As Australia marks National Carers Week, two new reports highlight the strain experienced by carers and the lack of appropriate respite and resources to support them.
“I need physical assistance for my son because I’m getting old and don’t always have the strength to help him,” says one carer.
Another carer says: “Currently I use respite time to do shopping, obtain scripts from chemist, attend doctors’ appointments and physio and hydrotherapy for self. … I feel guilty but need help now that I am on my own.”
“I need someone to talk to when things get tough, also social contact with other men,” says another.
These are the voices of older parent carers over the age of 60 who are still caring for a son or daughter with a disability.
Anglicare’s report
Coinciding with National Carers Week, which runs 12-18 October, Anglicare Sydney has published the results of a five year survey that highlights the special concerns of this group of carers.
Personal care and assistance, respite, social support, case management and transition planning were key areas where carers required support, according to the survey.
The report found that the concerns raised by ageing parent carers, together with factors such as Australia’s ageing population, increasing lifespan, people with a disability living longer, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), “highlight the need for several policy solutions to be implemented.”
Among the recommendations, the Anglicare report called for:
the government to amend the NDIS to include provision for a separate carer assessment in addition to the participant’s assessment and plan;
governments and the NDIS Agency to provide support for carers of people with a disability who are not NDIS participants;
governments and NDIS should provide flexible respite services.
The extent and nature of future carer supports was unknown and it was essential that ageing parent carers had guaranteed specialised carer services, the report said.
It also called for ageing parent carers and their care recipients to have access to appropriate and secure accommodation options to enable them to plan for the future.
Carer support: what’s needed and what’s received
Commenting on the release of the report, Ara Cresswell, CEO of Carers Australia, said carers of all ages were prone to stress and anxiety and likely to need support in their caring role.
“However the concerns of older carers about what will happen to their adult children when those carers cease to have the capacity to provide care or die is particularly acute… This was a strong theme raised by carers who met with us during the Prime Minister’s Pollie Pedal bike ride to raise funds for Carers Australia this year”, said Ms Cresswell.
The NDIS was designed in part to address such concerns, she said. “However it will take some years before the NDIS is fully rolled out across Australia and it will be important to maintain a focus on transition arrangements for those who will not be able to access these services in the meantime.”
‘At breaking point’
Carers Queensland’s report
Elsewhere, new research by Carers Queensland has warned that many carers are at breaking point because they have no respite from the demands of their caring role.
Carers Queensland’s annual Quality of Life survey found that 69 per cent of unpaid family carers have less than eight hours of personal time per week, with 43 per cent reporting less than three hours.
Carers Queensland president Jim Toohey said carers performed a vital job within the community, but support systems were sadly lacking.
“There’s a real lack of respite for carers – we have found that three quarters of carers who responded to our survey have no formal respite care in place, and respite affordability is a real issue.
“Many carers also feel guilty about taking a break. They feel like they should be able to look after their loved one without help, and they worry about leaving their loved one in the care of someone else,” said Mr Toohey.
Nationally there are an estimated 2.7 million people in Australia providing unpaid care and support. They spend an average of 40 hours per week providing essential care and support to people who are frail, aged, living with a disability, mental illness, chronic or terminal illness.
Last week, Australian Ageing Agenda published an article from Dr Siobhan O’Dwyer on ways we can better support family carers. Read her article again here.
Click here for more on Carers Week 2014, which runs until 18 October
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