Carers Week: Focusing on those who dedicate their time to others
This week (9-15 June) is Carers Week. The campaign this year focuses on raising awareness about the challenges and inequalities vast numbers of the population face as a result of their caring responsibilities.
Whether caring for friends or family, those who dedicate their time to helping others often do so to the detriment of their own health, wellbeing, education, careers and social lives.
The report highlights the impact on caregivers, and what support might help address the disadvantages that so many face because of their caring responsibilities.
It is vital that our society fully recognises, appreciates and supports those who devote their time to others.
Caring for others is a key cornerstone of bettering our communities. Correct and adequate measures of support may go some way to bridge the gap of inequality which exists between those who, and those who do not, have caring responsibilities.
The Caring About Equality report can be read in full here.
A recent case highlighted how carers within the family unit may not receive financial remuneration, but in this case, a woman who cared for her elderly mother in the last two and a half years of the latter's life has successfully claimed against the estate for the value of the care she provided.
This raises a number of issues, and we regularly advise on estate planning where one member of the family is the primary caregiver and perhaps lives at home with the person receiving care. This can lead to complex issues in the devolution of the estate and something which we can help find solutions to.