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Helen Walker

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Helen Walker was an American film actress of the 1940s and 1950s.

"Invisible" unpaid care workers go hungry in lockdown

Feb 16,2020 2:43 am

Christie has to keep the house on Lockdown to your mother

Christie Michael is so concerned About the protection of your elderly mother, that she went outside her door since the lockout began in March

she says, it is "lonely and isolated" - But The Mother and daughter in Essex, have also found themselves hungry.

research from Sheffield and Birmingham universities suggests that More Than 100,000 unpaid carers in the UK were reliant on food banks during the pandemic.

Helen Walker of Carers Uk , unpaid carers are at "Breaking Point ".

the study examined The experiences of people who care for parents and disabled members during the Lockdown and found 229,000 unpaid nurses were in households where The People "went hungry".

Christie, now in her thirties, lives with her mother in Waltham Abbey , and supplied them since their Childhood , especially About her mother, how she suffered from seizures and other health problems.

But during the Lockdown , they faced a different kind of problem: "We were really hungry. "

Christie did not want to go on a risk to the business, while shielding your 76-year-old mother.

Since she was a child, Christie was a caregiver to her mother

And even if you have were able to online delivery, they didn't have enough money-so much so that they brought to rely on deliveries by food banks

"people don't understand the importance of the food banks," she says, or how far you are now.

When they had emptied their closets, with the Baked Beans and cereal, you said you do not eat to be "".

"I don't know what we would have done without the "food bank". "

If the government food parcels came, she knew, to complain like that a lot of them contain milk products, if your mother was lactose-intolerant.

As a full-time carer, urging you to claim for carer's allowance of About £67 Per week and the Carers Uk charity for an increase.

But also with additional benefits on top of that, Christie says, your current reality is "spending every dime for food, rent and bills".

All of the other costs that comes, "how things break" means that the borrowing and creates a second wave of financial problems.

'Hidden'

What makes it harder, says Christie, is the lack of recognition for caregivers, to protect The People you love, But spend all your waking hours looking for someone to be trapped without the money.

During the Lockdown , she says, the feeling of being invisible and forgotten, was even more intense.

she remained behind her door and not expect to be outside until The End of July, so as not to "put mom in danger."

In The Past , she says, there is some respite hours were provided to people with dependent family members - But is the way. And it calls for a consistent approach for the support of the care.

The study by researchers from the universities of Birmingham and Sheffield and suggests that unpaid carers are twice as likely to have food banks during the pandemic, compared to The General population.

Professor Sue Yeandle at the University of Sheffield says that the "shock The Nation should".

"It can't be that carers are hidden from view, with the psychological well-being, or famine, or poverty food go back," she says.

The Chief executive of Carers Uk , Helen Walker , says: "verily, when the majority of the care-giving family members for even more care for the families during this pandemic, and to do even more, so they deserve a little help?"

A spokeswoman from The Department for health and Social Care, said: "The government is very grateful for the crucial role that carers play, especially during this unprecedented time, and we recently announced an additional £63m to support people struggling with money for food and other necessities due to the coronavirus.

"was increased The rate of carer's allowance recently, and We Are working closely with the supervisors of the organizations for more support for the caregivers during this outbreak, including funding to extend Carers Uk -helpline opening hours so unpaid carers are able to access trusted information and advice. "



carers, food banks

Source of news: bbc.com

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