In Devon there are around 73,000 carers who provide unpaid care for relatives and friends. Many become very isolated through the demands of their caring responsibilities and their own health suffers as a result.
The statistics below from Carers UK illustrate this clearly.
- Carers providing high levels of care are more than twice as likely to suffer from poor health.
- 1 in 5 of Carers providing substantial care are not in good health compared to 1 in 10 of those who are not Carers.
- Over a million Carers care for 50+ hours per week.
- Half of Carers suffered a physical injury often due to lifting or moving.
- Other health problems included stress, high blood pressure, heart problems, etc.
- Carers are more likely to report high levels of psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, loss of confidence and self-esteem, compared to non-carers.
- 52% of Carers providing substantial care had been treated for a stress-related disorder.
Carers UK made a number of recommendations to address these concerns which included:
- Preventing ill-health amongst Carers should be a specific part of planning on public health.
- GPs need to take an active role in health promotion for Carers e.g. annual health checks, flu jabs.
- Carer’s assessments should be addressing Carers' health issues as a matter of course.
- Information should be made available through as many means as possible e.g. GP Surgeries.
These issues and recommendations together with the concerns raised by Carers were addressed through four GP based projects.
A careful and thorough evaluation of the Carers Projects was undertaken to ensure that we understood how Carers can be supported best in order for them to maintain their health and independence.
Carers Health
