Readers on the stress and exhaustion of caring for loved ones, which is exacerbated by the parlous state of Britain’s social care system
I am one of the unpaid carers you refer to in your editorial (The Guardian view on the future of social care: a chance for Labour, 8 June). My 62-year-old husband, who has early-onset dementia, was diagnosed when he was 58. He hasn’t worked since he was 56, and I was forced to retire a year ago. Thinking about how we will pay for his future care keeps me awake at night. My husband had stage 4 cancer at 49, but I recall that I was relieved not to have to worry about money, as we were protected by sick pay.
Because my husband has dementia, the care he needs is deemed to be social, not medical, and so I am looking at crippling care fees, with him in a home or with a patchwork of carers at our home. I have no idea how we will fund this; it will drain our savings. I want my husband to have the dignity and care he deserves, but how long will I be able to provide it without having to sell our home? This is so unfair and exacerbates an already nightmarish situation.
Caroline Nolan
Stamford, Lincolnshire
