Unpaid carer Lisa Ferne has been caring for her elderly parents for over five years now, and says that she’s had to give up work. She wants more protections for carers in work, or more people will be forced to take early retirement or leave the job market altogether without new measures in place.
00:00When I was looking at stats last night, I think there's just shy of 3 million people that have had to give up work because of the caring role.
00:08That puts an enormous strain on them financially and emotionally and mentally as well, because struggling to think, how am I going to pay this bill?
00:16There are millions of people all across the UK who are caring for a loved one and have given up on a number of different parts of their lives due to their demanding new role,
00:24which can leave so many carers feeling lonely, overworked and besides roughly £80 a week, totally unpaid.
00:31Lisa, who lives between Swansea and Southend in England, is caring for both of her parents and wants to see laws changed to help make it easier for unpaid carers to find their way back into work.
00:41I don't think people understand the level of, the amount of people throughout the UK that are now caring for their elderly parents.
00:49We've got an ageing population, people are living older, therefore they are, they're facing more complex health issues.
00:58You know, the body wears out, as we all find as we age, I can't do now, what are you, Sue, 10 years ago even?
01:04But because of those complex health needs, there will be times that people will need to take time off to help their parents get through whatever condition.
01:12Things like paid leave, flexible working and job sharing, Lisa argues should all be written into law to make it easier for carers who have given up so much of their lives to help loved ones.
01:22She argues that if it wasn't for people like her, the NHS and care industries around Wales and the rest of the UK simply wouldn't be able to cope with the millions of additional people who needed care through government means.
01:32And I seriously think that employment law needs to be looked at seriously, to look at adapting changes to the law, to create additional days paid leave for people that are still in the workforce,
01:46add some more flexibility around working hours, allow people that are in full-time jobs, if they need to go part-time, look at do job sharing,
01:56create a job sharing role for that person, or allow them to go part-time, because then you get employee retention, which is good for the businesses and the companies, you also get employee loyalty.
02:09Lisa said it wasn't easy for her to realise that there is support out there for herself and others like her, and without stumbling across some websites online, she would be totally isolated in her situation as a carer.
02:20Actually, there's support for me as well as a carer. I think that was the first time I thought, look, that's what I am now, I'm a carer.
02:26Because I had to give up work. Literally, as much as is possible around appointments, I'll do a week in Wales and then a week in Southend. I've been doing that for four years now.
02:37No employer will give me the inflexibilities every other week off. I can't find a job in Wales and a job in Southend.
02:46It doesn't always run that it's every other week, because if mum has medical appointments or hospitalisations, she had five hospitalisations in one year.
02:58Dad had three the same year.
03:00Dad had three of the issues that had two, I haven't had three.
03:01That's it for me, thanksgiving.
03:05I've had a couple of days before you get rid of those positions twice years ago.
03:10Listen to what behavioural decisions I've had about, and this is it, but it's very nice.
03:16No care.
03:18I couldn't reach it after the Bohm of the Heart anymore, I'm just a busy day
03:21when the sprouts are three, I'll tell you about them.
03:24With me on a static cube, I'm just a couple minutes.
