"Army of invisible carers" failing to access available respite care

A study by care sector charity Vitalise has estimated there to be millions of family carers in the UK who are entitled to source respite care services but are failing to do so.

Collated from the findings of several organisations over the last five years, the Vitalise report finds that many people fail to realise they qualify for carers’ benefits because they are unpaid.

Older people in particular are found to be missing out, with a failure to access care services leading to unnecessary retirement and a decline in lifestyle choice.

Chief executive of Vitalise Chris Simmonds hopes that communities can reach out to families in need of support, commenting:

“The problems people with disabilities and carers face in accessing essential support – such as funding for respite breaks – is already well documented, but this review reveals that there are many more people out there who don’t even know they are carers and therefore entitled to support.

“Clearly more needs to be done to reach out to this invisible army of carers across the UK, since without the escape valve of regular time off from caring, we know only too well that carers risk reaching breaking point and ending up sick, depressed, and facing the very real risk of becoming disabled themselves.

The Vitalise charity, formerly the Winged Fellowship Trust, is dedicated to promoting the rights of disabled people as equal to those without disabilities, and look to make respite care, activities and holidays possible through campaigns such as the BBC’s Lifeline Appeal.