North East Carers worried about support on offer
New research shows that more than two thirds of carers worry about what would happen to their loved ones if they couldn't care for them any longer
More than two thirds of carers in the North East say they're worried about the support they have in looking after disabled or ill relatives.
That's according to disability charity Sense - they say the new figures show there's a looming care crisis for families in the North East.
The research also says that 4 in 5 family carers in the North East say they have no long-term plan for what will happen when they can no longer provide support to their loved one - only 7% reported finding the process of planning for the future straightforward.
More than half of families said that they also worry that funding cuts will impact the availability of local services for their loved one.
Bethany Dodgson, from Gateshead, has officially been the carer for her mam and brother since she was eight years old. She said:
"Everyday, even if I'm at work, I'm always in the back of my mind thinking 'is my Mam okay, is he having a good or bad day, what's going to happen?'
"That's always in the back of my mind when people my age are going off and doing their own things and I think 'who will look after them if I go off and do that?'"