Alzheimer's Society responds to ONS report on the impact of Covid-19 on carers
New figures today published by the Office for National Statistics have revealed that more people have been helping others outside their household through the coronavirus.
Almost half (48%) of UK adults report providing help or support to someone outside of their household during April 2020. This contrasts with pre-pandemic findings of 11% of adults providing some regular service or help for an elderly, disabled or ill person living outside their household
Of adults who reported providing help in April 2020, 32% were helping someone who they did not help before the pandemic and 33% reported giving more help to people they helped previously.
Of those providing help and support to others in April 2020, 16% felt they played a useful role more so than usual, compared to 9% of those who had not. Nevertheless, those supporting others were not immune to the increased feelings of anxiety common to different sections of the population as a whole during this time.
Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing at Alzheimer’s Society, said:
“Thousands of people with dementia rely on the care and support of loved ones. What is clear is that our threadbare social care system is having to rely more than ever before on the often unrecognised work provided by an estimated 1.8 million already overstretched people across the UK. Coronavirus has exposed the dire state of social care – here’s further evidence that the Government must urgently produce a long-term social care solution with sufficient funding, to protect both people with dementia and their carers.”
