New technology takes the weight off unpaid carers

Telecare covers a wide range of equipment from personal pendants to complex environmental controls such as bed sensors, property exit sensors and CO2 detectors.  It aims to enable people to stay in their homes for longer, reduces the need for acute home care and delays admissions to residential home care.  These issues are important because they offer better quality of life for people who use services and their carers as well as better value in the health and social care system.

Increasing the effective use of telecare also has the potential to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of unpaid carers as well as contributing to the future care of older and disabled people in our society.   The research report to be launched at the conference “A weight off my mind: Exploring the impact and potential benefits of telecare for unpaid carers” commissioned by Carers Scotland and carried out by the University of Leeds Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE) highlights a wide range of benefits to both unpaid carers and those they care for.

Carers are a third more likely to be in poor health and a large majority of carers admit to feeling ill, anxious or exhausted.  Almost 1 in 4 carers said they frequently felt unable to cope with day to day caring due to the physical and emotional stresses of their caring role. 

• The research found that telecare offers clear benefits to carers’ health and wellbeing, particularly providing carers with “peace of mind” about the safety and wellbeing of the person they care for.  This reassurance helped carers feel better able to care.  As one carer said: “It gives you peace of mind, and feeling fine, mentally is a great help when you’re caring”.  Many carers reported feeling ‘less stressed’, ‘less anxious’ and ‘less tired’, citing these as the main differences telecare had made to their health and wellbeing. A few carers went further, identifying telecare as a ‘life saver’ which had come along at just the right time in their situation:  “I was on the verge of a breakdown before we got this help.”

Nearly three quarters of carers have not been able to take at least one week of “holiday” or “free” time when they did not have to care for someone.

• Telecare also helped carers have more free time and take a break from caring. One carer explained:  “It has allowed me to do more things at home, like crafts and reading a book. Before I would have to be constantly aware of my husband, it really invaded my own time.”  Others benefited from simply having an uninterrupted sleep and being able to relax more. As one carer pointed out:  “When you have a vulnerable person to care for in your house, it feels like you’re on duty 24/7. So, it was wonderful, it allowed me to relax, gave me chill out time. I wasn’t on alert throughout the night.”

One in five carers have to give up work to care, with a corresponding impact on their finances.  Carers can cause significant poverty with nearly 80% of carers reporting that they struggle to pay utility bills and more than half reporting being in debt.

• Telecare was also significant in helping unpaid carers stay in paid employment and maintain their family’s financial stability.  Carers emphasised feeling less tired, and reported that they no longer felt they were constantly ‘on call’ whilst at work. Telecare had enabled carers to remain in a job they might otherwise had had to give up. One explained: "…telecare has enabled me to maintain the hours that I work. It is difficult to get care workers who can cope with the level of care that my husband requires."

Telecare also had a beneficial impact on carers’ relationship with the person they cared for. In one case, the person cared for - who had a debilitating progressive condition - was able to regain control over aspects of everyday life at home (for example changing the television channel, and turning the lights on/off). This restored some personal autonomy and independence with regard to tasks which previously the carer had needed to perform.   This carer strongly believed that even small changes such as this had had a significant impact on the wellbeing of both parties.  She said: "It’s majorly improved. It's much less stressful ... it's on more of an even keel now. My husband feels much less disabled than he did and it relieves the pressure on us as a couple, it's been positive for our relationship. It’s better. It’s given him some independence back, because he doesn’t have to rely on me as much."

Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon in welcoming the report said: “A Weight off My Mind” shows telecare can provide great benefits to both carer and the person being supported.

"Carers consistently highlight the need for a break from caring. Telecare can provide this and give carers peace of mind to enjoy breaks from caring.

"Telecare can also help people be cared for in their own homes, which is where people tell me they want to be, for as long as possible, and this is one of the main themes underpinning our work to reshape the care of older pople.

"The evidence is clear that investment in telecare can make it a key part of the network of support for carers and the cared for. I want to make our approach to telecare more organised, integrated and ambitious and I have asked officials to look at this."

Pat Begley, Director of Carers Scotland said: “One of the biggest challenges is fostering a society where “caring” is valued and supported. For many of Scotland’s 660,000 unpaid carers their caring role can take a heavy toll on their physical and mental health, on their finances and on their opportunities to enjoy an ordinary life.

“While Telecare is not a panacea it does it does have the potential to provide practical, effective support to many carers. The evidence suggests that it can reduce the negative impacts of caring, enable carers to have time for themselves and in some instances remain in or return to employment, prevent accidents and unnecessary admissions to hospital, and enhance their relationships with those they care for.

“To maximize the benefits however, carers themselves and health, housing and social care staff need to be more aware of what telecare is and how to access it. We hope that the research and film will enable telecare services to be more widely available. We hope too that it will make a significant contribution to the case for continued investment in new technologies to support carers and those they care for; and encourage health and social care providers to embrace and explore the potential of new technologies in creating a society of caring citizenship.”  

“We therefore very much welcome the Scottish Government’s continued support for the development of telecare in Scotland.”

Carers Scotland’s Conference “A weight off my mind: Telecare for carers” will take place:

• Date: 1 December 2009
• Time: 9.30am – 3.30pm
• Venue: Glasgow Science Centre

Download the full report here.

Further information:

• Patrick J Begley, Director T. 0141 445 3070 E. pat.begley@carerscotland.org
• Fiona Collie, Policy & Parliamentary Affairs Manager  T. 0141 445 3070  E. fiona.collie@carerscotland.org 
• Anne Conlin, Training & Development Manager T. 0141 445 3070 E. anne.conlin@carerscotland.org

Notes for Editors

1. Carers in Scotland
Carers provide unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend or partner. There are 660,000 carers in Scotland, saving the Scottish economy £7.6 billion each year.  110,000 carers provide 50 hours of care or more each week often at great cost to their own health, finances and wellbeing.  Every year 178,000 people become carers and it is estimated that by 2037, there will be more than 1 million carers in Scotland.

2.  "A weight off my mind: Exploring the impact and potential benefits of telecare for unpaid carers”
The research was commissioned by Carers Scotland, funded by the Scottish Government Telecare Development Programme Joint Improvement Team, undertaken by Kara Jarrold and Professor Sue Yeandle,  the University of Leeds Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities.  The research is available for download at www.carerscotland.org/Policyandpractice/Research

3. Carers Scotland
Carers give so much to society yet as a consequence of caring, they experience ill health, poverty and discrimination.  Carers Scotland is an organisation of carers fighting to end this injustice and will not stop until people recognise the true value of carers’ contribution to society and carers get the practical, financial and emotional support they need.   Carers Scotland is here to improve carers’ lives. 

We fight for equality for carers. We want carers to have the same right as everyone else to an ordinary life – a fair level of income, access to support to protect their health and well being and access to the world of work, leisure and education.  We seek to empower carers. We want carers to be actively involved in the design, development and delivery of services. We want carers to be recognised and involved as key partners in the provision of health and social care services. 

Carers Scotland achieves this by: campaigning for the changes that make a real difference for carers; providing information and advice to carers about their rights and how to get support;  mobilising carers and supporters to influence decision-makers; gathering hard evidence about what needs to change; transforming the understanding of caring so that carers are valued and not discriminated against; providing carer awareness training and training on issues affecting carers for staff in health, social care and the voluntary sector; and promoting training for carers to maximise their skills and experience.  For further information visit: www.carerscotland.org.

3. Scottish Government Telecare Development Programme Joint Improvement Team
The Telecare Development Programme Joint Improvement Team is part of the Scottish Government’s Health Directorate supports the development and enhancement of Telecare services in Scotland through a National Programme that was launched in August 2006. The Programme makes funds for Telecare developments available to health and social care partnerships across Scotland through a £16m Development Fund. The Scottish Government has made a substantial investment in developing telecare services throughout Scotland in the last few years.  Telecare services have been developed in all 32 local partnerships in Scotland and have been made available to over 16,000 people in Scotland since 2007.  The investment in telecare also aims to:  increase the awareness of telecare and its benefits; increase the use of telecare in mainstream service provision; improve assessment procedures for service users who might benefit from telecare; train service providers’ staff to incorporate telecare within care packages; ensure telecare services are delivered to recognised standards; and enhance innovation in telecare services.   For further information visit: www.jitscotland.org.uk/action-areas/telecare-in-scotland/

5.  University of Leeds – Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities
The Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE) was formed in 2006, the Centre contributes policy-oriented and theoretical work on the theme of care and its contemporary relevance for public policy.
CIRCLE builds on the work of the ESRC-funded Care and Values Research Group and develops the programme of work on care, gender, equalities and labour markets (led by Professor Sue Yeandle).  CIRCLE is home to a number of influential and significant partnerships and projects. It seeks to inform and influence academic, policy and theoretical debates on key issues relating to care, labour and equalities through high quality research using advanced and innovative methods and techniques. Working at international, national and local levels, the centre houses an expert, multi-disciplinary research team and the Faculty's pilot Knowledge Transfer project, CiC in Social Care.
The Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE) is committed to the following pursuits.: developing new knowledge and understanding of major social and public policy issues; working in partnership with external agencies within higher education and across the public, private and third sectors; and contributing to policy developments, debates and decision-making through partnerships and innovative knowledge transfer activities.  For further information visit: www.sociology.leeds.ac.uk/circle/about/