Money Box Live: The Cost of Caring

Money Box

BBC

Business

4.2 • 804 Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

Unpaid carers spend at least 35 hours a week looking after someone close to them. That someone may have an illness, a disability, a mental health problem or even an addiction, but what matters is that they cannot cope without that care.

There are almost 6 million unpaid carers in the UK with 40% living in poverty according to charity Carers UK.

This week we have a special audio diary from one carer trying to hold down a job around those care commitments, we will also hear from those who have given up work to care full time.

The Department for Work and Pensions told us; 'We recognise the importance of carers, who play a vital role in our communities. We have increased Carer’s Allowance by almost £1,500 since 2010, with those on low incomes potentially eligible for an extra £2,400 a year.'

So if you're unsure about the rules around carers allowance, assessments and where you can get help and support, Felicity Hannah is joined by Emily Holzhausen, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK and Caroline Abrahams, Head of Charity at Age UK,

Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Sara Wadeson

This episode was first broadcast on the 1st May 2024.

Transcript

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0:00.0	On a winter's night in 1974, a crime took place that would obsess the nation.
0:07.0	It was an extraordinary news story.
0:09.0	The story of an aristocrat, Lord Lucan, who's said to have killed the family Nanny,
0:14.0	mistaking her for his wife, then somehow just disappeared.
0:18.0	One of the great mysteries in English criminal history. We're still looking for Lucan.
0:22.1	It's honestly one of the most powerful stories of my lifetime.
0:26.0	I'm Alex von Tundselman.
0:27.4	This is The Lucan Obsession.
0:29.2	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:32.7	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:36.4	Hello, there are almost six million unpaid carers in the UK. Are you one of them? Their finances are the topic of today's Moneybox Live podcast. They spend at least 35 hours a week looking after someone who's close to them and that someone may have an illness, a disability, a mental health problem, or even an addiction.
0:55.6	But what matters is they cannot cope without that care.
0:58.8	Some carers do that work in addition to their jobs.
1:01.3	Others have had to quit.
1:02.9	But either way, the costs can really stack up.
1:05.8	I pay for all the bills, and Grandma couldn't afford all those things on her state pension.
1:12.1	We've cut back on some things and we've put the heating down, but I can't put it down to as low as I would like because
1:17.6	grandma's 99. Well, that's Laura. We'll hear from her in just a moment because in today's
1:23.0	Moneybox Live podcast, we're counting the cost of caring. Four in ten unpaid carers are in poverty. That's
1:29.2	according to the charity Carers UK. So with me today to help understand why and answer your questions
1:34.9	are my experts. Emily Holtzhausen, director of policy and public affairs at Carers UK,
1:41.2	and Caroline Abrahams, who's charity director at Age UK.
	...

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