Carers - a Ticking Timebomb.

Because of my personal experience & that of several close friends, I do think that any expectation that elderly people will silently bear the burden of caring for partners with dementia & chronic conditions is naive at best. This problem is a coming plague, which society has created for itself because of the development of interventions which prolong life. Women in particular did not sign up for lifelong caring for others, however needy & however much we love them. I wonder if the " me generation" who are used to instant gratification will consider it their role to be carers in the same way that my generation has.

The first thing that has to be recognised is that carers are not a homogenous group. Some children are carers, some carers are young people with demanding careers, some are from Ethnic minorities, some are single, some already have the huge demands of a family to care for, some have more than one elderly family member to care for on top of any of these. Sometimes many people share the burden of care, which brings it's own problems. Carers can be both men and women, with all the differences that involves. Deciding what we do & how we do it in terms of supporting carers & patients is very complex indeed & will need multiple options. Possibly something like a Menu in a restaurant.

Early diagnosis is an imperative so that the package of care can be implimented as soon as possible, before real problems arise. Similar services need to be available to everyone & expertise & good practice needs to be shared effectively & quickly. Effective communication is vital at all levels & involving everyone concerned. The Patient / Carer voice should be central to the process.The needs should be determined by the carers & patients. Patients, carers & service providers have to be actively involved in an ongoing process to constantly update & streamline available services.

Someone, at the very highest level, needs to be consulting & researching the development of strategies for carers & managing the care of elderly people with chronic conditions & dementia. There are charities with huge expertise in this area who should be closely involved.

This can't wait or it will be yet another poisoned chalice we leave for future generations. We need action. NOW.