Significant number of elderly carers, Age UK warns

Age UK has cautioned that the number of carers in their 80s or older has increased in the last seven years.

The charity claimed that one in seven of the ‘oldest old’, around 417,000, are relied upon to provide some form of unpaid care to family or friends. Over half of such elderly people clock up more than 35 hours per week.

Age UK has drawn the findings from a yearly representative household survey of 15,000 people aged 60 or older. The results were then multiplied to give an estimate for the whole of the UK. The estimated figure in 2009 was 301,000, however the updated figure has risen by nearly 40 per cent. The charity has said the increase was partly due to an ageing population and partly due to lack of state support.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "The task of providing care ought to be fairly shared between individuals, families and the state, but as public funding falls further and further behind the growing demand for care, we worry that very old people are being expected to fill the gap. They can't do it all on their own and we shouldn't take advantage of their determination to do right by those they love."

Community and Social Care Minister Alistair Burt said: "We owe a great deal to the love and determination of older carers.

"I want to make sure the government does everything it can to support them. That is why I am calling on carers and their supporters up and down the country to let us know how we can make a difference."