|
  
Facts About Carers
- Australia's unpaid family carers provide $30.5 billion worth of care every year at great personal cost in both financial terms and loss of their own health and well being;
- Carers provide 1.2 billion hours of care each year;
- A single carer on a government income support (Carer payment and Carer Allowance) receives $200 a week less than the federal minimum wage;
- 55% of carers are on government pensions;
- 2.6 million Australians are carers - it can happen to anyone at anytime;
- 71% of primary carers are female;
- 78% of primary carers care for a person in the same household;
- Primary care - 42% for a partner, 26% for a child, 23% for a parent;
- 61% of carers are not in the work force even though 75% of carers are aged between 18 - 64 years.
What We Can Do to Help
As a community we need to offer carers ongoing support, education and options to enable them to continue to care for those they love in the environment of their choice.
We need to offer regular 'breaks':
- to reduce carer stress;
- continue to participate in their individual interests;
- reduce the negative effect that caring has on their own health;
- assist them to identify and meet their own needs;
- receive ongoing education and support.
|
|
