Number of OAP carers in Scotland is a ‘ticking timebomb’

Increasing numbers of elderly carers looking after disabled adult children pose a ticking timebomb for Scotland’s social services, according to an alliance of disability charities and campaigners.

The coalition says nearly 7000 people caring for adults with learning disabilities are aged over 65, while 2202 people over 85 still have responsibility for the care of a person with a learning disability.

The figures are much higher than previous government totals, highlighting the fact that many families are almost invisible to councils, campaigners say.

The problem is growing, partly because due to better care and medical advances, people born with congenital conditions or suffering from disabling illnesses are living longer than would previously have been expected.

In many cases, relatives have been the sole carer, often for decades, but these carers are increasingly fearful about what the future holds.

Ian Hood, co-ordinator of Learning Disability Alliance Scotland (LDAS), which represents more than a dozen charities and campaign groups, said the figures showed government should be fearful too: “This is nearly twice as high as people had previously assumed. No one has really sat down before to look at the numbers.”

Hood acknowledged that public finances were under pressure, but insisted that investing in proper planning for the future could save money for councils. “This is a ticking timebomb,” he said. “People know this problem exists but don’t have a plan. We are giving councils five simple points to help defuse the bomb.”

LDAS is one of the organisations behind a five-point Charter for Change being published tomorrow, which councils and the Scottish Government will be asked to adopt in the run-up to the Scottish Parliament elections next year.

The five-point charter for older carers – all those over 50 – will call for councils to employ a dedicated worker to help families plan for the future. It will also demand emergency plans to protect the person with a learning disability if their carer has a crisis, and calls for councils to carry out more research into the problem.

Other key demands include better long-term planning and a right to independent advocates for families.

Campaigners argue that carers save government in Scotland up to £7.6 billion a year – a figure acknowledged by MSPs last year.

Hood said many families were fed up with “fine words, but no action” and said the charter would help keep the issue in the public eye in the run-up to the Holyrood elections. “The needs of these families have been known for years,” he said. “Now it is time they were given the proper support.”

Peter Scott, chief executive of Enable Scotland, said: “Caring for a son or daughter who has learning disabilities is a lifelong commitment. The Scottish Government’s own research and statistics show that thousands of families have been caring for over 35 years.

“What these carers often want, more than anything else, is simply peace of mind. They deserve the reassurance of knowing that their son or daughter will be properly looked after when they are no longer able.”

The new figures are extrapolated from research carried out by the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability which also found that 20% of people with learning disabilities rely on two carers who are both aged over 70, while 11% are depending on a single carer aged 70-plus.

Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health, will speak at the launch of the charter tomorrow.

She said: “I welcome the collaborative work of the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland.

“We will soon be publishing our Carers and Young Carers Strategy which will recognise the need for support to all carers, including older carers of adults with learning disabilities.”