Student education
Student education
Feature men ( 6 % or two million males ). Nationally , people aged between 55 and 64 years are most likely to be informal carers ( Family Resources Survey 2024 ).
Caring can impact all areas of life , in both positive and negative ways . Caring can develop a person ’ s sense of personal growth , as well as deepening relationships and connections with the care recipients and others ; carers can also help shape health service development ( Pysklywec et al 2020 ).
However , carers often juggle caring with paid employment and childcare , which can have an impact on relationships and friendships . These factors impact occupational balance , leading to isolation and stress .
A survey completed by Carers UK in November 2023 , found that 79 % of those who responded reported feeling anxious and stressed , 50 % said they were feeling lonely , and 22 % reported that caring had caused them physical injury .
Financial hardship is common , which has not been helped by the current cost of living crisis . Taken together , carers face poorer health outcomes and health inequalities due to their caring role ( Carers UK 2023 ).
The challenge of supporting carers
As occupational therapists , we are aware that carers are included within both the Health and Care Professions Council and RCOTs standards . However , are we as individuals and institutions doing enough to support the health and wellbeing of these people ?
Carers might be providing care to service users 24 hours a day , seven days a week , implementing therapy plans , and filling in the gaps when services are closed , short staffed and / or cut . It is in our best interests , ethically , morally and legally , to support carers .
Part of the challenge of supporting carers , however , is identifying them . They could be our service user , or the person sitting next to them in the waiting room , or someone we haven ’ t met , who doesn ’ t even identify themselves as a carer .
A Carers UK survey in 2022 found that just over half of carers didn ’ t recognise their caring role until a year after they commenced caring . It is important to identify carers as soon as possible , as they might be missing out on vital support . Therefore , it is important for occupational therapists to assess the support given and received by service users , to gain an in-depth understanding of caring . If in doubt , ask .
My placement experience
While on placement in a carers ’ centre , I attended
Resources and support
Carers Trust co-production toolkit for professionals working with unpaid carers in health settings : https :// bit . ly / 3W81fQN .
Carer passport schemes : https :// www . carerpassport . uk /. Carers Trust : https :// carers . org /. Carers UK : https :// www . carersuk . org /.
Carer ’ s Leave Act ( 2023 ): www . legislation . gov . uk / ukpga / 2023 / 18
peer support groups and asked carers what they would want health professionals to know about informal carers . Some didn ’ t feel their status was valued by health professionals , or by the person / s they cared for . This led them to feel that their opinions were not given any weight .
In addition , some carers said that they didn ’ t want to be congratulated by healthcare professionals for the support that they were providing to service users ; what they wanted was their own support , especially practical help , such as food bank referrals . Also , to have services that were as accessible and flexible as possible , for them and the service user , for example a choice of appointment times .
Some carers would have liked peer support groups within the services that provided care for their loved ones , and for services to consider how they provide carers with information . For example , providing simple , more visual formats , rather than lengthy documents .
It is important to know what support is available to carers within the service , locally and nationally . This is vital in promoting carers ’ health and wellbeing .
A source of support can be a carer ’ s centre , which typically supports carers from the age of five years and up . They seek to improve carers ’ wellbeing and quality of life through signposting , training , peer support and activities and opportunities to connect with others away from their caring roles .
In addition , they aim to raise awareness of carers and their needs by influencing local and national policies .
According to Carers UK
61 %
of carers report they need more support to look after their own health and wellbeing
January 2025 OTnews 27