I’m tired.

Not because of jet lag from my recent work trip or my constant working and caring. I’m tired of reading the same research reports that shed light on the awful treatment of unpaid carers in the UK. Carers UK recently released their latest State of Caring Survey 2023 looking at unpaid carers’ finances. It makes for shocking reading. The situation gets worse every year, and the statistics in the report don’t even seem to register with anyone anymore. So let me share some of the quotes from it, perhaps that will be more impactful:

• “I’ve lost weight because I can’t afford to eat.”

• “I couldn’t afford my internet bill, explained to them. I need it to get medication, food, heating and light, contacting in an emergency and they cut me off, I was literally crying on the phone to them, telling them it is my lifeline, they didn’t care.”
• “I have cut down on washing my hair. No baths, only showers, filling the toilet cistern with rainwater, cutting back on food and fuel for the car, cutting back journeys by car – no socialising.”
• “I am regularly skipping meals. We have skipped lunch for the last nine months. Now I sometimes cook just for my husband, and I skip dinner. Sometimes I have cereal for dinner. Sometimes I have a jar of baby food. It is 95p and often reduced further. I can eat baby food for dinner to save money.”
• “We have less showers, wash clothes less but my daughter has no bowel or bladder control and IBD so end up changing her bedding most nights so the washing machine is on every day. I lie in bed at night thinking of ways to make £2 feed us both the following day so I don’t have to use the credit card.“
• “I am burning through my life savings to live.”
• “No spare cash and credit card debts increasing.”

Does this hit home? These are people caring for their loved ones because our truly awful and inadequate social care system and NHS can’t. They are propping up the systems and being driven into abject poverty for doing so. Is this the society we want to live in?

I’d like to focus on the last two statements, as this may resonate with the not-yet-carers reading this (welcome and thank you for getting this far). About 12,000 people a day become unpaid carers in the UK; those people had jobs, a life they had control over, savings, hobbies, and aspirations. They will now likely have to give up all of that. How long will they be able to survive financially without a job? How long would *you*? It is a crucial question that we should all be asking ourselves. When it is your turn to be part of those 12,000 people a day becoming unpaid carers, what will you do financially?

It is imperative you plan for that eventuality. Here are some thought starters for you:

• Research how you can get Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) should you ever need it. This enables you to make health or financial decisions on behalf of the person you care for if they’re unable to. It cost me £1,000 to do that for my grandmother with a local solicitor as my situation was a tad complicated, although the typical fee is £82.
• Research what kind of benefits you could be entitled to depending on your situation, and see if you’d be able to live off them (spoiler alert: the answer is ‘no’). Carers UK has very helpful guides: https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/
• Speak to local private care agencies to find what their rates and processes are. Pre-vetting some of them will save you a lot of precious time when the time comes to hire them – should you be able to afford it. Do the same for local care homes, you will almost definitely not be able to afford them but at least you’ll get the shock out of the way and make alternate plans.
• Look into meal delivery services and other services that could be helpful for less mobile people.

The biggest tip would be to start saving. Save what you can, put it into an account. and don’t touch it until you need it. All the things I list above are expensive but necessary as the state you pay taxes to will not help you. Be very clear on that. Do not expect it. If you do get some government assistance, it will be inadequate and inconsistent at best. You must plan now so you deal with whatever comes without being completely overwhelmed.

If you’re lucky enough to not need these measures, then you’ll have some extra savings to spend on what you like… and you could even donate some of it to a carers charity!

Before you start furiously googling and planning, take a minute to sign this petition if you live in the UK, your future unpaid carer self will thank you: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/640062

You can also read the Carers UK report here: https://www.carersuk.org/press-releases/family-members-caring-for-loved-ones-forced-deeper-into-poverty-by-high-cost-of-living-and-restrictive-carer-s-allowance/