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Some surprising facts from the Colonel
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Carers
There's a secret society that still dares not speak its name. Yet 5.8 million people in Britain - that's one in eight of us - are members. Welcome to the world of the carer
We seldom think about what it would be like to care for another person full-time. In fact, we often deliberately avoid dwelling on it - caring is monotonous, difficult and gloomy. We know that people get ill, become disabled, grow old and frail, yet caring for relatives and loved ones is still something that only other people do, not ourselves.
The 2001 census established that there are 5.8 million carers in the UK. One in eight people are spending a significant proportion of their lives looking after someone who is unable to cope on their own. And experts believe that the true number of carers is even higher because many carers don't even acknowledge their role as a carer. They believe that what they are doing is nothing more than their duty.
It's no great shock to discover that people looking after an elderly parent make up the largest proportion of carers, but you'll be surprised by the other reasons people become carers. People look after disabled children, care for relatives who have had accidents and nurse those with serious or terminal diseases.
But shockingly, many carers are children - looking after a younger sibling or parent at a tremendous personal cost. Recent figures reveal an alarming increase in the number of children under 18 providing care within their family. In 1996 it was estimated that there were 51,000 young carers, but this has now nearly tripled to 149,000. The real figure could be much higher as many families do not recognise the caring role that a child is playing and therefore do not publicly acknowledge it.
We seldom think about what it would be like to care for another person full-time. In fact, we often deliberately avoid dwelling on it - caring is monotonous, difficult and gloomy. We know that people get ill, become disabled, grow old and frail, yet caring for relatives and loved ones is still something that only other people do, not ourselves.
The 2001 census established that there are 5.8 million carers in the UK. One in eight people are spending a significant proportion of their lives looking after someone who is unable to cope on their own. And experts believe that the true number of carers is even higher because many carers don't even acknowledge their role as a carer. They believe that what they are doing is nothing more than their duty.
It's no great shock to discover that people looking after an elderly parent make up the largest proportion of carers, but you'll be surprised by the other reasons people become carers. People look after disabled children, care for relatives who have had accidents and nurse those with serious or terminal diseases.
But shockingly, many carers are children - looking after a younger sibling or parent at a tremendous personal cost. Recent figures reveal an alarming increase in the number of children under 18 providing care within their family. In 1996 it was estimated that there were 51,000 young carers, but this has now nearly tripled to 149,000. The real figure could be much higher as many families do not recognise the caring role that a child is playing and therefore do not publicly acknowledge it.
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iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB