The Costs of Caring

The costs of caring and the living standards of carers is a report just published by Trish Hill and others from the Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales.  Informal carers are defined as those people who "provide unpaid help, support or assistance to family members or friends with disability, chronic illness, mental illness, other illness, or alcohol or other drug problems." It is estimated that around 16 per cent of Australian adults provide this type of care as demographic and policy changes have increased the demand over recent decades.  Projections suggest that the need for informal carers is likely to increase with an ageing population.

The authors of the study addressed three main areas:  What is known about the direct costs incurred in informal caring as distinct from the indirect costs of care? How do you go about finding out the costs of care? What are the living standards of different subgroups of carers in Australia and what might this imply about the direct costs of care?

Carers Australia links to the State Carer's bodies where you can find lots of information on training and support for carers.