Background

Supporting carers to continue to care is a policy priority. Unpaid carers are a critical component of our welfare system, and one that would be difficult to replace.

This project focussed on carers of older people and addressed one of the enduring challenges of an ageing population.

Many unpaid carers give their time willingly and derive positive benefits from their work. But caring can also be physically and emotionally demanding, with adverse consequences for the health and wellbeing of the caregiver.

This study aimed to provide essential information to support future programmes to target interventions at the most vulnerable carers.

Aims and objectives

Enhance our understanding of how the consequences of caring for older people may vary for carers in different circumstances, and what might help.

Resources and further information

• Project Report: Caring for older people as a social determinant of health (June 2022) – Executive Summary, Integrated Summary, Full Report (PDF)
• Overview poster: Caring for older people as a social determinant of health (PDF).
• Publication: Caring for Older People As a Social Determinant of Health: Findings from a Scoping Review of Observational Studies (Journal of Long-Term Care).
• Publication: Characteristics of older unpaid carers in England: a study of social patterning from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Age and Ageing).
• Publication: What works to support carers of older people and older carers? an international evidence map of interventions and outcomes (BMC Geriatrics)
• Webinar video (18.09.24) – YouTube

Related