Monthly Archives: February 2013
Tips for male carers who care for a female relative
Guest blog by Lee STRIBLING
Male Carers looking after their female relative
We too often assume that it’s always female carers who look after relatives with dementia but that’s not necessarily true. In many families it may be sons who look after their mothers or husbands who look after their wives and this brings particular challenges, not least in terms of how society views this.
Somehow it’s acceptable in society for a daughter to care for a father, and, if there is no funding from a Local Authority for this, may mean that all personal care is undertaken by the daughter. Although people may feel uncomfortable with this, it’s accepted.
Carers looking after someone with epilepsy often neglect their own health
Carers need help
Figures show that more than one million people spend 50 hours a week providing unpaid care according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Of the 5.8 million who look after family members and friends, 1.4 million people provide more than 50 hours a week of free care.
A survey carried out by Epilepsy Society in 2011 showed that carers looking after someone with epilepsy often neglect their own health needs to care for a loved one.
The unpredictability of the condition and the fact that the need for care can change over time all contribute to the physical, mental and emotional stress of caring for someone with the UK’s most common serious neurological condition.
