Carer’s Stressed and Dissatisfied with Services
New Zealand’s largest qualitative study about the lives of family carers, undertaken by the University of Auckland, paints a disturbing picture.
A study of 300 carers of ill, disabled, and frail aged family members has found that only 10 have been able to remain in paid employment, and that two thirds of the carers interviewed experience depression.The Carers Assessment of Needs Study, carried out by Dr Diane Jorgensen of Auckland University’s School of Nursing, is one of the largest qualitative studies about carers in the world. It was undertaken with help from national non-profit Carers NZ, which enlisted carers to participate from its 16,000 member database. Other non-profits also encouraged carers to participate so the study could accurately reflect who carers are, and the challenges of this large but invisible community of New Zealanders.
Census 2006 found that more than 420,000 New Zealanders over the age of 15 are carers. Family carers are New Zealand’s biggest health workforce, and Carers NZ says their unpaid work has an annual economic value of $7+ billion. More than 80% of carers are of workforce age, between 15 and 65. Having to give up work to care can tip families with health and disability needs into benefit dependency and long-term poverty, says Carers NZ chief executive Laurie Hilsgen.“
For many carers, being able to participate in the paid workforce is an important choice. It provides opportunities for income, friendships, and a break from caring. Carers can’t work if supports aren’t reliable, flexible, or of good quality.”
Carers NZ has partnered with Business NZ and the NZ Council of Trade Unions to proactively support working carers and their employers. Few employers realise that one in three to five of their workers may have caring commitments, which range from occasional help with finances and household chores, to intensive care responsibilities every day. The organisations are making Work Life Care! information available in workplaces so carers and employers know where to find different kinds of help. They have approached government agencies and workplaces to get behind the initiative.
Hilsgen says the CAN study is a wake-up call for the Government, all future governments, and wider society.“
In New Zealand we talk about the ageing population as though it is a challenge for the future. The effects are with us now, and growing. Ageing in place and community based care will only work if New Zealand also considers the financial and wellbeing impacts on families.”
A survey by Carers NZ last year found that 42% of more than 600 carers experienced care-related injuries. This can also impact a carer’s ability to continue in their role, and in paid employment, says Hilsgen. ACC is leading, with participation from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development, the development of a wellbeing and learning programme for carers. The initiative is an action in the Carers’ Strategy Five Year Action Plan. One of its aims is to reduce carer injuries.
The CAN study found that despite hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars flowing into health and disability supports for community-based care in New Zealand each year, less than 3% of carers of older people 65+ are satisfied with the level of support they currently receive from the Government, or publicly funded services. Parents of high needs children and young people were the most stressed carers in the CAN study; less than 1% feel they are getting enough quality support.
Carers NZ is the Secretariat for the New Zealand Carers Alliance, a coalition of 45 national non-profits, which successfully lobbied the last government for a Carers’ Strategy. Launched last April with a five year Action Plan, delivery of the Strategy is now the responsibility of the National-led government.
The Carers Alliance met with Minister of Social Development, Paula Bennett, and a representative for Health Minister Tony Ryall, at Parliament this month. All political parties pledged to support the Carers’ Strategy and its Action Plan before the election.
The Carers Alliance, at its meeting in February, committed to new areas of lobbying to improve the lives of carers and their families. These include calling for a nationally consistent and accountable approach to continence services, and seeking greater flexibility and improvements in the Carer Support Subsidy. Working groups within the Alliance have been established to take this work forward. Ensuring the Carers’ Strategy is fully delivered, and built upon, is another key area of activity for the Carers Alliance following the change of government.