A SURVEY has found that respondents were prepared to give up their social life if they had to become an unpaid carer.
The finding came as part of research carried out by YouGov commissioned by the UK’s largest carers’ charity.
The poll of 2,400 adults found that 20% of respondents were most prepared to give up their social life – second only to those most prepared to give up travelling or going on holiday (21%).
And when they were asked what age group first came to mind when thinking about unpaid carers, only 10% of people thought of carers as being 25 or under, the group of carers who are so easily overlooked and who can become isolated.
Michele Lambert, of Carers Trust, said: “Support is not always available for younger carers, who are often leading stressful and demanding lives. It’s easy to become isolated and as our survey shows, the social aspects of life can be the hardest to maintain.
“That’s why we’ve developed a new website, Matter, which offers mobile-friendly access to advice and information, letting carers share problems and successes and providing a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week peer support system.”
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