More home help for older carers
Many older carers could find paid jobs if they could get help at home and more flexible working hours. The final report found caring responsibilities prevented over one third of caregivers from finding work and just under one third already in jobs from working longer hours.
Many older carers could find paid jobs if they could get help at home and more flexible working hours.
The final report in the series Barriers to Mature Age Employment, prepared by the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre recently, found that caring responsibilities prevented over one third of caregivers from finding work and just under one third already in jobs from working longer hours.
Women aged between 45 and 54 years, who often cared for children and/or elderly relatives, were most affected, the report showed.
More than 3,000 Australians aged 45 to 74 years were surveyed for the report which found 28% were carers for an average of 33.5 hours a week and 14% for someone with a longterm illness or disability.
And although their unpaid work helped towards Australia’s growing need for aged care, the carers themselves needed help, National Seniors chief executive, Michael O’Neill, said.
“Older people have enough problems overcoming entrenched prejudices without also having to juggle inflexible working hours in the workplace and unassisted caring duties at home,” he said.
“It’s time governments and employer groups stepped up to give carers the right to flexible hours and to help in caring for loved ones, particularly those who might otherwise be in aged care homes.
“If more carers could find paid employment, Australia would be a richer place in more ways than one.”
The report’s projections showed the impact of introducing greater workplace flexibility for people with an illness or caregiving responsibility results in an additional 450,000 workers, or12.5 million hours worked each week in 20 years’ time.
