A fresh approach to supportin unpaid carers | Letter

Patrick Butler’s airticle on the risin number o fowk leavin employment tae provide unpait care resonated wi me, baith as an unpait carer an as a researcher in this field. The juggle atween pait wark an cairin responsibeelities is a daily reality for millions. The report frae Carers UK is a welcome reminder o this aften-hidden issue, highlightin no juist the growin care needs o aulder fowk but an aa the increasin numbers o younger fowk wha rely on unpait care. The midwife Jacqui Hylton’s observation in the airticle that cairin for her mither is harder than workin in the NHS deserves serious attention.

Whit is aften missin frae these debates, houever, is recognition o the diversity an number o cairin responsibeelities. There is nae sic thing as a teepical unpait carer. Cairin roles vary enormoosly, whether supportin a disabled bairn, a workin-age adult wi a progressive condition or an aulder relative wi dementia.

Cairin is an aa no fixit. There can be the onset o cairin, aften trigger’t by illness or crisis; ongaun care; an the end o cairin, ilka ane wi implications for wark an financial security. Some fowk leave wark tae provide care an struggle tae re-enter the workforce whan cairin ends. Ithers remain employ’t, but find the demands o combinin wark an care unsusteenable.

These experiences reflect variations in the intensity an duration o care, the availability o support, the flexibeelity o employers an the nature o wark. Social care reform maun engage wi these complexitees. Politicians maun recognise no juist the value o unpait carers but an aa the diversity o cairin experiences. Effective support requires a mair nuanced approach than policies biggit roond a single model o care.