Who cares for the elder carers?


by Sarah Ismail    
10:25 am - July 30th 2011

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This week, I read the incredible story of Alf Winter, 90. He lives in Leicestershire, in sheltered housing, with his son, Keith, 55. Keith has Cerebral Palsy, and Alf is his full time carer.

At an age when most men would be expected to sit in a comfortable chair with the traditional pipe ‘n’ slippers, being cared for themselves, Alf Winter does all the household chores. He still drives, and cooks full meals every day. He says that he has to do it, as there’s no one else to do it!

He is one of around 77,000 carers aged over 65, just in the East Midlands.

The Winters’ case made me think, and I went looking for statistics on elderly carers in the whole of the UK. I found a worrying one- 24% of carers aged over 75 provide 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week.

But the most worrying thing is that carers who are receiving a state pension are not eligible to receive Carer’s Allowance.

Alf Winter is very lucky to have a level of physical health that allows him to keep caring for his son. But his case is a reminder that there are too many others out there in a similar situation who are not so lucky.

As the disabled child of wonderful parent carers, I realised at a young age how hard carers work every day in their caring roles. They rarely complain- but this doesn’t mean they don’t deserve support and recognition.

Medical advances mean that more disabled people are living longer. While this should be celebrated, it also means that many parents are having to provide high levels of care well into their own old age.

Elderly carers, who could so easily send their adult disabled children into residential care and relax in their own old age, surely deserve more, not less, support and recognition than most.

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About the author
Sarah is a DisAbled blogger with a degree in Creative Writing. Sarah blogs at Same Difference about DisAbility issues and worked as a copy editor for the magazine Society Today. She has written a collection of poetry about life with a physical disability 'Listen To The Silence'.
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Story Filed Under: Blog ,Health


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Reader comments


1. Mark Han

A well made point!

It is not a good situation that elderly carers are not eligible for extra financial help, and I think there is also a lack of recognition that carers do a massive amount of work – I have a disability and live with my Nan in her eighties. I am largely independent, but sometimes, when I have a bad day, she feels the stain.

There is, however, a charity that helps: Care for Carers in East Sussex and many other carers groups in other parts of the country.

2. Trofim

“At an age when most men would be expected to sit in a comfortable chair with the traditional pipe ‘n’ slippers”

Not now. Anyone smoking a pipe will be targeted by some busybody health worker, or anyone else who has been appropriately indoctrinated, although smoking a pipe bears such a minimal health risk, that insurance companies do not recognise it smoking. I smoke a pipe, and my mum, like many old ladies, loves the smell of pipe smoke.

3. Charlieman

Thanks for that, Sarah. So often when posters on LC tell a story, they have a solution that they wish to promote. This post is very open ended. Carers like Alf Winter clearly need and deserve support, but what to do? There isn’t a single solution for all of the Alfs and Keiths, and the solutions are about support rather then intervention.

4. G.O.

“Elderly carers, who could so easily send their adult disabled children into residential care”

Some genuine questions: *could* they easily do that? Is residential care readilyavailable, and if so, on what basis? (That the parent is too old to be required to care for the child? That the child is too old to be legally the responsibility of the parent?)

5. Charlieman

@4. G.O.: “Some genuine questions: *could* they easily do that? Is residential care readilyavailable, and if so, on what basis?”

You ask pertinent questions. In this case, Keith is looked after by Alf. Alf is an old bloke. Exempting the personal relationship between Alf and Keith, how *should* a care home look after Keith?

6. the a&e charge nurse

Luckily if elderly carers are struggling, or oldies are being booted out of their care home Dave’s “big society” simply rides to the rescue?
http://opinion8.ning.com/forum/topics/big-society-plan-to-save-old

7. jojo

6
I wonder how the kids are with double incontinence.

8. Tim Worstall

“Alf Winter does all the household chores. He still drives, and cooks full meals every day.”

Old person lives life.

Jeepers, the things you guys find to complain about.

9. Robert

Well I have double incontinence and I find it very difficult ,so god help if this person had this problem.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    Who cares for the elder carers? http://bit.ly/qmpiWa

  2. w.m o'mara

    Who cares for the elder carers? | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/5vDlDIc via @libcon …and DC preaches about the Big Society!!!

  3. judith jones

    Who cares for the elder carers? http://bit.ly/qmpiWa

  4. wendy

    Who cares for the elder carers? | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/4KhbQPb via @libcon

  5. Carer Voices

    Who cares for the elder carers? | Liberal Conspiracy: I found a worrying one- 24% of carers aged over 75 provide… http://bit.ly/nA95C3

  6. copperbird

    Who cares for the elder carers? | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/E4qBnzB via @libcon

  7. JRF

    Who cares for the elder carers? http://t.co/qKoJIhQ via @libcon #ukcare

  8. Andy Saul

    Absolutely appalling. Surely we can afford respite care? RT @libcon Who cares for the elder carers? http://bit.ly/qmpiWa

  9. Yonmei

    @lisaansell This http://t.co/JgPobXr blogpost has nothing directly to do with local authority cuts and comments are not frozen.

  10. Bolton LINks

    Who cares for the elder carers? | Liberal Conspiracy: I found a worrying one- 24% of carers aged over 75 provide… http://bit.ly/nA95C3

  11. Elaine Finlay

    Who cares for the elder carers? http://t.co/qKoJIhQ via @libcon #ukcare

  12. David McDaid

    Carers 65+ with state pensions not entitled to carers allowance RT @jrf_uk: Who cares for elder carers? http://bit.ly/qmpiWa #socialcare

  13. MARY HALL

    Who cares for the elder carers? http://t.co/qKoJIhQ via @libcon #ukcare

  14. Stephe Meloy

    Who cares for the elder carers? http://bit.ly/qmpiWa

  15. Faronomics

    Who cares for the elder carers? | http://t.co/pVOZOew

  16. Koh Miyaoi

    Who cares for the elder carers? http://bit.ly/qmpiWa

  17. Age UK PublicAffairs

    Interesting @libcon article on older carers: http://t.co/580TlNU. Find out more about our older carers campaign here: http://t.co/jlHgcqM

  18. Rebecca Devitt

    https://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/07/30/who-cares-for-the-elder-carers/





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