Carers Week 2021

This week, we will be supporting Carers Week 2021 which runs from Monday 7 June until Sunday 13 June. Carers Week is an annual campaign designed to raise awareness and recognition of the hard work that carers, both paid and non-paid do all year round.

There are an estimated 6.5 million people in the UK providing care, physically but also emotionally, for a friend or loved one who may require extra support as a result of a physical or mental disability or assistance in later years.

Research released for Carers Week has found that carers lost, on average, 25 hours of support a month they previously had from services or family and friends before the pandemic. 72% of carers have not had any breaks from their caring role at all. Of those who got a break, a third (33%) used the time to complete practical tasks or housework, and a quarter (26%) to attend their own medical appointments. Three quarters (74%) reported being exhausted as a result of caring during the pandemic, and more than a third (35%) said they feel unable to manage their unpaid caring role.

Charities across the country, including Age UK and Rethink Mental Illness, are calling on the UK Government to provide £1.2 billion to fund unpaid carers' breaks, so that those providing 50+ hours of care per week are able to take time off for their own mental health and wellbeing.

The theme of this year’s campaign is to ‘Make Caring Visible and Valued’. The purpose of this is to highlight the difficulties that carers experience on a daily basis particularly in what has been a challenging year resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. It is vitally important that individuals and organisations come together to help carers in need of assistance and to provide them with information about activities and support facilities that may help and ease the pressures of everyday caring.

Throughout the campaign people are being asked to get involved in activities whether that be face-to-face or online to support and raise awareness for Carers Week 2021. The Carers UK website provides details of activities ongoing in your local area and there are currently over 1,000 pledges for activities in which you can get involved.

There are a number of ways which you can support carers, not only during awareness week, but all year round including –

1. Volunteering – There are a number of roles such as Online Awareness Raiser, Online Community Host or Insight Volunteer. You can find out more about these roles on the Carers UK website.
2. Donate much needed funds to help Carers UK make life better for carers.
3. Get involved or create virtual events for your team to get involved in. For example, virtual games nights to raise funds.

If you are in a caring role and are interested in finding out about support in your area or want advice, you can take the following steps by visiting the Carers UK website –

1. Join the Forum where you can talk about your issues and get support from people who have experienced the challenges that you are facing.
2. Download the Carers Guide and access the factsheets which provide advice from all angles including benefits, financial assistance and a number of vital care related issues.

If you need further advice about managing a loved one’s financial affairs, please contact our experienced Private Client team on 01484 821 500 or email willsandprobate@ramsdens.co.uk.