Is This Right?

BERNADETTE · 26-09-2007, 01:25

I watched a programme earlier and thought maybe someone would have had raised the subject before me. As most of you know I am Ian's carer and I am quite lucky that I have plenty of family and friends to call on for emotional support. As it turns out there are one million carers in the North West and Yorkshire who along with the rest of the UK's carers save the goverment £57billion a year. Surely we can all agree that it is time to put money into the pot to make life easier for carers(especially young people who are frightened to voice their concerns) because they live in fear of being taken into care if the way they live their life becomes known to the Social Services. All in all the programme was an eye opener. The thing is where would this country be if it lost all the carers? And where would the £57billion per year suddenly appear from to take care of the people if the carers weren't there?

cherokee · 26-09-2007, 02:46

I completely agree bernadette . Carers do a fantastic job and we couldnt manage without them. sadly i didnt see the programme but i think there are far too many people out there that do not (of are to frightened ) to admit to getting the help they need I also feel that there are many carers out there that dont get what they are fully entitled too ..

BERNADETTE · 26-09-2007, 02:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherokee

I completely agree bernadette . Carers do a fantastic job and we couldnt manage without them. sadly i didnt see the programme but i think there are far too many people out there that do not (of are to frightened ) to admit to getting the help they need I also feel that there are many carers out there that dont get what they are fully entitled too ..

It was the younger ones that got to me, looking after mum/dad and or brother or sister it is disgusting that kids can't be kids

cherokee · 26-09-2007, 03:08

didnt see the programme B ..... but there was something some time back on a similar thing but was aimed at young children caring for elders that kind of got to me .. they really did nt seem to have a childhood due to caring but got the odd day out with SS and although they all did a brilliant job IMO shouldnt have had the responsibility but yet the government and SS allowed them to go ahead with it .. as well as continue with their studies .. quite disturbing really

Neil · 26-09-2007, 05:08

How would you describe a carer?

WillowTheWhisp · 26-09-2007, 05:13

I would describe a carer as someone whose life revolves around the person they care for and the person they care for would not be able to cope if they were not there.

I didn't see the program but I've seen others like it in the past and it still annoys me that "carer's allowance" for anyone who has to give up work to look after a relative bears no resemblance to the cost of caring for that person in a nursing home.

As you say even the ones who do get help don't get much respite and it is particularly sad when children don't get a childhood.

magpie · 26-09-2007, 08:35

Carers.org

is a good link:

Lilly · 27-09-2007, 21:29

It must be a very tough job being a carer and the carers allowance is woefully less than what you would have to pay if your relative went into permanent residential care. What about emotional support for carers? Is this available?

BERNADETTE · 27-09-2007, 21:35

What really got to me was the number of children who are carers. It seems to me that they have far to much responsibility thrust on their young shoulders. It actually mentioned the Carers Link in Accrington and showed a young girl who had been taken to the ice skating ring as a treat. I feel so sorry for these young people.

shillelagh · 27-09-2007, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

How would you describe a carer?

Who is a carer?

A carer is someone, who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability.
A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 carrying out significant caring tasks and assuming a level of responsibility for another person, which would normally be taken by an adult.
Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age.
Many carers do not consider themselves to be a carer, they are just looking after their mother, son, or best friend, just getting on with it and doing what anyone else would in the same situation.

Thats from the site that magpi put the link in. Its that last bit 'Many carers do not consider themselves to be a carer, they are just looking after their mother, son, or best friend just getting on with it and doing what anyone else would in the same situation.' Me, thats what i felt when i was looking after mum - she looked after me when i was a kid so why couldnt i look after her now when she needed help? The carer's allowance is a joke - i was classed as her carer and i didnt know until the social worker told me that i could claim it - so i did. I didnt get it though - i had the underlying right to it but couldnt receive it because i was getting incapacity benefit!!! I was lucky - i had my sisters and brother and my eldest niece and my next door neighbour i could run to if things got to much and i needed to escape just for 5 minutes was a break. I also had the internet to let rip on. There was times i'd arranged to go out but couldnt go because mum wasnt well or she was in one of her moods. I was also lucky because we had an understanding social worker and there was a dementia nurse from the hospital who used to come and see us and mum would listen to them - she wouldnt listen to me if i said one thing she would do another. I got a part time job to give me a break away from her - i needed the outside contact. It was on a saturday - so brother and sister could look after mum. 4 weeks into it - i'd finished work and come home and nipped over to the shop. One of the people in there told me that he'd seen my mum that afternoon trying to cross the road in front of my house - in her dressing gown!!! She'd refused to get dressed that morning and the carers that came in cant make them do anything they dont want to. I rang the dementia nurse up and she arranged then for her to go to a care home for all day saturday - picked up at 9am and then dropped off at 7pm. Then we had all the fun of trying to get the carers in early enough to give them time to get her washed and dressed and her breakfast.

Lilly · 27-09-2007, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

What really got to me was the number of children who are carers. It seems to me that they have far to much responsibility thrust on their young shoulders. It actually mentioned the Carers Link in Accrington and showed a young girl who had been taken to the ice skating ring as a treat. I feel so sorry for these young people.

Me too, Bernadette. It must be especially hard for them. Children shouldn't have to be carers.

shillelagh · 27-09-2007, 21:54

Children take on the role of caring for their mum or dad or brother or sister because if they didnt there is always the chance that they would be taken away and put in a foster home because their mum or dad or even both couldnt cope with looking after them and the kids themselves would rather stay with their parents and take on a role of looking after them than go into a foster home and maybe not see their parents for a long time.

BERNADETTE · 27-09-2007, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly

Me too, Bernadette. It must be especially hard for them. Children shouldn't have to be carers.

No they shouldn't but to them the alternative is to shocking to imagine. They are frightened of being parted from their loved ones especially if they are caring for a parent. For me I can cope(I have a good network of family and friends) but I think it is time the young carers got the recognition they so justly deserve.

Lilly · 27-09-2007, 22:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

No they shouldn't but to them the alternative is to shocking to imagine. They are frightened of being parted from their loved ones especially if they are caring for a parent. For me I can cope(I have a good network of family and friends) but I think it is time the young carers got the recognition they so justly deserve.

It must be a huge physical and mental strain on these young carers. They do indeed deserve support and recognition.

BERNADETTE · 27-09-2007, 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly

It must be a huge physical and mental strain on these young carers. They do indeed deserve support and recognition.

I think there may be something in the pipeline, hope there is they deserve it

A little recognition goes a long way