A charity that supports unpaid carers is using Carers Week (6th to 12th June) to highlight the financial challenges carers face as the cost of living crisis begins to bite.

Carers First supported 120,000 unpaid carers last year and wants to reach 250,000 by 2024.

Many unpaid carers experience financial difficulties as a result of their caring responsibilities, especially if they have to give up their job to look after a loved one.

Carers First can advise carers which benefits they are entitled to and how they can claim them.

In 2020/21 91% of carers supported by Carers First were helped to maximise their income through benefits and grants.

In the same period carers supported by Carers First secured £4 million in benefits and £100,000 in individual grants for carers.

Brian Myciuk, Benefits Adviser at Carers First said: “We know many carers struggle to balance their finances with their caring roles and this can be particularly true if they need to give up work or if the person they care for requires specialist care or equipment.

“To help with this, carers may be entitled to certain Department of Work and Pensions benefits such as Carer’s Allowance, but we know so many are unaware of this. In fact, £1.1 billion of Carer’s Allowance goes unclaimed every year.

“Carers First is here to help with this. You can speak to our team or visit our website to find out more, including access to a benefits calculator to help you work out what you might be entitled to.”

Carers First provides help and support for unpaid carers across Lincolnshire, Essex, Hackney, Haringey, Medway, Newham, Southend-on-Sea and Waltham Forest, so they can live their lives to the fullest.

Among the services it provides, the charity offers financial advice about the money carers can claim back from caring activities.

Carers Week will take place from 6th to 12th June 2022 and this year’s theme is ‘Make caring visible, valued and supported’. Find out more by visiting the Carers First website here.

If you or someone you know could benefit from support from Carers First, call the helpline on 0300 303 1555 or email hello@carersfirst.org.uk.

You can read about the impact of Carers First’s work by reading the charity’s impact report for 2020/21.

Case study: Sheila Garces, Waltham Forest

Nine years ago, Sheila Garces was a care worker in a residential care home when her father Francisco suffered two strokes and a heart attack aged 67. She had to give up her job to look after him, but with support from Carers First she’s helped her father to recover, gone back to work and even become a Carers First volunteer herself. This is her story…

“When my father Francisco suffered his strokes it was the start of a very difficult time for both of us,” said Sheila, who is now 45. “At the time I was a single parent working in residential care and looking after my teenage son Ruben. After his stroke my father had aphasia which meant he had very poor communication skills and he stopped talking. It was a very hard time for all of us.

“I was working in a care home at the time but I had to stop working to concentrate on my father’s recovery. My life completely changed; in fact, I stopped having a life. I had a child to look after and my father’s illness was life changing.

“I was hoping and praying that he could recover from the strokes, which is why I dedicated myself 100% to him, and thank God today he’s much more independent. He has improved and he’s regained his power of speech.”

In spite of this improvement Sheila says her father still needs a lot of help and support. “He lives in sheltered accommodation in Leytonstone and I visit him almost every day,” she says. “I take care of all his finances, I do his shopping, cook his meals, make appointments – basically I do everything for him.

“The biggest challenge is to try to improve his health,” she added. “Healthwise he’s not that well; it’s a big, big challenge. He still has a heart condition and he’s monitored every week by the hospital. We still have a lot to do.”

Looking back, things began to change and improve for Sheila when she made contact with Carers First.

“Carers First saved my life to be honest,” she said. “I was told about the charity by someone at Waltham Forest Council and when I contacted them I was so desperate and I didn’t know I could get help. It took me a long time to ask for help but when I did I found Renee, from Carers First, who supported me. I’m so appreciative of this person – she supported me with everything, even money issues; I’d stopped working so there was no money coming in, but Renee told me about the various benefits I could claim. They also helped me a lot emotionally, and they still do.”

With support from Carers First, Sheila has started working again; she’s found two care workers to help her look after Francisco, and she’s even started volunteering for Carers First herself, making sure other unpaid carers get the advice and support they need.

“After a while I started working again to support myself and my family but a few months ago my father went back into hospital and the situation became a little bit overwhelming for me as I couldn’t manage on my own. So, I found some care workers through Waltham Forest Council who give us a package of care – they help me twice a day and give him his medication, which is a great help.

“Now thanks to Carers First I’ve learned a lot, I get more help and I’ve relaxed a little bit. As well as the care package we get and the support from Carers First my son Ruben is 22 now and he lives with me so he helps me a lot.”

Sheila says contacting Carers First made a big difference to her life and she would urge other carers in a similar position to do the same. She has volunteered for Carers First for the past four years but she says the charity still supports her too.

“I’d definitely recommend Carers First to anyone who is caring for someone else,” she said. “They can help and give people the support they need in terms of care, and this is very important. In my case I didn’t know where to turn for help and Carers First they gave me the knowledge and the contacts I needed.”