Both paid and unpaid carers sacrifice their own wellbeing, data shows

Concerning figures have been released regarding the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of the nation's carers.

The Palliative Care Australia (PCA) national workforce survey analysed the impact of the growing demand and resource challenges associated with palliative care on both health professionals and volunteers who are providing end of life support.

Out of 1400 survey respondents 44 percent of palliative care specialists and 41 per cent of aged care workers reported experiencing burn out either "quite often" or "very often", while below half reported feeling satisfied with their mental and physical health.

PCA chief Camilla Rowland took the opportunity to thank the nation's carers on World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on October 12.

“On this of all days, I want to thank and acknowledge the professionals and volunteers who deliver palliative care – you are special people, your skills are valued, and we need to care for you so you can continue to deliver care for others," Ms Rowland said.

“There is a natural emotional load that comes with this work; the intensity of the relationships built with patients and their families can be incredibly rewarding and are important – therefore the need for ongoing formal and informal support for staff who work in this space is critical.”

Lack of recognition

Carers NSW this week released the first results of its national survey, revealing that one in two Australian informal or 'family and friend' carers do not feel adequately recognised or valued by their community or governments.

The survey, which included more than 10,000 unpaid carers, showed that the average duration of care is 12.1 years.

The data shows that carer wellbeing and connection is down and psychological distress is up. Worryingly, over 60 per cent said they experience social isolation, with most stating that their own wellbeing had not been enquired about when seeking health services for the person receiving care.

"The thing I find most difficult is that people rarely ask me how I am travelling or if I need help," a survey respondent said.

"Around one in three First Nations carers told us that the mainstream services they access are not culturally safe, and while half of the young carers who responded had a teacher who was aware of their caring role, only one in five had received extra support at school," Carers NSW said.

Financial effects

A lesser talked about consequence of taking on the care of a family member or friend is the reduction in employment capacity – around one in 10 working-age Australians provide unpaid care, economic research institute e61 reveals.

e61 Institute's research manager Pelin Akyol said its analysis into the cost of caring, released last month, found "a significant immediate decline in employment and hours of work when someone begins unpaid caring for someone else."

“The dampening effect on working hours and employment in the first year is similar to what would happen if the workers experienced an income tax increase of 10 percentage points," he said.

“Together, the drop in labour market attachment, deterioration in mental health, and the time commitment associated with taking on caring duties takes its toll on carers.

“This shows up in a persistent decline in reported life satisfaction, especially for those who take on main carer responsibilities."

When considering the economic impact of informal care, it is important to recognise who the average Australian carer is.

For example, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that, in 2019, 72 per cent of the nation's carers were female. Additionally, of the roughly three million carers across the country tallied in 2022, 1.2 million were primary carers and over 43 per cent of these were living with their own disability.

Both women and those living with a disability are already more likely than men to work less than full-time hours, and the latest reports show the gender pay gap sitting at 27.7 per cent for total earnings (including variables in weekly hours, paid overtime and bonuses).

For these reasons and many more, unions and peak bodies are calling for more recognition for the contribution of carers.

This National Carers Week (13 to 19 October), Professor Tanya Buchanan, CEO of Dementia Australia, called for continued funding into carer support services.

“In the last year more than 50,000 people accessed crucial information through Dementia Australia services and more than 6,000 counselling sessions were conducted,” Professor Buchanan said.

“For every carer there is no reason too big or question too small to reach out to the National Dementia Helpline for support,” she said.

Read more: Ageing population and govt reform drive demand for dementia respite care | Getting antivirals for Covid too often depends on where you live and how wealthy you are

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