*10% in UK and 14% in the US (Labor statistics, 2023)
Do you know anyone who is an unpaid carer? Some people hide it well, especially child caregivers.
At one point in your life you are likely to care for someone long term.
Applying for assistance from the government can be a challenge for any new unpaid carer: you must know about it first! In the UK the adult Carer’s Allowance is not well publicised, so an obvious first hurdle might be a caregiver could go months without financial support unless a doctor, carer or social worker informs them. More promotion is needed.
Just in case there are people unaware of government financial schemes that provide caregiver’s benefits, I’ve put together a list of links to some of the countries that support adult unpaid carers (below).
Does your country have an adult caregivers’ allowance? In Europe it is a right to apply for time off work and to apply for an allowance.
Context
Just to clarify, unpaid carers (also known as informal carers or caregivers) are carers to loved-ones and this care can sometimes be in another home, often adding long and expensive travelling time to an already full week. This type of carer can be upwards of 5 years of age. Without a caring partner or supportive family, caregivers, and professional carers, are likely to struggle to maintain their own health, education and financial commitments (if they are an adult) and this often impacts on their wellbeing (carersuk, 2022).
Sparing the time
I stepped down from being a full time unpaid carer last year, so I know how overwhelmed caregivers can feel because much of the time they are in a chronic stressful situation (LeWine, 2024). I also think that goes for professional carers too: both roles apply a lot of continuous risk management and emotional masking everyday. When feeling stressed, the last thing many deflated, and cognitively withered caregivers are going to do is spare the time to apply for a government allowance that will benefit themselves when they’ve spent all day caring for another. However, it is worth spending the time to apply, and seek out specific documents. It won’t be a huge amount of money, but it should help.
FYI
Be aware that to qualify for a benefit, there might be a minimum number of hours per week you would be expected to work as an unpaid carer; it’s different from one country’s gov to another, e.g. in the UK there’s a minimum of 35 hours per week that you would be expected to work…
…What? You don’t think you work 35 hours per week as a caregiver? Think about ALL the time you spend looking after ALL their needs: 1:1 care, personal care, cleaning, cooking, arranging/attending appointments, communicating with carers, monitoring the loved-one, shopping etc.
The following links were accessed from the UK so they might be different links when accessing from the country of origin.
American benefits: if you are caring for someone, this page is informative and has links to application pages
https://www.usa.gov/disability-caregiver
Australia Carer Allowance: this is a fortnightly financial benefit only applicable for those caregivers who provide daily care for a foreseeable year or more. If you have a crystal ball and have the time to apply, click the link below
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/carer-allowance
Canadian support: Caregiver Space provides information on eligibility and links
https://www.thecaregiverspace.org/paid-family-caregiver-canada/
Canadian Caregiver Credit: Tax credit for Canadian caregivers.
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/canada-caregiver-amount.html
European carers benefits: click on the flag which will take you to (outdated but legitimate) information on how to apply in your country and the application form links:
https://eurocarers.org/country-profiles
New Zealand (Whaikaha): the page link below provides a one stop to all services and support that might be appropriate for loved ones with disabilities. https://www.whaikaha.govt.nz/support-and-services
Also NZ the link below takes you to a page detailing the carer support subsidy for NZ carers caring for seniors.
https://www.seniorline.org.nz/support-for-carers-2/carer-support-subsidy/
Turkey: the link below takes you to an inaccessible information page seemingly constructed by an individual who writes in old fashioned lawyer-speak; when encountering this individual face to face, be aware they may use archaic and formally constructed sentences to confuse the fellow interlocutor. From the photo on the website, the caregiver might be expected to dress in a hazmat suit. Good luck!
https://www.aile.gov.tr/eyhgm-en/haberler/regulation-on-home-care-allowance-was-published-in-the-official-gazette/
South Africa: the link for financial benefits when supporting ‘older persons’ didn’t work, but there is a grant for caregiving if your loved one is a child, see below
https://www.gov.za/services/services-residents/parenting/child-care/care-dependency-grant