Increasing and intense ‘personal, professional and emotional’ strain is making UK families unable to care for ageing population, study reveals

The UK’s dependence on loved ones to care for its ageing population is unsustainable, according to new research.

Increasing and intense personal, professional and emotional strain means that people providing this care are struggling with an intolerable burden.

The research forms the basis of a new campaign by private home care provider Home Instead called What About You?, which features two short films about the pressures of caring, and its impact.

The ‘disturbing findings’ looked at the lives and lifestyles of the nation’s multi-generational carers.

According to the snapshot study of 2,000 people from across the UK, voluntary carers are typically middle-aged people who are trying to care for elderly parents, while working, and bringing up their own families.

This pressure has been described as ‘unmanageable’, and can have a devastating impact, with the research suggesting that when it comes to carers, 88 per cent neglect their own health and wellbeing, 65 per cent struggle with their mental health, and 31 per cent feel they are at breaking point. 

And the numbers of people in this situation are significant: an estimated 5 million plus people in the UK provide unpaid care.

Carers are ‘given minimal support from the government or local authorities and so find themselves increasingly struggling, without understanding the other support available to them in the market’.

And as the ageing population grows, this problem is set to worsen: over the past decade, the number of people aged over 64 has surged by 20 per cent to 11.1 million people.

Nearly one in five people in England and Wales are aged 65 and over, with more in this age bracket than aged 15 or under.

Home Instead’s What About You? campaign aims to raise awareness about the scale of the problem facing voluntary carers, and spark a debate about what support can be provided. 

To illustrate these pressures, the campaign features two short films based on interviews with representative real life family carers, which it describes as ‘an unapologetically raw exploration of what day to day life is like for millions of multi-generational carers across the UK’.

The main film shows a day in the life of three fictional family carers struggling to balance work and life pressures.

Meanwhile, the second film shows a group of real family carers reacting to the main film and discussing it.

Opening up during the discussions, the carers reveal some of the burden they have struggled with – as well as the weight of their own expectations.

According to one carer: ‘I never really saw saw it as looking after [my mum] because it’s my family, so it’s what you do.’

However, the close familial ties can make the experience extremely emotionally difficult, as one carer explained, saying: ‘There’s something incredibly sad about watching your dignified, independent, capable, successful parents diminish to a point where they can’t remember, they’re frail, they’re at risk.

‘It’s a constant worry. You just try. You just have to keep going. There is no choice you have to keep going. Until that moment comes where you just say I can’t do this anymore.’

According to Home Instead, a key educational element of the campaign is about recognising the strain before getting to that breaking point – and being aware of what support is available to avoid reaching that point.

The campaign considers how home care can be a solution when it comes to providing respite to carers, allowing time away from caring responsibility, which may subsequently help to restoring important family relationships which can suffer as a result of the pressures of caring.

Speaking about carers, Home Instead CEO Martin Jones said it is ‘impossible’ to think of a group that does more for less in this country than family carers, but added that their wellbeing is ‘almost entirely neglected’.

He continued: ‘Younger families receive state support in the form of subsidised childcare or paid maternity and paternity leave. 

‘But those who are 20-30 years older, and who are often supporting both younger and older dependents, are almost completely neglected.

‘As a society, we rely on their unending energy and love, giving them little or no support to navigate the complex social care system. 

‘They get no breaks, no help, little financial support and, as our research shows, this is taking a huge toll. 

‘Their mental health is at a dangerous low. 

‘They struggle to keep going and significant numbers are at breaking point.’

This is compounded due to a lack of knowledge around what help is available, Martin added, when it comes to both private and state provision.

The stats support his assertion: 59 per cent of those taking part in the study know little about what help is available.

Furthermore, 40 per cent believe turning to social care is a sign of weakness for themselves, and 44 per cent believe it means they’re failing their family.

The research also found that more than half (53 per cent) ‘know nothing about the wealth of social care options available through private providers and the different ways to pay for them such as Direct Payments’.

The organisation believes that the solution is education – to help people know what assistance is available, and to alleviate any stigma associated.   

‘It’s heartbreaking to read how the effort to keep all the plates spinning leaves so many people feeling guilty and alone,’ Martin Jones added.

‘Improving people’s understanding of what help is available and where to find it is a crucial starting point and more must be done to educate and inform. 

‘More and more people are looking to private healthcare support outside of state provided social care – in recent months we’ve seen a huge spike in inquiries about our services.

‘The What About You campaign aims to bring to life the daily strain so many multigenerational carers find themselves under. 

‘It is a reminder that they are demonstrating truly inspiring compassion and commitment on a daily basis – but they need help. 

‘No one can carry this kind of burden alone – although that doesn’t stop millions trying.’