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Legacies of caring: the experiences and circumstances of ex‐carers
Author(s) -
McLaughlin Eithne,
Ritchie Jane
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
health and social care in the community
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.984
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2524
pISSN - 0966-0410
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2524.1994.tb00170.x
Subject(s) - welfare , statutory law , social welfare , social security , health care , psychology , nursing , social care , sample (material) , long term care , medicine , political science , chemistry , chromatography , law
Although there is extensive literature on carers and their care‐giving role, the circumstances of carers after care‐giving remains largely uninvestigated. This paper documents the socio‐economic and psychological legacies of care‐giving among 157 ex‐carers who were included in a larger national study of the effectiveness and targeting of social security help to carers, which was carried out in 1989. Therefore, the sample included only those whose care‐giving responsibilities had been relatively substantial, that is, over 35 hours a week. Survey data covering the employment status and income levels of these ex‐carers are presented, as is in‐depth interview material on the psychological and social circumstances of a small group of ex‐carers. The article concludes that there are long‐term negative financial effects of caring, which the social security system appears to ignore. In addition, the psychological, social and physical health consequences of caring may leave some carers poorly equipped for life after care, a situation which might call for the development of support services in the immediate post‐care period. Further investigation of the material and non‐material circumstances of ex‐carers, preferably on a longitudinal basis, should be a priority in health and social care research. Without such research, our knowledge of the costs of caring borne by individuals, and our assessment of the appropriate contributions that should be made by statutory welfare agencies, remains incomplete. Finally, given the prevalence of informal care‐giving, our lack of knowledge of the legacies of care‐giving limits our understanding of the causes of income and health inequalities between people approaching pension age and older.