Why GPs need to be more carer aware

It was about six years ago that Ted Hanson started noticing changes in his wife, Pat.

"She was struggling to remember things, but she wouldn't accept anything was wrong," he recalls. "Then she became incontinent, and I was doing all of her personal care and everything around the house. I've got health issues of my own but I took it for granted that this was what I should be doing and struggled on."

The experience of Hanson, an 80-year-old looking after a wife four years his senior, and with few relatives living nearby, is common among Britain's hidden army of unpaid carers – a figure which could exceed six million people.

According to the 2001 census, one in 10 Britons is supporting a sick or disabled relative, friend or neighbour, and evidence shows that carers often suffer as a result.

Full Article on Guardian

Carer Support Wiltshire is encouraging GPs in Wiltshire to be more Carer aware. To find out more, visit our website.