Nearly three quarters of carers struggling with mental and physical health problems
A new report for Carers Week found thousands of unpaid carers dealt with stress related injuries and mental health issues
More needs to be done to support unpaid carers, after a new report found almost three quarters of them have struggled with their mental health since taking on a caring role.
Research from the Carers Trust revealed most carers have felt either mentally or physically ill as a result of their care work.
Young adult carers (those aged 18-24) were most likely to say they had suffered mental ill health as a result of caring.
When asked about the future, 58% of carers said their own physical health would suffer as a result of the job, while those who were struggling to make ends meet were most likely to say they thought their health would worsen over time.
Beth Dodgson, from Rowlands Gill, has been caring for her mam and brother since she was two years old.
She said:
"With our local council, i've only just recently got a little bit of support. It's not a lot, but it is an absolute godsend.
"I didn't realise how much it's helped until it's started, and a lot of carers don't know you can get this support or they're afraid to ask for it."
Local care centres, which offer support to carers, are urging people to get in touch if they're struggling.
Amanda Brown is Deputy Chief Exec of Sunderland Carers.
She said:
"What we see is that carers who are in employment often have to give up employment, or reduce their hours - which impacts on them economically.
"It impacts on their family life, for those who have children - and for some carers, just doing something like taking a walk in the park is too difficult because they cannot leave the person they're caring for, and want to make sure they're okay."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:
“We recognise the invaluable contribution that carers make in selflessly caring for their loved ones but this must not be at the expense of their own health, happiness and financial wellbeing. We are determined to do more to support them and last week published a cross government Carers Action Plan setting out measures to support carers in every aspect of their lives, over the next two years. The forthcoming social care green paper will also look at long-term sustainable solutions for the social care system."