Dear Kizzi,
As we celebrate our wonderful mums up and down the country, I’d like your readers to spare a thought for all the mothers who find themselves in a caring role for a family member and the impact that this can have on their lives.
For instance, did your readers know that there are an estimated 2.4 million so-called ‘sandwich carers’ in the UK? Around a fifth of people aged 45 to 60 are caring not only for young children but an older or disabled parent as well, and women are shouldering the lion’s share of this responsibility. In fact, women are four times more likely than men to be providing care for over 50 hours a week. The strain must be unrelenting.
Carers are immensely devoted to their loved ones, a sentiment reflected in our own research, which found that a majority of carers put the health of their loved ones ahead of their own. But a lack of time away from caring all too often leads them to feelings of anxiety, anger or depression. That’s why, for people giving and receiving care alike, regular respite is an absolute lifeline.
I work for a charity called Revitalise; we run the Netley Waterside House centre in Southampton, providing respite breaks in a genuine holiday environment for disabled people and carers from around the region. We passionately believe that everybody needs a break and the regular time off from caring that we provide often enables families to carry on coping.
So please join me in celebrating our wonderful mums but also calling for more support for unpaid family carers. Please support our vital work providing a respite lifeline for disabled people and carers alike. To find out how, please visit www.revitalise.org.uk or call 0303 303 0147.
Colin Brook, Revitalise
www.revitalise.org.uk