and aims to transform the lives of England’s 550,000 family carers who look after their relatives who are living with dementia. It states that people caring for those living with dementia:

• should have their unique experience recognised

• are given recognition as essential partners in care

• should have access to expertise, advice and support

• are supported to maintain their own health and wellbeing, and

• can access quality care, support and respite services that meet both their needs and the needs of the person they care for.

Maizie added: “We are proud to be active members of the DAA and fully support the call to action. We are always looking for ways to support people in the community and this year we plan to organise more open days and seminars aimed at residents’ relatives and family carers, expand our training courses and flexible respite services, and encourage more of our colleagues to become Dementia Friends Champions who can facilitate community events.”