Almost three years into the pandemic, the UK’s 10.6 million informal carers face an uphill struggle. If the cost of living crisis is a concern for everyone, for those providing some level of primary care for a family member or friend it is financially and emotionally crippling. This was most keenly demonstrated by a woman in Tayside, Scotland, facing a £17,000 energy bill to keep her disabled child alive.
When COVID hit in March 2020 and the “clap for our carers” movement was initiated by Annemarie Plas, a Dutch yoga teacher living in London, to recognise the heroic efforts of NHS staff, care workers and key workers. Informal carers were not mentioned.
Between May 2020 and February 2021, we conducted in-depth interviews (on Zoom or over the phone) with 13 parent-carers to find out how they were experiencing care support and services during lockdown. We found that many feel undervalued and mistreated.
