A carer is someone who looks after a relative or friend who, because of their age, physical or other disability, cannot manage at home without help on a regular basis. Carers support people with a range of different needs, usually as a result of a long-term illness or disability such as -

  • physical disability
  • sensory disability (loss of sight and / or hearing)
  • learning disabilities
  • mental health problems (eg. Alzheimer's disease or other diagnosed mental illness)
  • long term, life threatening or terminal illness
  • children with disabilities
  • people with HIV, etc.

Providing care can range from providing regular support and assistance to providing round-the-clock care. Carers may help with bathing, dressing, getting up and down stairs, shopping or household tasks, as well as all kinds of practical and emotional support.

Waltham Forest recognises that carers - family, friends and neighbours - provide a significant amount of care in the community. It can be a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week job. It can result in loss of earnings and a reduced social life.

Many people who care for someone do not necessarily see themselves as 'carers'. Rather they are mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, partners, husbands, wives or neighbours looking after someone. However, being identified as a carer can be important to get extra support you need to continue caring.

Carers in Waltham Forest

According to the 2001 census -

  • Over 18,700 people in Waltham Forest described themselves as carers
  • Nearly two out of three carers in Waltham Forest say that they provide between 1 and 19 hours of care per week
  • Of the remaining carers, nearly twice as many say they provide over 50 hours of care per week as the number who report that they provide between 20 and 49 hours
  • The older you are as a carer the more likely you are to be providing more care: the majority of people aged over 75 who describe themselves as carers provide 50 or more hours of care per week

Facts about caring

According to Carers UK, the leading organisation for carers in the UK -

  • 1 in 8 of all adults are carers
  • Every year over 2 million people become carers
  • Carers save the economy £57 billion per year- the equivalent of what the entire NHS costs to run - an average of £10,000 per carer
  • Over 3 million people juggle care with work
  • Carer’s Allowance, the main carer's benefit, is worth just £44.70 for a minimum of 35 hours - £1.30 per hour
  • 1.25 million people provide over 50 hours of care per week
  • People providing high levels of care are twice as likely to be permanently sick or disabled
  • Over 1 million people care for more than one person
  • 58 per cent of carers are women; 42 per cent are men
  • By 2037 the number of carers could have increased to 9 million