Australia's unpaid caregivers are burned-out. They're mentally and physically exhausted, neglect their own needs and put in way more hours than an average paid worker.
According to a new report unpaid caregivers are delivering care at a seemingly unsustainable rate and data suggests many are doing so while managing health issues of their own.
Home Care provider The Care Side commissioned research to look at how the country's 2.65 million unpaid carers were managing - the results were concerning.
"At a surface level, caregiving is a wholly admirable role," says the report The Quiet Toll of Unpaid Caregiving. "But when you start to peel back the layers, it becomes obvious just how much caregiving demands from the people who do it regularly. There are physical requirements, to be sure, but the mental, emotional, and even spiritual obligations of caregiving take a toll that largely goes unnoticed."
The study surveyed 707 unpaid caregivers living in Australia between November and December 2023. The respondents were 91 per cent female and 9 per cent male.
The report says a female majority was expected. "However, the stark discrepancy warrants a larger discussion. Even as gender equality in the workplace slowly improves, larger gains will be stunted as women continue to bear a disproportionate amount of domestic responsibility."
Sixty hours or more a week
Only 6 per cent of respondents were younger than 44 years with 75 per cent 55 years or older, and 40 per cent older than 65. Forty per cent of the caregivers surveyed reported caring for a spouse or partner. Another 38 per cent cared for a parent or parent-in-law, and 21 per cent cared for an adult child. More than 40 per cent of survey respondents provided 60 hours of unpaid caregiving work or more every week.
I care for my husband who has dementia. It is relentless, demending and exhausting. Caregivers are invisible. No one asks how I am.
- Survey respondent
Symptoms of caregiver stress can include poor sleep, loss of interest in previous activities, anxiety, depression and feelings of isolation, anger or frustration, strained relationships with family members and friends, feelings of burden and worry, unwanted weight loss or gain, misuse of alcohol and or drugs, headaches, pain and other health issues.
The Care Side Chief Operating Officer Emily Gillett said the social, financial, emotional and health impacts on unpaid carers are enormous."
"Unpaid carers often have to resign from their paid employment to provide care to their loved ones. Not only does this place a huge financial burden on the carer, but it can also often leave them socially and emotionally isolated."
Eileen Wood
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
