Some of you will remember a post I did called ‘Caring for the Carers‘. I went through the history of the Carers Allowance, mentioned the present situation and also advertised my campaign. The goal is for Carers Allowance to be increased so that it equals the National Minimum Wage. In an era of austerity, I realise that it will be a challenge, but I wholeheartedly believe that the amount I am aiming for is something that Carers deserve. At the moment, they do a lot of work in an (often) emotional job and do not get adequately rewarded for their sacrifices.

One of the main aspects of my campaign can be found here. It is a petition on the government e-petitions website. I would really like for it to reach the target that will trigger a debate in Parliament. I would be grateful if anyone that’s reading this post could sign it.

I also have some other plans for my campaign which I am working on and will reveal in the future.

Another part of my campaign is getting as many case studies of actual Carers as possible. As I’ve never done the job, I feel that it will be valuable for me to get an idea of what they have experienced. This post features the first of the responses I have got so far. I’ll be posting others soon, as well as case studies of supporting groups and organisations.

Caring can be rewarding, but also emotional and stressful

Photo taken by Alex Raths (iStockPhoto, Copyright)

Q&A

This case study is about a lady called Sarah.

1) How long have you been a carer?

“I was a carer for 15 years ending in 2001″

2) On average, how much of your time is spent caring for a person each week?

“It was basically 24 hours a day, apart from one day a week, from 10am to 3pm, when Dad went to a Day Centre”

3) Is the person you care for a family member?

“It was my Dad”

4) What do you think of the quality of support given by organisations and groups such as Carers UK?

“Depends on the Group. Some groups are extremely understandable, caring and supportive, however, others are not. We had particularly good assistance from the LOCAL Branch of the MS Society (that’s was Dad’s condition). However, I have heard other MS organisations were not so good. I strongly believe, as in all areas of live, there are some organisations who are genuinely there for the people concernced, whilst others are there just for the money and the glory – they aggrevate me!!”

5) What are your opinions of the current state of the Adult Carers Allowance?

“Disgusting!!! Plain and simple. If it wasn’t for people like me in the past and all the current carers out there, the government would soon complain about the cost of caring for these people. We are saving them a fortune!”

6) Do you agree that the Carers Allowance should be increased so that it equals the National Minimum Wage? Why do you agree/disagree?

“Absolutely. It is a JOB afterall, so why should the carer receive a valid wage? Again, how much are we saving the government. People who have to claim Carers Allowance are doing the same job, if not more, than those who work in Care Homes and so on, so why should they not receive what is rightfully theirs??”

7) Is there anything else you would like to say about being a Carer and/or support for Carers?

“After my years of caring for my Dad, I now struggle with back pain, shoulder pain and arm pain. This all comes down to lifting my dad. I never had any training on how to lift, we are just left to get on with it. Nurses, carers and so on, are all sent on training courses for lifting and handling so they are no injured in any way. Where does that leave us??? Also it is a very isolated position to be in. Confidence is a low and Carers believe they are alone. It’s a very sad and lonely job but we do it because we truly love our loved ones and want the best for them.”

Analysis

Sarah’s story is one of the many examples of someone caring for a family member. This can make the situation incredibly emotional/stressful. Fortunately, it seems there was at least some occasions where she was supported and there was respite. However, that clearly wasn’t enough (as highlighted by her last answer).

Sarah also reminds us of an important point. Carers can (and do) save the state money. I will agree that increasing the allowance will affect that, but I am not campaigning for top-level executive-style wages. What I want is for them to be given the equivalent of the minimum wage as it will help each Carer’s financial situation and make others recognise that what they do is an actual job.

Summary & Conclusion

Lets not forget that Sarah was a Carer for 15 years. This is a long time of making sacrifices in order to make the life of someone else better. Many Carers will also have done the job for that long or more. There will be many who have done the job over a shorter period, but they still deserve to be recognised and rewarded with suitable remuneration and support.

As I mentioned earlier, I will be posting more of these case studies and I hope you find them both interesting and enlightening. To those of you who are deciding whether to sign the petition or not, I hope this helps to make your decision easier.

So, what do you think?