Carers health buckling under the strain - Turn2us

At the start of Carers Week (18-24 June), a new survey shows that two in five unpaid carers are sacrificing their own health by putting off medical treatment to care for an ill, frail or disabled love one - as charities call for action to end the care crisis in the UK.

The survey, In Sickness and Health, completed by 3,400 carers, also reveals:

83% of carers said caring had a negative impact on their physical health and 87% that it had had an adverse effect on their mental health
36% sustained a physical injury, such as back pain, through caring
64% blamed their poor health on a lack of practical support and 50% on not enough financial support.

Carers Week is a partnership of eight national charities, all supporting carers in some way, including:

Age UK
Carers Trust
Carers UK
Independent Age
Macmillan Cancer Support
Marie Curie Cancer Care
MS Society
Parkinson's UK

The charities say the findings of this survey is further evidence of a growing care crisis and are calling for better financial and practical support for the UK's 6.4 million unpaid carers, so they can look after their own health and well being.

Read the Turn2us information section on Benefits and Carers