JENNY'S STORY: THE VALUE OF CARE

​Jenny is a working age unpaid carer, living in a rural area. This is her story. 

My wife suffers from severe mental health issues, has attempted suicide on several occasions and cannot be left alone. 

I care full time for my disabled wife, providing full-time personal care, emotional support, finance management, shopping, mobility assistance and help with medication and transportation to and from medical appointments. 

Most unpaid carers are women and the cost of-living-crisis is having a more harmful effect on them due to the persistent inequalities in pay.  

The cost-of-living crisis has meant that household energy costs and transportation costs have risen dramatically. We consume more energy as we are at home most of the time and we live in a rural area where longer journeys are necessary to access services. This means that our household finances are pushed to the limit. 

No particular thought seems to have been given to unpaid carers’ vulnerability to the rising household energy and transportation costs. 

I do not receive any means tested social security payments and thus did not receive any of the £900 payment to help out with rising energy costs, and carer’s allowance was not a qualifying benefit for any additional support in response to the cost-of-living crisis.  

Because of my restricted ability to work - due to my care commitments – I do not have the flexibility to get a job or increase work hours to offset rising costs. In addition, the social security net, on which we rely, has not kept up with inflation in previous years. This means that that even before the start of the cost-of-living crisis, our finances were stretched to say the least.  

The constant money worries and anxiety have resulted in deteriorating mental health, isolation and exhaustion at a time when previously helpful support services are being scaled down or closed.