Carers Blog - Caring for Carers - Mirror.co.uk

GMTV's John Stapleton joins the campaign

2009-11-23T10:34:41Z

GMTV's John Stapleton has backed the Mirror's Caring for Carers campaign.

The presenter, 63, joined the Archbishop of Canterbury to call for benefits reform, with many who care for family living on just £53.10 a week.

John said: "They save us billions."

We cannot keep failing our carers

2009-11-09T00:00:00Z

Town hall leaders have thrown their weight behind the Mirror's Caring for Carers campaign.

They say the benefits system is failing Britain's six million carers.

David Rogers, spokesman on social care for the Local Government Association, urged ministers to carry out an immediate review.

He said: "The Government has pledged to end carer poverty by 2018, but that is too late.

"Ministers need to get their skates on now to help Britain's carers.

]]> "Many find themselves having to give up work and ultimately their pension rights to help somebody in need. Others try to juggle their jobs with their care responsibilities. So why does the current benefits system fail the very people saving the country billions of pounds a year?"

Mr Rogers added: "Ensuring that carers are financially secure is crucial and every one of them deserves an income that reflects the valuable contribution they provide. No carer should find themselves struggling alone, particularly as a large number of them are older people."

The Archbishop of Canterbury has also backed the Mirror's campaign.

Dr Rowan Williams said it was "all too easy" to forget the enormous amount of work done by carers in this country. Nearly 70 MPs have signed a Commons motion calling for
extra aid for carers.

Share your experiences of caring with us. Tell your stories at caring4carers@mirror.co.uk

MPs back Mirror's Cash For Carers campaign to end poverty by demanding a debate

2009-10-26T15:31:15Z

Top politicians are backing the Mirror's Caring for Carers campaign by calling for an urgent debate.

Nearly 60 MPs from all three main political parties have signed a Commons motion calling for extra aid for them.

Lib Dem MP Paul Burstow tabled the Early Day Motion after our campaign was launched earlier this month.

It highlights the Carers Poverty Charter, drawn up by charity Carers UK, which calls for a shake-up of carers' benefits.

Mr Burstow said: "We need the Government to improve benefits and lift all carers out of poverty."

Dr Hywel Francis, Labour MP who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Carers, said: "Carers need to be treated with more dignity and respect." Tory MP Peter Bottomley added: "I'm glad The Mirror is campaigning."

Some six million people -10% of the population - look after the sick or elderly. Yet despite saving the country an estimated £87billion a year, many struggle to afford even the basic costs of living. At present carers are paid only £53.10 a week for a minimum of 35 hours caring. This is £1.52 per hour, way below the minimum wage of £5.80.

But they don't qualify if they get a state pension, earn more than £95 a week after tax, or if they are full-time students.

Mark Goldring, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said: "For many carers life is a nightmare struggling to make ends meet."

THE MIRROR'S 3 DEMANDS

An immediate Government review of carers' benefits and the Carer's Allowance to be increased

More respite breaks and health checks for carers

Carers' leave to be made into law so carers can ask employers for discretionary time off work

Carers should be allowed extra time off workers when they are unable to cope

2009-10-14T08:46:26Z

Carers should be allowed extra time off work when they are unable to cope, campaigners said yesterday.

At present they can ask for flexible working to help combine a job and looking after loved ones.

But one in five find it impossible to balance the two and give up work. Many fall into financial hardship.

Today the Mirror, along with the charity Carers UK, is calling for Carer's Leave to be made law.

This would give a right to discretionary planned time off to cope with responsibilities. It would also give carers extra breathing space instead of feeling they have to quit.

The policy has already been adopted by Centrica, the parent company of British Gas.

Imelda Redmond, of Carers UK, said: "A number of employers are really good. But for many, juggling work and caring can be a struggle.

"They tell us they often feel they have to give up work and then have to survive solely on benefits."

Since 2007, carers have had the right to emergency or dependents' leave in times of crisis.

But campaigners say Carer's Leave would allow time for planned events such as hospital visits.

]]> Centrica has had a sympathetic policy for six years.

It includes flexible working for all employees. It also offers Carer's Leave - typically five days a year - decided by managers on a discretionary basis.

Staff take half a day out of annual holiday and the company matches the other half day.

Mel Flogdell, of Centrica, said: "We know caring places extra demands on people. Trying to balance work and life can be really difficult.

"Also, we don't want to lose staff once we've trained them.

"So we support the Mirror's demand - and recommend it to other companies. If they haven't started already they should get a policy in place because the issue is going to get bigger and bigger."

Estimates suggest three million people combine work with caring, that's around one in eight workers.

Two million are full-time while one million work part-time.

Earlier this week our Caring for Carers campaign called on the government to increase the "disgracefully low" benefits carers are forced to live on.

And yesterday we demanded more respite breaks and health checks for hard-pressed carers.

Please tell us your experience of caring at caring4carers@mirror.co.uk

CASE HISTORY 1- SHARON COLEMAN

When Sharon Coleman had to quit her legal secretary's job to care for disabled son Oliver she took her employers to a tribunal.

She eventually won a landmark case which led to better working rights for millions of carers.

Now she's backing the Mirror's campaign. The mum-of-one from Bermondsey, South London, said: "I've met people who've lost their homes trying to care for loved ones.

"They lose their jobs and their self-respect. It makes sense for employers to try and help staff who are carers."

When Oliver was born in 2002 with respiratory problems, Sharon asked for flexible working. But she was denied it despite other staff getting requests. She also suffered abusive language and accusations of laziness.

Sharon claimed constructive dismissal and won her fight in the European Court of Justice.

CASE HISTORY 2 - GEOFF KITCHENER

Geoff Kitchener has worked full time and cared for wife Rosanne for 10 years - thanks to bosses at Centrica.

The customer services adviser says: "I've been lucky to work for a company that has a good policy.

"I've been very fairly treated and am able to work hours that suit my caring responsibilities. As well as flexible working, the Carer's Leave has been an enormous help to me."

Wife Rosanne, 47, had to give up work with neurological problems.

Geoff, 54, from Edinburgh, added: "It was like being hit with a brick but thankfully I could keep on working."

Give us a rest - carer breaks are vital

2009-10-13T09:24:34Z

Carers are being denied respite breaks because money set aside for them is failing to get through.

Health trusts were last year given £150million for short breaks for carers - £50million for 2009 and £100million set aside for the following 12 months.

But a study found around £40million out of the £50million earmarked for carers' breaks this year has failed to reach them.

Some trusts said they did not even know they were given the extra money. Others said they chose to spend it elsewhere and some said they used it to plug deficits.

The scandal shows the lack of priority given to carers, despite them saving Britain an estimated £87billion a year.

Many work round the clock caring for loved ones, often for no pay and at the expense of their own health.

Yesterday the Mirror launched its Caring for Carers campaign, calling on the Government to order an urgent review of benefits and to raise the Carer's Allowance.

And today, along with the charity Carers UK, we are asking ministers to ensure every carer gets the respite breaks they need. We also want carers to be offered regular health checks and fasttrack appointments with their GP.

Imelda Redmond, chief executive of Carers UK, said: "It's important for people who care around the clock to get respite breaks. Otherwise they become isolated and suffer health problems themselves - carers become the patients. Every carer should get a respite if they need one and regular check-ups on their own health."

A survey found three-quarters of carers feel they have reached breaking point looking after a loved one. Some suffer breakdowns and others attempt suicide.

Carole Cochrane , chief executive at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, said: "Not giving carers this money is a lost opportunity.

Respite breaks are a lifeline - not just for carers but for the whole family.

"It is foolish of health trusts not to see carers as a priority. They save the economy a fortune. If they didn't, health trusts' budgets would be shot out of the water.

"We're calling on all primary care trusts to spend next year's £100million on breaks for carers as originally intended.

"The Government needs to also ensure that they make public how much of the £100million is allocated to each PCT and to be certain that carers get to benefit."

Anne Roberts, chief executive at Crossroads Care, added: "Failure to provide breaks is short-sighted. When carers reach crisis point, health trusts have to provide additional support at extra cost."

CASE HISTORY 1

I broke down.. aged 14

For years, Kayleigh Smith's life has in many ways been put on hold as her dad Terry's carer.

Yet she insists that what she does is not special or a chore.

But Kayleigh would like to see more measures put in place so she and her mum - and other carers - get an occasional break.

She has to ensure 62-year-old Terry's every need is catered for before she can go on holiday or stay out overnight with pals.

And partners have to understand her responsibilities, too. Kayleigh was eight when Terry returned home from his job as an accountant and suffered a nearfatal brain haemorrhage. He spent months in a coma and when he woke up he was blind, paralysed down the left-hand side of his body and his mental age reduced to that of a child.

Kayleigh did her best to assist her mum looking after her dad.

She helped him brush his teeth, shower, take his 24 daily tablets, read to him, prepared his clothes and anything else he might need.

BULLIED

But she had a nervous breakdown aged just 14.

"The stress isn't as bad now," says Kayleigh who lives in Mitcham, Surrey, with her dad and mum Anne, 59. "But when I was younger I was depressed.

"It was hard enough having to look after Dad. His timings were out. He'd sleep at 10pm but wake at 2am wanting breakfast.

"But what made life really hard was being badly bullied at school.

"After the other kids found out about what happened to him, they called me a Cabbage Patch Kid and called my dad a cabbage.

"I had panic attacks and refused to leave the house.

"I've lost so many friends because they don't understand the pressure and responsibility."

Kayleigh is now registered as disabled herself and had to pull out of studying for a degree.

She added: "I love my dad. He's an inspiration. He even learned how to wash his hair recently.

"But we need help. We need a break because we can't do the job properly if we're stressed out."

CASE HISTORY 2

There seemed no way out but suicide

Cheryl Pearce admits she thought about ending her life after becoming her dad Ray's carer following the death of mum Cynthia last year.

Common reasons for carers to reach breaking point, a survey found, was frustration at trying to get benefits and health care.

Others cited financial concerns and a lack of sleep - as well as fears for the health of their loved one. It is a situation Cheryl, of Stoke-on-Trent, knows well.

Her alarm goes off at 5.30am when husband Martin, who is profoundly deaf, has to get up. Then she is busy for the rest of the day, getting son Dylan to and from school while looking after Ray. She explains: "Dad's in constant pain and takes up to 18 tablets a day.

"He has heart failure as well as a spinal condition that has left him in a wheelchair.

"He also has chronic arthritis and glaucoma so he has trouble seeing."

As well as all the family chores including cooking and ironing, Cheryl goes out to earn extra cash. She says: "I do two hours every night as a domestic for the local NHS trust while Martin sits with Dad."

She gets to bed around midnight and knows "it will be the same routine tomorrow".

Anti-depressants suppressed her "very dark thoughts" but she still suffers exhaustion and at times she does not think she can cope.

But worst is the guilt she feels at spending too little time with five-year-old Dylan, daughter Carla, 22, and husband Martin, 39.

"It all came to a head in November last year," explains Cheryl. "I thought, 'What's the point?' Every day was the same and I couldn't see a way out.

"I considered suicide and even thinking about Dylan wasn't enough - I reasoned he would come to terms. I wanted to have no life rather than the one I was living."

Cheryl's family urged her to contact a doctor, who advised her to speak to social services - something she had not done in case her father ended up in care.

She now gets six hours of respite care every Monday and a weekend off each month when her brother comes to take over.

ARE YOU A CARER?

We would like you to share with us your experiences of caring.

Tell us your stories at caring4carers@mirror.co.uk

Caring for carers

These are the Mirror's three demands for the Caring for Carers campaign, which we launched yesterday

1. An immediate Government review of carers' benefits and the Carer's Allowance to be increased

2. More respite breaks and health checks for carers

3. Carer's Leave to be made into law so carers can ask bosses for discretionary time off

Daily Mirror launches caring for carers campaign

2009-10-12T01:15:31Z

The Daily Mirror today launches a campaign to improve the lives of Britain's carers.

Some six million people - 10 per cent of the population - look after sick or elderly relatives and friends.

Yet despite saving the country an estimated £87billion a year, many are living in poverty and struggling to afford even the basic costs of everyday living.

Some carers are working round the clock to care for their loved ones, sometimes without pay and often at the expense of their own health.

Many are forced to give up work because of their responsibilities, and others are unable to continue with their studies.

Yet the Carer's Allowance, the main carer's benefit for those who do receive money, remains the lowest of its kind.

Today the Daily Mirror joins forces with leading charity Carers UK to call for an end to the financial hardship suffered by carers and an immediate review by Government into carers' benefits.

]]>
Carers UK chief executive Imelda Redmond said: "The whole issue of allowances is an absolute disgrace.

"It is not properly recognised how people have to give up their jobs and look after sick and disabled relatives.

"Carers have to rely on a very low level of income and many struggle to afford just basic living costs.

"Many also have to fork out for the extra costs of looking after someone, such as heating, food bills and transport."

She went on: "We believe the Government should carry out an immediate and full review of carers' benefits."

Our Caring for Carers Campaign also calls for more respite breaks and more health checks for carers.

We also want to see carers given discretionary time off when they are unable to cope.

Carers are currently paid just £53.10 a week for a minimum of 35 hours' caring.

This works out at £1.52 per hour - way below the national minimum wage of £5.80 per hour.

It also falls far short of the full basic state pension, which stands at £95.25 a week for a single person.

But the allowance is denied to carers if they care for fewer than 35 hours a week, if they receive a state pension, if they earn more than £95 a week after tax or if they are full-time students.

It is hardly surprising that many carers say they find it impossible to navigate the benefits
system.

And a recent report by MPs criticised the whole benefits system for carers as "complex and confusing".

Last year the Government promised to review benefits paid to those who care for their loved ones.

And it made a pledge to end financial hardship for carers by 2018.

But for millions of people this is simply not good enough - they need more help and they need it now.

Carers UK has drawn up a Carer's Poverty Charter to which the Mirror is lending its support. It calls for the benefits system to be urgently updated and has already won the backing of over 200 organisations.

The charter calls on the Government to:

Protect carers from falling into poverty or financial hardship.

Reflect carers' different circumstances.

Help carers to combine caring with paid work and study.

Be easy to understand and straightforward to claim.

The coalition of support for the charter includes national charities, local community groups and nearly 3,000 carers.

Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, said: "Carers allowance is woefully inadequate - well under both the minimum wage and Job Seeker's Allowance. We hear from many carers who struggle to get even this meagre amount, and so are
being condemned to a life of poverty as a result.

"This is simply unacceptable."

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "Carers save the UK billions of pounds every year but many now face severe financial hardship.

"If the Government is to stop carer poverty by 2018, as it has pledged, action needs to be taken now."

Kate Wareing, Director of UK Poverty at Oxfam, added: "Caring is one of the most obvious examples of unpaid work that goes unacknowledged and is completely undervalued by society.

"Many people who care have had to give up work to become carers and this loss of earnings is not reflected in the carers' allowances they receive."

This is not the first time that the pittance paid to carers has come under scrutiny.

Last year a report by the Commons work and pensions select committee said the benefits system was outdated and needed to be radically overhauled.

MPs said relatives of the sick and elderly should be paid a salary of up to £110 a week for looking after them.

Citizens Advice welfare policy officer Vicky Pearlman, who gave evidence to the committee, said: "We have called on the Government to act without delay to ensure a decent income for all carers.

"Evidence from our bureau network shows that the system is so complicated that even Department of Work and Pensions staff struggle to correctly identify, and clearly explain, the benefits that carers and their families are entitled to.

"And at just £53.10 a week, Carer's Allowance is the lowest paid benefit of its kind. We need to see immediate financial help for carers who struggle to get by.

"It is crucial that the Government takes action to boost carers' incomes as a matter of urgency.

"We wholeheartedly back the Daily Mirror's campaign."

These are the Mirror's three demands for the Caring for Carers campaign, which we are launching today:

An immediate Government review of carers' benefits and the Carer's Allowance to
be increased

More respite breaks and health checks for carers

Carer's Leave to be made into law so carers can ask employers for discretionary time off work

Case Study 1
Jane was forced to quit her job as a nurse to care full-time for her husband Eifion, 52 and son Ben, 24, more than 13 years ago.

Since then she has been scraping by on her £53.10-a-week Carer's Allowance, despite looking after them 24 hours a day.

Eifion is registered blind and disabled while Ben has Down's Syndrome. The pair also both suffer from Type One diabetes.

Jane's other son Rhys, 22, tragically died recently. He had been suffering from diabetes as well as severe depression.

Jane, of Pembroke Dock, South Wales, said: "Life is a constant struggle. The most worrying and stressful thing is the money, worrying how we are going to get by.

"I feel let down by the Government. And I feel taken for granted. I had to give up my job and a decent wage to care for them.

"Now I work 24 hours a day, I have no time off and I am always exhausted but all I get is the Carer's Allowance. For me that works out at about 30p an hour."

Together with incapacity and disability benefits for Eifion and Ben, the family's income is about £400 a week. Eifion also claims Income Support for him and Jane.

But little is left over when things go wrong. Jane said: "I need a car, but often I don't even have enough for petrol.

"We needed a new boiler a few years ago and that's a few thousand quid. The tumble dryer packed up but we couldn't replace it. A relative gave us their old one.

"I use credit cards a lot. We just about manage but we are always on the verge.
"I feel betrayed that the state has done so little for me."

Jane's daughter Katie, 19, sometimes steps in to give her some time off. But Jane wants to encourage Katie to lead her own life. She said: "I call on the Government to increase the Carer's Allowance."

Case Study 2
Cathy is a single mum and sole carer to her daughter Amy, 19, who was diagnosed with autism nine years ago.

Because Amy can't cope on her own, Cathy is unable to work and has to care for her around-the-clock.

But while Cathy claims income support, she cannot claim carer's allowance on top of this.
Instead her carer's allowance is effectively taken out of the income support.

Cathy, 52, of Watford, Herts, said: "Initially I got nothing for caring for Amy and it took a long time to sort out.

"Then I was told I was entitled to the carer's allowance but this effectively means I get less income support which in itself is a basic survival wage. It's like the Government is giving with one hand and then taking from the other."

Amy has been at home since the age of 12 after suffering bad experiences at school.

She receives incapacity benefit and will need one-to-one care for the rest of her life.

Cathy, who has two older sons, said: "Caring for Amy is a full-time job. I need to be here 24/7.

"But the money we are supposed to live on is a pittance. The £53.10 just doesn't reflect the number of hours you spend caring."