In the UK there are over 2 million unpaid relatives looking after the elderly. Although looking after elderly parents is a natural life stage most of us face, it is one for which we are ill-prepared. This challenging role is bolted onto already busy lives, creating unbearable stress. The sandwich generation, who are still raising children, are especially vulnerable, as are elderly caregivers and those trying to maintain employment but feel unable to mention it to their employers.

Major decisions have to be made in times of crisis, with time and financial pressures exacerbating the stress. Social lives are sacrificed, leading to loneliness, depression and bad health. Although the need for information and support is great, nowhere is this community catered for. Not identifying themselves as ‘carers’, they do not relate to the charities Carers UK and the Carers Trust, so the information, often needed urgently in a crisis, is not found.

Research has shown:

• Both the elderly and society benefit from the elderly remaining independent as long as possible. How long they can remain independent relies upon the support they receive.
• With an ageing population, who are living longer, the problem is only going to get worse.
• People providing high levels of care are twice as likely to become permanently sick or disabled themselves

We need to support people through this challenging life stage, as it benefits the elderly as well as the caregiver. It is estimated that unpaid caregivers save the country around £132 billion, which is almost as much as the NHS budget( £134 billion in 2014/15)!