This briefing is based on Carers Leeds annual carers survey and shines a light on parent carers of children under 18 in Leeds: their experiences, what they are most concerned about, and what matters to them. The top concerns for parent carers in our city, who responded to our survey, are:
- My own health and wellbeing – 73% say that caring has a negative impact on their mental health, 65% say that caring has a negative impact on their physical health. 65% of parent carers say they experience poor sleep, feelings of stress, anxiety of overwhelm most or all the time. Despite these concerns, 59% said they don’t have time to prioritise their own health and wellbeing due to their caring role.
- Money and the cost of living – 51% of parent carers who are not working, would like to be. Nearly half are worried about monthly living costs and managing in the future. A third are struggling to make ends meets, including affording food and going without essentials.
- Services not being able to meet my needs or the person I care for – educational support and access to health and care services are of huge concern to parent carers, more than any other group in our survey. These challenges with the system, further compound the negative impact on parent carers health and wellbeing.
We would love to work together to do more in Leeds to support parent carers and help address the challenges you face. If you would like to discuss this further, please reply to this email and let’s set up a time to talk.
You can read the Parent Carer briefing here bit.ly/carersleedsparentcarersurvey
