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" To commemorate Carers Week 2016, seven charities are joining forces to launch a new initiative, urging the UK for more &amp;#039;carer friendly communities&amp;#039;. They define a carer friendly community as the following: Carer Friendly Communities are places where carers feel supported to look after their family or friends, and are recognised as individuals with needs of their own.  According to the data released today, 74% of carers feel that their community doesn&amp;#039;t understand the value of the role they play and the responsibilities they face. The UK has roughly 6.5 million carers helping someone in need. Carers UK predicts this number will reach 9 million by 2037. Unfortunately it appears that communities are often completely unaware of the pressures these individuals face on a daily basis and therefore failing to provide adequate support to them. Stephen Smith, 58, from Shropshire, cares for his wife who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and now experiences the long-term effects of her treatment. He says: &amp;quot;Often there are times when Fiona wakes up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain and it&amp;#039;s down to me as her carer to make it all better. But most of the time I feel out of my depth, unsure if I&amp;#039;m qualified to do it. Being a carer is all-consuming and there&amp;#039;s no 9 until 5 or weekends off. Sometimes I only manage two hours sleep a night. At times I feel like I&amp;#039;m at breaking point, unable to look after myself let alone Fiona.&amp;quot; Just last month, Macmillan Cancer Support and YouGov announced that 55% of carers receive no support for the responsibilities they undertake.  Carers&amp;#039; needs aren&amp;#039;t being met The annual Carers Week campaign aims to highlight the challenges carers face and the contribution they make to families and their communities. Simply looking at the older age groups, carers over the age of 80 are saving the health and care system \u00A35.9bn a year, according to Age UK. By spending so much time looking after their loved one, carers often fail to prioritise their own health, with over half of them saying they have let a health problem go untreated. In fact, carers providing round the clock care are more than twice as likely to be in bad health than non-carers. As well as health problems, 47% report struggling financially, with 66% having to give up work or reduce their hours for their caring responsibilities.  The Carers Week research shows that when carers are supported by their community, they face far fewer barriers to having a life outside of their caring role:  Carers who are supported by their communities are three times more likely to always be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle  Carers who are supported by their communities are three times more likely to always be able to maintain relationships with close friends and family  Carers who are not supported by their communities are more than twice as likely to never be able to balance work with care  Carers who are not supported by their communities are more than twice as likely to never be able to balance education with care   The action plan Emily Holzhausen, who leads the Carers Week partnership, said: &amp;quot;Carers have told us that it makes a huge difference to their lives when they are supported by their local services and communities; whether that&amp;#039;s being offered a flexible appointment to see their GP, having flexible working policies from their employers, or their school raising awareness of caring and disability. Despite this, the majority of carers told us that their local community was not supportive of their caring role, which in turn is having a significant and negatively impact on their life chances.&amp;quot;  The report recommends a number of actions that communities should enforce. Here are what they suggest for healthcare services:  Offer flexible appointment times, priority time slots for carers or home visits for carers as routine. Hospitals to introduce Carer Passports for carers of patients to help identify and improve support for carers. Note on patient records both whether the patient has a carer, and if so who that carer is, but also\u2028if they are a carer themselves. If they are, ask them how they are managing their caring role and whether they need support with it. GP practices and hospitals should consider including a question on any admission procedure identifying carers and requirements for replacement care which would enable carers to access much need appointments or treatment. Hospitals should introduce Carer Passports for carers of patients to help identify them and to let them know about carer friendly policies. These might include free car parking or allowing some carers to spend time with the person they care for outside visiting hours. Ensure carers can access free replacement care in order to be able to attend health appointments.  For more information about Carers Week and how you can get involved, please visit Carers UK.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/wellbeing/news/a26598/lack-of-community-awareness-is-failing-carers/>