Home Carer Facts
Our Nation's many home carers provide unpaid in homecare by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend or partner. Many people are carers - parents, children, husbands and wives, even friends and neighbours and although it can be immensely rewarding it can also be hard work and extremely stressful. The 2001 Census shows that:
- Across the UK there are 3,400,000 female carers (58%) and 2,460,000 male carers (42%) providing some level of domiciliary care
- Women have a 50:50 chance of providing care by the time they are 59 and are more likely to give up work or take a lower paid job in order to provide long term care for a loved one
- There are currently 175,000 young carers under the age of 18 who provide home care support of which over 13,000 provide care for 50 hours or more per week
- The financial costs of caregiving can be significant, research shows that 72% of home carers were financially worse off as a result of becoming carers and that nearly two thirds are spending their own income or savings to pay for care for the person that they look after, with many left in debt as a result
The Importance of Home Carers
Social services and the NHS rely on carers' willingness and
ability to provide care. The latest report carried out by the
University of Leeds and published in 2007 revealed that the value
of unpaid carers support that home carers provide in the UK has now
reached £87 billion a year, more than the annual total spend on the
NHS, which stood at £82 billion in the same year.
This staggering figure means that the average carer is saving the
nation over £15,260 a year and shows that if only a small number
were to give up caring, perhaps through ill health or lack of
support, the economic impact on the nation could be
disastrous.
In reality many home carers do remain isolated and unsupported,
unable to take up paid work or have a normal social life. Those
caring for 50 hours a week or more are twice as likely to be in
poor health, with a lack of adequate breaks being cited as a major
factor. A caregiver not receiving a break is far more likely to
suffer from mental health problems with many home carers forced to
ignore their own health because of a lack of respite care and the
absence of emergency planning.
Home carers, especially young carers often don't recognise
themselves as carers and need information and support to be able to
take that important step to ask for help. Some carers feel guilty
if they ask for support, but accepting help is not only sensible
but often essential to prevent a breakdown in their own health and
well being.
How Crossroads can help Home Carers
Do you want time to go shopping without having to rush, meet a
friend for coffee or a glass of wine, play a round of golf or go
for a swim, maybe attend that evening class you've always wanted to
go to? That's where Crossroads Care can step in and give you that
all important "time out" which you truly deserve, when and how you
want it.
Crossroads Care, Coventry & Warwickshire can provide the
necessary home care support to give carers time out from caregiving
responsibilities, enabling them to do some of those things that the
home caring role may prevent. This essential respite care helps
prevent the breakdown of the carer's health enabling them to
continue their home care support role.
By supporting the home carer by providing first class respite
care, it is possible to enable the people needing care to remain
living in their own home for as long as possible, something most of
us would want to be able to do.
Crossroads Commitment
At Crossroads Care we are committed to providing homecare
services that offer a real choice and to support people whilst
retaining their independence.
Our short breaks at home service enables carers to take a break
from their caring responsibilities safe in the knowledge that there
is someone at hand to provide all the care and practical support
required. A Crossroads' personal care assistant can move in for a
couple of hours or for an extended period of time so that the home
carer can take time out for a holiday, to attend family events, or
to undergo routine hospital treatment.
This service offers a real alternative to residential admission or
hospital care with the consistency and continuity of care offered
in familiar home surroundings. It enables the home carer to get
some much needed respite whilst ensuring minimum disruption to the
person being cared for.
Download Our Annual 2010 Report
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"It's our mission to help and support Home Carers and provide
Home Care Services
to the people they care for, so please Contact Us for further information"
