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No time off for carers is unacceptable
RESPITE holiday charity Revitalise; which
runs the Sandpipers respite holiday centre in Southport; has responded to
Carers UK's State of Caring 2017 report, echoing its call for immediate
practical action in order to make a difference to carers' lives.
The findings of the report strongly echoed research conducted by Revitalise over
recent years, painting an all too familiar picture of the plight of the UK's
estimated 6.8 million unpaid carers.
In agreement with Carers UK, Revitalise's research found that many carers
maintain their role for long periods of time, with little or no time off. A
3rd of carers told the charity they had not had any significant time off since
they started caring, with 90% not able to access proper holidays away from
caring.
In a separate study, the charity also found evidence that being unable to access
respite breaks has a noticeable impact on carers' emotional and physical
wellbeing. 60% of carers admitted that they felt unable to 'switch off'
from their caring role, with 63% saying that they felt mentally exhausted and
52% saying they didn't know how they would be able to cope if things continued
the way they were.
Revitalise's research also made clear that the concerns expressed by carers did
not lend themselves to an optimistic outlook for the future. 4 out of 10 unpaid
carers also voiced trepidation that they would end up ill, in chronic pain or
disabled themselves.
In light of Carers UK's State of Caring 2017 report and its own research,
Revitalise is showing its support for unpaid carers all across the UK, calling
for immediate action and greater statutory support for social care services,
particularly in the respect of greater provision of respite breaks.
Revitalise CEO Chris Simmonds commented:- "While the recent report by
Carers UK has quite rightly been receiving the media attention it deserves, it
saddens me to say that to charities like Revitalise, which supports disabled
people and carers, this news is all too familiar. Unpaid carers give so much,
day in, day out, to support the person they care for, but need the escape valve
of regular time off in order to continue their caring role. This is why we are
demanding better statutory services and funding and especially access to proper
breaks; for carers and those they care for."
Revitalise provides respite holidays for disabled people and carers at
Sandpipers in Southport and 2 other accessible UK holiday centres in Chigwell in
Essex and Southampton. Each centre offers a wide range of accessible activities
and excursions in a holiday environment.
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