New research for Carers Rights Day

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Dear all

On Carers Rights Day, we just wanted to wish you well and thank you making our Forum such a supportive community of current and former carers.

On Carers Rights Day we bring organisations across the UK together to help carers in their local communities know their rights and find out how to get the help and support they are entitled to.

Around 700 events are taking place around the country and many of our members and volunteers are distributing copies of our updated ‘Looking After Someone’ guide to carers in their areas. If you would like to download a copy to email to a friend, or order a printed copy, please go to Looking after someone guide | Carers UK

For Carers Rights Day Carers UK has published some new research which shows that unpaid carers’ finances worsen the longer they’re caring for a loved one. The research found that:

  • Half of people caring for more than 15 years and struggling financially are having to cut back on food or heating


  • Just two in five (44%) of those caring for more than 15 years could afford their bills without struggling financially, compared with three in five (62%) of carers in their first year.


  • Double the proportion of people caring for over 15 years have been in debt compared with those in their first year.

To read the press release and full report please go to:
https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/press-releases/research-financial-pressure-of-caring-unpaid-for-a-loved-one-intensifies-over-time

Best Wishes

Michael

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Is this Carers Rights Day then?

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Yep … special bonus this year … free food bank vouchers for ANY family / kinship carer that can name just 5 " Rights " that do not need enforcing through a Court of Law or an Ombudsman.

A freebie for all … the right to care until you are no longer able to through ill health or death … provided , of course , a certified death certificate is produced.

… and no , dressing up as a guide dog to enjoy free public transport when accompanying your caree is still not allowed !

Nor is attending an educational course together with your caree … carers allowance is lost if you go one minute over 20 hours 59 seconds !

Even working and earning £ 123.01 … kiss goodbye to that carers allowance once again … a very expensive 1p ?

Pretty safe prize … a rollover for another year ?

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Debt ?

TEN years and a few days AFTER my last day as a family carer , I will move into the black for the first time in … 23 years !

Celebrate ?

What exactly … the price of caring ???

A 23 year stretch would have been cheaper … and rehabilitation on my release !!!

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Perhaps a token gesture this year ?

A few pennies from those collection tins … local Tesco / Trussells initiative … smilling CEO with snappers around donating cans of whatever to local Southwark food bank … said photos appear on all CUK media … what message will that send the 100,00 odd family / kinship carers out there … " We are finally all in this together ? " … even if staff salaries will be a few pennies light in the next financial year ???

Or , will CUK rely on that Gagging Order to avoid such a long overdue gesture ?

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‘Money doesn’t bring happiness but you can miserable in comfort’

I am struggling find anyone who will take my mum on for personal care. Money is NOT always the issue.

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One of the recommendations from the 16 page " Caring for your future " CUK report available elsewhere on this site :

Ensure carers are able to juggle work and care, if they wish to, with support to return to work alongside or after caring.
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Create a new right to paid time off work to care of at least 5-10 days.
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Put in place tailored support for carers looking to return to work, including recognising the skills carers have developed through their caring role.
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Work with employers to include carers in health and wellbeing support at work.
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Recognise that good quality and affordable care services are an essential part of enabling carers to remain in or return to work alongside caring.

What’s missing ?

NOTHING on those who CANNOT juggle work with caring … around HALF the carer army … 3.9 MILLION or thereabouts.

Been more than an DECADE since CUK have even attempted publishing a solution to that one … half the carer army abandoned by CUK ???

Only the " Big Two " … finances and affordable support services … will make a difference here.

21 Hour Rule … NOTHING again … how are family / kinship carers supposed to attempt to better their future employment prospects once their caring days end if they fall foul of this abhorrent rule ???

Ideal opportunity to resurrect that one … missed again … on purpose ? … too hot to handle ???

Earnings limit … soon to be £ 123 per week … NO TAPER … 1p over and kiss goodbye to Carers Allowance … no comment ?

In all , purely words and deductions … as for words … CHOCOLATE and TEAPOT spring to mind ?

What a waste of hard earned donations … OUR donations !

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Nothing in my area about carers rights day, nothing in the papers, sometimes I have seen displays in local supermarkets, leaflets but didn’t see anything this year.

But how about ill carers who just cannot work, but also cannot get Carers Allowance-clashing benefit.

What help for them, already bad health, there should be more help to stop illness getting worse.