We need to identify carers quicker and offer them support says charity
Half of people caring for someone with cancer are not getting any support at all, according to the a major charity.
Macmillan Cancer Support Scotland has revealed the number of people caring for someone with cancer has reached a record high of 125,000, increase from 83,000 since 2011.
Worryingly, the charity's research shows that 47% of carers in don’t receive any financial, emotional nor practical support.
It is worried without help carers could become isolated and develop their own health problems such as depression and anxiety.
On average, each carer spends 17.5 hours a week helping with a range of activities from giving medication and changing dressings to taking care of finances, helping with going to the toilet and eating.
Shockingly, more than one in four of those surveyed in Scotland, as part of the YouGov poll which provided the charity with its stats, said they spend more than 35 hours a week, the same as a full time job, caring for someone with cancer.
When Louise died that’s what I found hard to deal with and I had recurring flashbacks of the things she had gone through, things we had experienced together
Alan Ainsley with Louise
Elspeth Atkinson, director for Scotland at Macmillan Cancer Support, said it is imperative carers are identified at the earliest opportunity.
“We are going to see a continuing rise in the number of people caring for friends and family due to the increasing rate of people being diagnosed with cancer,” she said.
“It is therefore essential we have support in place for cancer carers so they can continue to look after loved ones without being overwhelmed or left to cope alone.
“Being a carer can be very stressful and it’s essential that help and advice is there when it’s needed so carers can continue to look after their family member or friend. That’s why Macmillan is urging Scotland’s new health and social care partnerships to commit to implementing the Scottish Government’s plans for carers to be identified at the earliest possible opportunity and for each to be given a carer support plan if they request one.”
The YouGov survey found carers as young as 17 to people in their 80s.
The charity said it was concerned about the growing pressure on carers which could leave them with their own health problems such as depression and anxiety.
Alan Ainsley, from Edinburgh, cared for his wife Louise for 10 years after she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
After Louise passed away at age 42 in 2013 Alan found himself dealing with extreme and delayed grief from the experiences of the past decade.
“We were extremely private about the realities of what Louise had to experience and kept the harshness of the treatments to ourselves. In hindsight, that meant I bottled it up,” he said.
“When Louise died that’s what I found hard to deal with and I had recurring flashbacks of the things she had gone through, things we had experienced together.
“I was subsequently diagnosed with a form of severe grief and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with extreme anxiety and panic attacks just two of the symptoms. Ten years of looking after somebody I loved had a profound impact on me.
“Looking back, if there had been opportunities for counselling during that time it would have helped. Someone at the various hospitals to talk to, to listen and help me deal with everything I had seen and was feeling. Someone to give me advice.Of course it wouldn’t have taken away the pain of losing Louise but it would have helped me deal with what we had gone through together.”
Macmillan has created an online community for carers to talk to each other and has network of self-help and support groups situated across the country. For more information of either visit macmillan.org.uk.
