CARERS FACTS & FIGURES

The word Carer is often used by Health and Social Services to identify a family member or close friend of someone with an illness OR disability, Many people fall into the role of carer because they see it as an extension of their responsibilities within the relationship they have with the person that is ill, but majority of people will become carers at some point in their lives. Caring can be a satisfying experience, and Carers give so much to society yet as a result of caring often Carers feel isolated and overburdened and may develop stress and anxiety themselves because of the pressure that they face.

FACTS & FIGURES

Did You Know....

• The 2001 Census found 44, 606 (26.31%) of Caerphilly Borough residents reported a limiting long-term illness or disability, with the figure rising to over 60% in some areas. These statistics are linked to areas of high deprivation and economic inactivity.

• The Welsh Health Survey (2008), mirrors this (32% of people in the Borough reported having a limiting long-term illness).
  Crucially, the Census also identified 20,856 (16.5% of the population) as unpaid carers. 

• Carers Wales show that in 2009 over 350,000 unpaid carers in Wales.

• Carers save the Welsh economy £5.69 billion a year.

• Within Caerphilly Borough there are just under 21,000 carers, saving the local economy £370.8 million each year.

 There are many full or part-time carers who have their own needs, which are often unassessed and unmet. As a result, there are high levels of deprivation and a lack of well-being amongst disabled people and carers in the Borough.