Publication type
Parliamentary Paper
Publication date
November 29, 2022
Summary:
Key Points: Research using Understanding Society data has shown:
1) The impact of being a carer on young carers can compound existing
inequalities, and costs the country £1bn+ per year. Better state
provision would reduce these impacts.
2) Of the two million carers aged 65 or over, 417,000 of them are
80+. They are likely to give high intensity care, but nearly two thirds
have their own health condition/disability.
3) People with a lower level of education are more likely to provide
intensive care, and those with a mid-level education are more likely
to be carers than those with a higher or lower education level.
4) Covid has had a negative impact on family caregivers’ mental
health, with loneliness a significant contributor.
5) A rise in volunteering and community action has helped some
people with some tasks during Covid, but those who need greater
help with daily living said they got less help than before the
pandemic.
6) Family carers are providing more care than they did, and the
current system is putting pressure on families to step in where the
state does not.
7) The more hours of care a person provides, the more likely they are
to reduce their work hours or leave work altogether, and employers
could provide more support.
8) Carers have lower wellbeing than non-carers, but these differences
decrease when their local authority spends more on adult social
care.
9) An ageing population and falling birth rate will increase the demand
for paid-for care, and the number of people with complex care
needs.
Subjects
Link
https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/108837/pdf/
Related Publications
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A “gloriously ordinary life’’: spotlight on adult social care. Report of Session 2022-23. Ordered to be printed 21 November 2022 and published 8 December 2022 [House of Lords. Adult Social Care Committee]
Parliamentary Paper - 20221208
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