“The carers of the UK should not be left to suffer in silence.”

Thousands of carers missing out on help

12:00pm Sunday 15th April 2012 in News  By Julian Robinson , Eastleigh Chief Reporter

TENS of thousands of carers in Hampshire are putting their health at risk because they are unaware of respite services available to them, research has revealed.

Many of those who look after their sick, disabled or elderly relatives don’t realise they are entitled to specialist support – simply because they are unpaid.

And older carers who are forced to retire earlier to help are increasingly bearing the brunt of the problem amid an ageing population, according to a review carried out by Vitalise, which has a respite break centre at Netley.

The study, compiled over five years, reveals how more than half of the older carers had not even received a Carer’s Assessment since they did not regard themselves as carers. As a consequence they were unaware that local authority funding for respite care and short breaks even existed.

According to Vitalise, which provides short holiday breaks for people with disabilities, there are more than 120,000 carers across Hampshire.

Vitalise chief executive Chris Simmonds said: “This review paints a very stark picture. The problems people with disabilities and carers face in accessing essential support, such as funding for respite breaks, is already well documented, but this review reveals that there are many more people out there who don’t even know they are carers and therefore entitled to support. They are doubly disadvantaged.

“Clearly more needs to be done to reach out to this army of invisible carers across the UK, since, without the escape valve of regular time off from caring we know only too well that carers risk reaching breaking point and ending up sick, depressed and facing the very real risk of becoming disabled themselves.”

“The carers of the UK should not be left to suffer in silence.”

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9649544.