Helen can no longer afford to spend on respite care, and going to the opticians or the dentist is a luxury
This week we speak to Helen Phipps-Watson, 49, who lives with her husband Ian, 79, in Chester. Helen, a former psychologist, is a full-timefor her husband. Helen thinks the support available for unpaid carers, both financially and more broadly, is inadequate. Helen and Ian do not have a dentist or optician as they are too expensive. Helen thinks unpaid carers should be paid a sum akin to the National Minimum Wage.per week. He also gets a state pension, which is about £200 per week.
Having cared for my parents and now Ian, I’d say I’ve spent around £100,000 from my savings on things like respite care and property adaptations. I used to spend £500 per month on my father’s incontinence pads and must have spent about £30,000 on them over the years. I don’t regret having spent money on respite care, but can no longer afford to.
Being a carer means I’ve gone from having a comfortable lifestyle and not having to think about money too much, to one of compromises and watching every penny. I wake up and go to sleep worrying about money. The UK’s financial provision for unpaid carers is completely inadequate. Instead of being recognised for what we do by being paid something like the National Minimum Wage, we are pushed into poverty. As far as I know, one in five people in the UK provides unpaid care or support to someone.
If this was all worked out fairly, the economy would benefit. Fewer benefits like Housing Benefit would be needed and less people would require local authority social care or care home placements.