Carers Week: Children young as eight caring for parents
Children as young as eight are caring for siblings or parents with little support or acknowledgment from their community says Sydney ANGLICARE.
According to the Anglican community organisation, thousands of carers of all ages are quietly caring for their loved ones who are ill, frail aged or have a disability, often too proud, ashamed or unable to share their load.
“We see children who have become mini-adults because of the responsibility on their young shoulders,” says ANGLICARE researcher Susan King.
“We also see wives, husbands, parents who have been caring for their loved one for decades and can no longer continue their caring role because they themselves have become frail with age.
“To them it’s just what being part of a family means. But quite often you see carers – especially ageing carers – concerned about the future when they can no longer care for their loved ones.”
Furthermore, the lack of practical and financial support for carers and the resultant sense of isolation can compound mental health issues, exhaustion and stress levels that many carers already face.
An ABS survey in 2003 revealed 2.5 million carers in Australia, 470,000 of whom were primary carers. By 2012 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates there will be more than 600,000 primary carers for the elderly, ill or those with a disability.
Social support is integral to the sustainability of carers. However, a recent client carer survey by ANGLICARE revealed that almost one in three carers considered they receive no support at all from friends, one in four felt the same way about their family and just over 20% considered they received no professional support from outside services.
“A picture of doing it tough and on their own is the one that emerges for many carers in our research findings, “said Ms King.
“Providing both flexible formal and informal care to these carers is one of the strongest ways to value their contribution.”
A 2005 Access Economics report for Carers Australia found carers provided an estimated 1.2 billion hours of informal care. The replacement value of these hours was approximately $30.5 billion. Furthermore, this saving to society comes at an estimated opportunity cost of at least $4.9 billion in lost income for carers.
ANGLICARE Sydney’s new report “Who’s Caring for the Carers” can be viewed here.
