The Princess Royal Trust for Carers supports carers of all ages all over the UK.
A carer is someone who looks after a relative or friend who cannot manage
without that help due to illness, frailty, disability or addiction. A carer is unpaid.
There are 600,000 carers in Scotland. One person in every eight is a carer.
A young carer is a child or young person under 18 years old who carries out caring responsibilities that would normally be undertaken by an adult. There are over 100,000 young carers in Scotland. The average age of a young carer is 12 years old.
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers was founded on the initiative of HRH The Princess Royal in October 1991. There are now 133 carers' centres throughout the UK, providing carers with information, advice and practical support. In Scotland, there are 29 carers' centres, reaching from Orkney to the Borders and in contact with over 41,000 carers.
Carers don't plan to become carers – it just happens and they have to get on with it. A newly born child could have cerebral palsy, a husband could have a brain injury in a sporting accident or a parent could develop dementia. In all these situations, a family member suddenly becomes a carer and the majority of carers get no help or support in their caring role.
The majority of carers do not recognise themselves as carers and many become isolated as they attempt to manage many conflicting roles at great personal and emotional cost. Carers may have trouble maintaining their job, they may be struggling to make ends meet and their own relationships with friends and family members may deteriorate.
Over 80% of carers suffer mental and physical ill health as a result of their caring role.
Everyone who reads this will either know someone who is a carer or will be a carer. To find out where your nearest carers' centre is, look at www.carers.org or contact The Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Glasgow on 0141 221 5066
