Living and caring? An investigation of the experiences of older carers
Publication Date: 17 September 2008
Sep 17, 2008 | REPORTS
This research has been undertaken in collaboration with NatCen, and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
The research uses the ‘English Longitudinal Study of Ageing’ to explore the lives of different groups of older carers in relation to multiple factors such as health, income and quality of life.
The key findings of the research include:
- Older carers providing ‘heavy’ care show a markedly lower quality of life compared to equivalent non-carers.
- More than any other characteristic, including general health and experience of pain, it is the memory functioning of individuals receiving care that has the biggest influence on the quality of life of older carers.
To accompany the research, the ILC-UK has simultaneously published a discussion paper, Living and Caring for All, which relates the finding of the research to strategic questions for public policy around the demand and supply of social care in society.