Helping young people reach their goals.
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Experiences of family carers
Family carers are people who care for a family member with a learning disability on an unpaid basis. A family carer could be a parent, a sibling, another relative or someone who is personally connected to the family of the person being cared for.
It can be hard for someone who hasn’t experienced it to understand just how big a responsibility caring for a disabled family member can be. More than 7 out of 10 family carers who responded to our survey provide more than 15 hours of care each day. That is 15 hours of unpaid care every single day, and this level of care is often needed throughout a person’s life, and it doesn’t stop when they reach adulthood.
Informal caring is the alternative to placing a family member in state-funded care. Family carers carry out their caring responsibilitiesout of love for the person they care for and in the interests of that person’s wellbeing and happiness.
To share your experiences of short breaks with Mencap, please email reallifestories@mencap.org.uk.
Nicola’s story
Both my children require 24 hour care, are non-verbal and are completely dependant on me for every aspect of daily living.
Gail’s story
From the age of two my son didn’t sleep for more than two or three hours a night. I’m told that sleep deprivation is used as a form or torture and I felt like I was being tortured every day.
Jeanette’s story
I am a full-time carer to my 27 year old son who has Down's syndrome and a severe learning disability. I am worried that without a bit of extra help things could reach crisis point.
Alf's story
Great-grandfather-of-four Alf is 91and cares for his 59-year-old son Keith, who has cerebral palsy and a learning disability.
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