Australia’s carers could be considered the backbone of the country but the ratio between carers and people needing care, is diminishing.
According to a Deloitte Report, the number of people who need assistance with everyday tasks is likely to outstrip the number of carers significantly over the next five years.
By 2030, The demand for carers will grow to 1.54 million in this country. This will represent a 23% total increase since 2020, compared to a growth of only 16% of carers.
Improving the awareness and support for those who care for others, is key to turning this around.
This article is a snapshot into:
So, who is a carer?
Many people don’t realise they are carers. To simplify it, if that’s at all possible, a carer can be a young carer age from fifteen years old to an adult of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends who need assistance with everyday tasks.
A carer is sometimes also called an Informal Unpaid Carer or simply an Unpaid Carer.
Ways they care for a person:
A carer helps to improve the wellbeing and quality of life for those they care for. But who looks after the carer?
A key reason for needing to vastly improve the awareness and support for carers in Victoria, is carer burnout.
Here are just a few reasons for carer burnout:
So who will care for the carer?
Carers Victoria is the peak body for carers, working with government, other peak bodies, service providers and private organisations to address the challenges faced by unpaid carers.
We make recommendations to improve the lives of every carer in Victoria and the carer support sector more broadly. We hope to bring the much-needed assistance to every carer in Victoria, and see a positive increase in carer wellbeing and support, which will positively improve the carer ratio.
As part of that, Carers Victoria played a pivotal consultancy role in the development of the Victorian Carer Strategy 2025-2035. This ten-year strategy reflects the lived and living experience of all people with an unpaid care role in Victoria.
Carers Victoria has been advocating for change and seeing breakthroughs every year. One carer positively impacted by changes, remarks: “Since being able to return to work and negotiate flexible work conditions, I feel like a completely different person. I am contributing to super and more importantly, I feel validated. People around me value me. It’s been life changing.”
The Carer Strategy 2025-2035 is a call to action to government, services, systems, and communities to better recognise, value and support carers whoever they are, and wherever they live.
Read The Victorian Carer Strategy 2025-2035, here.
Read the Deloitte report here.
