June 12th 2024

This week marks National Carers Week, an annual campaign dedicated to raising awareness of the invaluable contributions made by carers across the UK. This year’s theme, ‘putting carers on the map’, seeks to ensure that the voices of carers are heard, emphasising the essential role they play in our communities. 

The No choice but to care report, published on the first day of Carers Week, shows that roughly around 10 million adults who are currently providing unpaid care had no choice in taking on the role because no other options were available.  

This statistic highlights the immense pressure on individuals who find themselves in caregiving roles without adequate support.  

Digital tech – a helping hand for carers 

At Digital Care Hub, we’re committed to raising awareness of how digital technology can relieve some of the burdens on carers. It isn’t a complete solution for the challenging pressures faced by caregivers, but alleviating some of the stresses from a demanding role is a good thing. 

Incorporating tech into your caregiving routine, whether through one device or a comprehensive software system, can make a significant difference. It can help you better manage your responsibilities and foster greater independence for both you and the person you care for. Carers UK have a comprehensive list of different technologies that can help to make your caregiving responsibilities easier. 

Use your voice 

With a general election looming, now is a good time to reflect on your experiences as a carer and use your voice to help make social care a key issue. 

We released a manifesto for digitisation in the adult social care sector last week that calls on the next government to accelerate, support and maintain the safe use of digital tech and data to support people to live healthy and fulfilling lives.  

The No choice but to care report also highlighted that 73% of members of the public surveyed think that unpaid carers should receive more support from the government, particularly financial support and investment in social care. 

If you want to speak to your general election candidates about the issues you face as a carer, you can use this guide developed by the Carers Trust to write to them and raise your concerns.  

The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 18th June. You can register yourself or support someone to register. Access an easy read guide to support someone to register here.