Most Carers Take No Holidays

Most unpaid carers in Fife won't get a holiday this year, that's according to the Carers Trust.

Staff say only a third of carers UK-wide will have a break this year. Just half are believed to have had any break in the last year. Around 50,000 people in the Kingdom are believed to care full-time for a loved one without pay.

The research, which showed that the majority of carers care for over 50 hours a week, was carried out by Carers Trust. One in 10 in the UK is a carer and three in five will become a carer at some point in our lives. 30% of carers who responded to the survey told Carers Trust they never get a break of any kind. Only 7% said they got a daily break from the responsibility of caring. Yet even then, 63% of carers admitted they spent their 'breaks' doing chores.  Less than 1 in 10 attend a carers' group for support, whilst 1 in 5 simply sleep when they get a break.

Over half of those who said they never got a break said it was because there was no one else who could take over. 41% of carers quizzed said they couldn't go on holiday because they can't afford to and 30% said they had nobody to pick up the responsibility of care if they went away.

Lesley Childs from Fife Carers Centre says not getting respite can make carers themselves ill: