Carers Experience During Covid-19
The experiences of Wokingham Borough unpaid carers in a global pandemic
We asked Wokingham Borough residents who provide support to family and friends for their stories, and asked "What can we learn?"
In 2020/21 Healthwatch Wokingham surveyed unpaid carers in the Borough to find out about their experiences of caring during the Covid pandemic. 89 carers completed our questionnaire.
• 2 out of 3 questionnaire respondents didn't know their rights as a carer.
• 30% didn't know what a carer's assessment was.
• 40% weren't registered as a carer with their GP.
Top concerns reported by carers:
- Decline of the person they look after.
- Workload and lack of time out
- 78% said the number of hours of care they provided had increased.
- 70% hadn't been able to get regular breaks.
- Carer wellbeing, notably the negative impact on their:
- mental health (84%) and physical health (62%)
- family wellbeing (73%)
Other findings:
Carers found it easier to get food and medication during lockdown than carers in other areas- thanks to Wokingham's community response.
- Direct payment recipients reported Council inflexibility and delays.
You can download and read the report below.
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Carers Experience During Covid-19
