Support Carers Week on 12-18 June 2017.
The Northern Ireland public do not feel that carers are sufficiently valued, according to a new online public poll published today (12 June) for the start of Carers Week.
More than 7 in 10 (77%) of the general public in Northern Ireland feel carers are not sufficiently valued by society for the support they provide and this figures rises to just over eight in ten (83%) in the UK of those who have previous experience of caring themselves.The unpaid care provided by carers in Northern Ireland has been estimated to be worth £4.6 billon a year.
More than 220,000 of us in Northern Ireland are currently providing care for an older, disabled or seriously ill loved one with the numbers of unpaid carers rising faster than the general population. 6000 people each day across the UK take on a caring role but the poll showed that many people are unaware how likely it is they would take on a caring role and would be unprepared if they did become a carer. One in five people aged 50-64 are carers yet Two-fifths of those in Northern Ireland who are not currently carers (39%) thought it unlikely they would ever become a carer.
When asked their top 3 concerns, affordability of care and the impact on their finances is the top worry (46%) for people in the UK who have never had a caring experience. Coping with the stress of caring (43%) isthe second biggest worry.
Nearly a third who have never cared for someone (32%) would worry they didn’t have the skills or experience to become a carer and more than a quarter (26%) would worry about the impact of caring on their physical health.
Carers have worse health than the general public; carers providing 50 hours or more a week of care are more than twice as likely to be in bad health as non-carers (Census 2011). Worryingly, almost a quarter of those polled who have never cared (23%) would not know or understand what helpwould be available if they became a carer.
The online YouGov poll was conducted on behalf of eight major charities who are calling on the new UK Government, the Northern Ireland Assembly and society during Carers Week to do more to recognise the important contribution that unpaid carers make and support them to care.
Clare-Anne Magee, Carers NI, on behalf of Carers Week, said: “It is deeply concerning that three-quarters of respondents feel carers are undervalued by society for their contribution and this figure rises further for those who have caring experience themselves.
“The Carers Week charities seek to raise awareness of the huge contribution that carers are making every day to the lives of the family and friends they support and to their communities . In Carers Week we’re calling on the public, government and all parts of society to play their part in supporting carers by helping to build communities that recognise and understand the value and needs of carers.
“We urge our Health and Social Care Board, our Trusts, our Assembly and the new UK Government to do more to value, recognise and support the contribution made by Northern Ireland’s 220,000 unpaid carers.”
Dozens of events and activities are taking place across Northern Ireland for Carers Week with hundreds of individuals and organisations pledging to play their part in building Carer Friendly Communities.
Carers Week 2017 is made possible by Carers NI joining forces with Age NI, Carers Trust, Independent Age, Macmillan Cancer Support NI, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, MS Society NI and Which? Elderly Care and kindly supported by Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition and the Lockwood Foundation.
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