Anti-discriminatory Practice: Caring for Carers of Older Adults with Mental Health Dilemmas

This chapter is largely concerned with carers of older adults who have mental health and well-being concerns. Specifically, it focuses on informal and unpaid caring roles, usually carried out by family members or friends of the older adult rather than by paid carers provided through public or private services. However, much of the content of this chapter may also be relevant for paid carers.

A carer has been defined as:

anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support … [AQ] the variety of tasks may vary but can include practical household tasks, personal care (such as bathing etc) and emotional support. (www.carers.org 2015) [AQ]

The role of carers in the UK is recognised in legislation through the Care Act 2014, which details how local authorities are obliged to conduct carer assessments. Every carer is legally entitled to a carer assessment. Although caring relationships are often embedded within existing relationships (such as being a son or a wife), under the Care Act 2014, anyone who

seems as though they may benefit from carer support is entitled to an assessment and is eligible for access to support services. The assessment is based on national criteria (there are separate laws about social care in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland [AQ]) and the aim is to ensure that all carers are properly supported and enabled to sustain their caring role. It is hoped that the Care Act 2014 might go some way towards increasing the attention paid to the needs of carers, although it has been reported that difficulties associated with the labelling, accessibility and appropriateness of services may in fact result in carers not seeking help or recognising their own needs and rights to access services. This is particularly likely to happen due to the immense demands placed on many carers (Wirral Carers Strategy 2005–2008 [AQ]). This chapter looks at some of the key issues for carers and makes recommendations for challenging discrimination and building anti-discriminatory practice.