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Working + Caring
November 7, 2022
November 7, 2022
One person develops dementia every three minutes, and there are approximately 850,000 people in the UK currently living with this condition.
Due to an ‘ageing society’, this figure is predicted to rise to over 2 million by 2051. No wonder dementia has been referred to as “health’s ticking time bomb”.
The ripple effect of dementia is huge; 700,000 people in the UK are currently acting as primary, unpaid carers. The majority of these are family members, and many have to juggle this alongside full-time employment.
According to our annual carer survey many family dementia carers find it impossible to remain in the workforce and balance their caring responsibilities. In fact, nearly half of all family dementia carers, who were in paid employment when they became a carer, have had to either give up their job to care or reduce their hours.
Research has consistently shown that this juggling act can be physically and emotionally demanding.
Carers are at a high risk of experiencing a variety of negative personal issues such as anxiety, depression, and heart disease and work outcomes, such as absenteeism, a reduction in work hours, and even termination of employment.
Loss of identity
Being employed not only has financial benefits but gives a meaningful and important part of someone’s life can be impossible to retain. Losing a work life can also result in the loss of a sense of identity, value, and an escape from the stress of caring.
It was fab, because the minute I got on that motorway, I was in a different world, and that has gone. I left all that behind, it was an
Over the course of November we are investigating the issues of “Working + Caring” in more detail in a series of free webinars and invite you along to join us. There are guest speakers for each session and we will be discussing the practicalities of returning to work as well as the emotional barriers and impact.
Here is a taster of what to expect from last week’s Lunch & Listen Facebook Live event with professional coach and accredited career consultant Dawn Newey and psychologist Dr Gemima Fitzgerald.
Join us on Tuesdays on Zoom
We start the WORKING + CARING series by “building the bridge” between the skills that employers are looking for and the capabilities that, we as family carers, develop naturally in our daily lives.
Speaker: Susan Stasiak.
This week we hear from two carers who have made the move back to work. We discuss the skills developed through caring and how they map across to those desired abilities and capabilities that employers want.
Recognising your skills is one thing, but feeling ready to return to work is another. We investigate what emotional support is important.
https://dementiacarers.org.uk/blog/annual-survey-results-2022/
https://dementiacarers.org.uk/blog/our-response-to-the-2022-autumn-statement/
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post_tag,blog_categories
alzheimer's
carer identity
Carer Support
dementia
Family Carer
family carers
online learning
support sessions
Practical advice