Supporting ageing carers as they become less able or unable to care

Carers Trust is leading a partnership of Voluntary Sector partners* in the Health and Wellbeing Alliance. We have been commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care to run a project focusing on how older carers (those over 50) can best be supported and in particular:

  • Ageing parent carers
  • Older carers from other groups who face additional barriers

whose changing circumstances mean they are less able to care or unable to continue caring at all.

Carers Trust has teamed up with partners from the Health and Wellbeing Alliance* to find out how older parent carers and older carers from groups who face additional barriers to receiving services are being supported to prepare for a time when they are less able or unable to provide care. The project will explore how older carers can best be supported to plan for future changes – specifically for when they are able to provide less or no care at all. These changes might be, for example, age related, or health related and mean carers are less able to care.

We know that certain groups of the population face additional barriers when accessing services so are seeking views of these groups as well. This survey seeks to identify good practice, what lies behind that good practice and identify any gaps in services. This will feed into a report about what is currently happening, good practice examples and into a toolkit which will help services provide the support that carers need. If you have any questions, please get in touch with policy@carers.org

*Partners include:

Carers UK; the National LGB&T Partnership; Friends, Families and Travellers; Citizens Advice; Faith Action; Association of Mental Health Providers; Complex Needs Consortium, and The Valuing People’s Alliance

Source: Carers Trust