New report highlights poor physical and mental health of unpaid carers

A new report published by Carers Scotland has shown that unpaid carers are struggling both mentally and physically, with more than a third of carers saying they have had thoughts relating to self-harm or suicide.

The survey, which includes the responses of more than 1,700 unpaid carers has shown worrying trends in how those who care for their loved ones are looking after themselves. More than half of those surveyed say their physical health has suffered, with one in five reporting a physical injury as a result of caring. Furthermore, more than a quarter say their mental health is bad, or very bad.

Richard Meade, Director of Carers Scotland, says the problems are enhanced by ineffective public services.

“The findings in this report paint a stark picture of carers buckling under the strain of propping up a failing health and social care system. Where social care cannot provide a service, it is unpaid carers who are expected to step in”.

The findings also revealed that a lack of support from social care services impacts how carers tend to their own health problems, with more than 40% saying they have previously had to put off their own healthcare treatment in order to tend to those they care for.

Fiona Collie, Head of Policy and Public Affairs for Carers Scotland, says that loneliness is a substantial contributing factor to carers’ poor mental health.

“Isolation is very common amongst carers, and over a quarter of carers said they always or often felt lonely, and the remaining carers said that they sometimes felt that way”.

“A lot of it is being isolated from your social connections, being isolated from ordinary life, you may have had to give up employment. A lot of carers also have to, because of the cost of caring…simply don’t have the money to be able to take part in leisure activities, to meet up with your friends, to be able to do the kind of things that we take for granted”.

The report has been launched today as it is Carers Rights Day, and Carers Scotland are advocating for greater support for the roughly 800,000 people in Scotland who look after their loved ones. They say that the demands are “pushing unpaid carers to the brink”, and without them it is estimated that it would cost more than £13 billion a year for public services to fill the gap.