23/05/2016
This week marks dementia awareness week, where many people take time to consider the hardships faced by sufferers of dementia. What people do not usually stop to consider is those who are caring for those in need. There are millions of unpaid family members and millions of devoted carers scratching out a living on the minimum wage. Seldom are the efforts of those who work around the clock to care for society’s most vulnerable ever praised for their commitment and dedication.
Unfortunately, the problem of dementia is set to get worse before it gets better. It has been forecast that by 2021 there will be over a million people afflicted by the disease in the UK alone.
Living with dementia means that sufferers are unable to complete the most menial of tasks. This means that that they therefore rely on carers for shopping to washing, cleaning, cooking, and even such things as finances and medical appointments.
When it is considered that the average cost of one year’s dementia care alone is £32,250 and that overall there are 6.5 million carers in the UK, it seems as though it is high time the Government recognises the invaluable contribution carers make.
The opposite however seems to be the case. Many carers were pleased to hear the government’s proposal to increase the national living wage to as high as £9 by 2020. However, the fact is that now many carers have lost or will lose their entitlement to carers allowance as a result of the minimum wage putting them above the income threshold.
This is another kick in the teeth for hard working carers across the nation, and the government is scratching its head wondering why recruitment levels have declined rapidly across the sector. George Osborne either willingly ignored the fact that there would be no positive impact on carers or simply didn’t do his homework. Some of the hardest workers in the country have been disregarded once again.
With carers’ week approaching from June 6th-12th pressure ought to come from all parts of industry. 6.5 million people uniting is not an insignificant number, and even if the government is deaf to the problems faced by workers in home care then it is certainly not deaf to well over 10% of the electorate, as their power depends on your vote.
A funding gap in adult social care of £4.3 billion is predicted by 2020 and a projected funding gap of £30 billion per year in the NHS by 2021 Carers will look set to be relied upon more and more in the coming future.
Written By:
Daniel James
www.danieljamesbio.com
LinkedIn
