What is your relationship with the person you care for?

[AspieMum]

This is from our Facts about carers briefing
http://www.carersuk.org/professionals/r ... arers-2009

For whom do they care?
The Census question did not ask who the carer cared for, however the 2000 General Household Survey revealed that
- more than half of carers (52%) were caring for their parents or parents in law,
- while 18% were caring for their spouse.
- Nearly one in ten (8%) care for a child (including adult children),
- while a further fifth (21%) care for another relative
- and a fifth (21%) for a friend or neighbour.
(we need a statistician to tell us why these don;t add up to 100% )

Most carers look after elderly people. The 2000 GHS indicated that 70% of those cared for are 65
years or over. Sixty two percent of carers look after someone with a physical disability, 6% with a
mental disability and 18% with both a physical and mental disability.

I wonder how many parents of disabled or special needs children did not say they are carers on the cencus even though they are? It took me a long while to realise I was a carer because looking after your children is what a mum does anyway.

[AspieMum]

Only 2 carers look after their brother! If this statistic is minimal on this poll then i'm sure overall the statistic is minimal in general. Man and Wife they are for the long term, thus better or worse they will stick it through the very end! I am so humbled when couples stick it out to the end! Very aspirational. In our younger years, we tend to be career ambitious, seeking the perfect life of your role models, so I can understand the brother statistic being low, because they want to achieve their goals without being in hardship.

Except there's no way to tell why this is minimal here. I have a situation where I care for more than one person, but can only usually count one at any time on any surveys. Skews the results a bit.

When it comes to polls of carers in places it is likely only adults will be those caring for brothers or sisters and even parents won't show the true amount of people in the country who do because there are all those young carers out there that do not count. They are probably unlikely to be on this forum, for example, as many will be too young and the rest probably want to forget caring and be kids when they get a break.

[Simon Turner]

I care for my wife who suffers from long term depression and aggoraphobia, she is also recovering from a stroke.

[falpal1]

wife

[Ralph Friend]

Hi Re. diversity, I ticked *son* on the poll as I am the son-in-law of the principle peron needing care. In reality, my wife is so run down and stressed out by caring for her mother tha I am moare a carer for a carer so I could have put husband.

I remeber in the US sitcom Rhoda, the mother said, *Families who sick together, stick together.*

It seems to me that in most cases, if one member of a household needs caring for, it is soon the case that the whole houshold feel they could do with some care.

Ralph

[AspieMum]

Hi Re. diversity, I ticked *son* on the poll as I am the son-in-law of the principle peron needing care. In reality, my wife is so run down and stressed out by caring for her mother tha I am moare a carer for a carer so I could have put husband.

I remeber in the US sitcom Rhoda, the mother said, *Families who sick together, stick together.*

It seems to me that in most cases, if one member of a household needs caring for, it is soon the case that the whole houshold feel they could do with some care.

Ralph

That multiple possible answers but you can only give one reminds me of a lot of forms related to Autism where you can be a person with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder or a carer of somone with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder but not like me and be both- I come up against that one a lot especially online.

[Penny]

Oh dear, I need to tick twice really. Have ticked once for caring for my mother but need to do it again as carer for my daughter. It won't let me though!

[Ginny Gem]

Hope I've done this correctly, I've click 'wife' as I care for my husband

Someone also asked how many carers are actually disabled themselves, well I am for one, I have lumber and cervical spondylosis and osteoarthritis in most other joints, seems it's genetic as I have two brothers with Ankylosing Spondilitis but I've had blood test and I don't show the marker for that, even though we all suffer same symptoms!

[AspieMum]

Hope I've done this correctly, I've click 'wife' as I care for my husband

Someone also asked how many carers are actually disabled themselves, well I am for one, I have lumber and cervical spondylosis and osteoarthritis in most other joints, seems it's genetic as I have two brothers with Ankylosing Spondilitis but I've had blood test and I don't show the marker for that, even though we all suffer same symptoms!

I have Aspergers Syndrome and I am Hearing Impaired as well as being a carer.

[ladylee1979]

i care for 2 sons and 1 daughter (ADHD,autism,DCD)