Respite and Welfare Reported as Number One Concern According to Local Carers

As the payment for care debate continues across the UK, professionals from some of the North West’s leading experts in care including Gorvins Solicitors, The Together Trust and Stockport Advocacy, have stated that respite and welfare is the top concern amongst carers and this issue will only get worse if not tackled now.

In a study from Carers UK “8 in 10 carers have felt socially isolated because of their care responsibilities” and according to a poll produced by The Carer’s Trust 48% of young carers aged 8-15, said that “being a young carer made them feel stressed”.

Mary Edwards, principle influencer at Stockport Advocacy said: “Often carers come to me confused about how to manage their dependant’s personal budget, and don’t even have the time to consider how they will put provisions in place for a much needed break. They need to be aware that they need a break too so that they can provide the best care for their dependant.”

Sue Whitehead, Head of Therapy at the Together Trust commented: “This issue is so common amongst carers, and they often don’t speak up enough about it, which can infringe on the quality of life not only of the carer, but also the quality of care they provide. Amongst young carers this issue becomes even more prevalent”

Sue and Mary will be highlighting a real life working example of personal budgets, the key issues carers should be thinking of and the support networks available at the “Meet the Experts” event between 9.30am – 3pm on Thursday 5^th March at Gorvins Solicitors in Stockport as part of their unique Caring Week.

The aim of the event is for local charities to provide a range of talks to carers to inform them of the services and assistance they can provide. Talks will be given by Gorvins Solicitors, The Together Trust, Stockport Advocacy, Signpost, Flag and Stockport MBC.

Christine Thornley, Partner and Head of Wills, Trusts & Probate said: “This unique event aims to give parents and carers of young people living with a disability or illness, access to the right information provided by senior people from organisations across Stockport. There are a lot of carers in the community and our aim is to educate them on the fantastic network of support and advice services that are available to them”.

Sue Whitehead said “we are delighted to be working in partnership with Gorvins Solicitors. We want to help carers in the local community combat situations where respite is lacking, by building close links with them to raise much needed awareness and tackle an ever impending crisis.”