Around 2.7 million people in Britain are known to combine work with informal care for another adult, such as an elderly parent or parent-in-law. But a new study for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggests that workers with ‘elder care’ commitments are often less willing to seek help from their employer than staff who are looking after children.

Researchers from the Centre for Social Gerontology at Keele University investigated the way that staff in two large organisations with a high proportion of women employees - a social services department and an NHS Trust - balanced their job with their caring responsibilities for an older adult outside work.

The survey revealed that at least one in ten employees were caring for an older adult in an informal capacity; most commonly their mothers, followed by mothers-in-law and fathers. Two out of three carers spent less than 10 hours a week looking after the older person concerned, but many were also juggling their employment with caring responsibilities for children.

Staff were more open about the problems of balancing work with child care than they were about difficulties relating to care for an older adult. Although the employers had policies in place offering flexible, ‘family-friendly’ working, little routine use was made of these arrangements in relation to elder care. Carers reported that in times of crisis they tended to make use of annual leave or time owed to them ‘in lieu’ rather than ask their employer for more specific help.

Managers acknowledged that many employees did not know what flexible arrangements were available and that access often depended on an individual’s job description. But it was also apparent that staff were afraid of being labelled ‘in need of help’ if they applied for carers’ leave or any counselling services that were available.

Judith Phillips, co-author of the study, said: “Juggling work and care for an older adult can be extremely difficult, especially given that so many carers are married, have demanding jobs and are often trying to balance them with care for children. Most of the carers we surveyed were committed to their work which they regarded as important for their own sense of identity. But it was also clear that inflexible work schedules and other pressures had contributed to the difficulties for carers in meeting their competing responsibilities.”

She added: “We found there was a ‘long hours’ culture in the organisations we studied. There was also discovered a widespread belief among carers that they needed to be ‘seen to be coping’. This had contributed to a climate where carers who looked after older adults were reluctant to ask for help.”

The study concludes that better communication within organisations and improved training for managers would help tackle some of the problems identified by the research. Government proposals for giving employees a right to ask for flexible working arrangements would also help, since employers would be under a legal duty to consider them seriously.

Variations in the care needs of employees’ older relatives suggested that a ‘one size fits all’ policy on flexible working would be inappropriate. However, carers taking part in the study generally favoured a more accommodating interpretation of compassionate leave and more opportunities to work from home. They wanted more advice and information about support available at work and in the wider community. They would also have liked some help with the personal care of their older relative.

Note to Editors
Juggling work and care: The experiences of working carers of older adults by Judith Phillips, Miriam Bernard and Minda Chittenden is published for the Foundation by The Policy Press and available from Marston Book Services, PO Box 269, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4YN (01235 465500), price £10.95 plus £2.75 p&p.

A summary of findings is available here.

For further information, contact:
Judith Phillips (author) 01782 584067 (office)

Issued by David Utting, Associate Director (Public Affairs) 020-7278 9665 /  david.utting@jrf.org.uk