Brotherhood Comment April 2007
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ISSN 320 8632A regul Ar upd Ate from Soci Al Action And r e Se ArchApril 2007What does the Brotherhood have to do with climate change? Policy goals are commonly viewed the hardest hit, resulting in both Costs of policy changein triple-bottom-line terms, diminished personal well-being Policy responses to climate encompassing desired economic, and a reduced ability to comply change will also involve costs, environmental and social outcomes. with policies aimed at reducing with low-income households less It is rare for people to work greenhouse gas emissions. able to respond. Stern (2006) together to achieve all three of these recommends the introduction of often competing goals, but this is The 2005 cyclone in New Orleans carbon pricing. If action is taken happening with the profoundly demonstrated the disproportionate now, the social cost of carbon important issue of climate change. impact of extreme weather patterns pricing will be about $40 per tonne; There is growing awareness that on poor people. Certain sectors in failure to act will raise the future significant changes in climate Australia will be hit the hardest cost to about $110 per tonne. are occurring due to increasing by climate change. For example, human-generated greenhouse changes in arable land locations The technology to reduce emissions gas emissions. Concentration of due to changes in rainfall, storm from coal-fired electricity greenhouse gases in the atmosphere patterns and ...

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A r e gul A r u p d Ate f rom Soci A l Ac t ion A nd r e S e A rch
What does the Brotherhood have to do with climate change? Policy goals are commonly viewed the hardest hit, resulting in both Costs of policy change in triple-bottom-line terms, diminished personal well-being Policy responses to climate encompassing desired economic, and a reduced ability to comply change will also involve costs, environmental and social outcomes. with policies aimed at reducing with low-income households less It is rare for people to work greenhouse gas emissions. able to respond. Stern (2006) together to achieve all three of these recommends the introduction of often competing goals, but this is The 2005 cyclone in New Orleans carbon pricing. If action is taken happening with the profoundly demonstrated the disproportionate now, the social cost of carbon important issue of climate change. impact of extreme weather patterns pricing will be about $40 per tonne; There is growing awareness that on poor people. Certain sectors in failure to act will raise the future significant changes in climate Australia will be hit the hardest cost to about $110 per tonne. are occurring due to increasing by climate change. For example, human-generated greenhouse changes in arable land locations The technology to reduce emissions gas emissions. Concentration of due to changes in rainfall, storm from coal-fired electricity greenhouse gases in the atmosphere patterns and temperatures are likely production is likely to make leads to rising temperatures to lead to displacement of farmers. electricity more expensive. People and more extreme, unstable Loss of culturally significant on lower incomes already pay a weather behaviour. Such changes ecosystems such as the Kakadu higher proportion of their income have significant environmental, coastal wetlands will lead to loss on domestic energy: among the economic and social implications. of income potential for Indigenous lowest quintile 4 per cent of their Australians. Indigenous people expenditure goes on domestic Members of the environment may also experience health-related fuel and power, compared with movement, and increasingly the impacts such as an increase in only 2. 1 per cent among the welfare sector, are beginning diseases, particularly malaria highest quintile (ABS 2006). to understand the profound and dengue fever. Low-income Increased energy costs will also be implications of climate change households will be faced with higher reflected in increased prices of all and the need to advocate policy insurance bills due to increased costs consumer goods, including food. solutions. To facilitate this, of storm and bushfire damage and the Brotherhood has formed a will be less able to afford measures The average metropolitan household partnership with the National to address climate extremes. spends about $150 per week on Welfare Rights Network and two leading conservation organisations, The Climate Institute and the Australian Conservation Foundation, as the first step in a process which will also engage business and government. Climate change and inequality Inequality is an issue of increasing concern in Australia, as seen in the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Without corrective action, both climate change itself and policies to respond to climate change will intensify this trend. People with the least capabilities to respond will be
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ISSN 1320 8632 April 2007
Contents Life chances for 15 year olds: parents’ employment and influences on school engagement 4–5 Under pressure: older people and their carers 6–7 A new deal for young people? Lessons from the UK about youth employment 8 Good social policy can be good for business 9 Gaps in affluence: exploring social exclusion of children in Boroondara 10 Engaging with the early years: multiple interventions make a difference 11 Behind the fashion label: corporate social responsibility in the garment sector 12 Rotary engagement: four examples of local collaborative action 13 Implications of welfare changes for single parent families in transition to paid work 14
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transport. With carbon pricing at $40 per tonne, the direct cost of petrol will go up by about 11 cents a litre, adding $8 to $10 a week to the weekly household petrol bill, on top of price rises due to inflation and other factors. Protecting vulnerable groups The Brotherhood and its partners suggest that careful planning can facilitate solutions to enable low-income people to both respond to climate change and avoid further disadvantage. Solutions may also lie in urban planning initiatives that place low-cost housing nearer to transport, while increasing the availability and quality of public transport services. The Brotherhood argues that the emission trading scheme proposed by the state government (National Emissions Trading Taskforce 2006) and the proposed auctioning of some emissions permits would raise revenue which should be used to increase equity in responses to climate change. A careful strategy to move people from industries such as coal-fired electricity generation to areas such as sustainable forestry and new energy technologies is needed. Introducing new technologies to address climate change will offer skills training and new work opportunities. Immediate strategies of sufficient size are needed now to avoid social and economic calamities. The Brotherhood and partners have sought information and advice from leading experts on the impact of climate change on disadvantaged
people and potential solutions. Reports have been commissioned from Gill Owen, an advisor to the UK government and from Australian specialists, Alan Tate and Justin Sherrard. Mike Hill has been advising the partnership and Peter Brain from the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research has been engaged to undertake economic modelling work on the impacts of higher energy prices on various Australian households. These papers and other work presented at a roundtable of experts in Melbourne on March 26, will inform future policy work and advocacy direction for the BSL. Janet Stanley (03) 9483 1385 jstanley@bsl.org.au References Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2006, Household Expenditure Survey 2003– 04 (reissue): summary of results , Cat. no. 6530.0, ABS, Canberra. National Emissions Trading Taskforce 2006, Possible design for a National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme , discussion paper, August, viewed 20 March 2007, <http://www.emissionstrading.org.au/ data/assets/pdf file/2017/ __ _ Discussion_Paper - Full_document.pdf>. _ _ Stern, N 2006, Stern Review: the economics of climate change , HM Treasury, UK, viewed 23 March 2007, <http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ independent reviews/stern review _ _ _ economics climate change/stern review _ _ _ _ report.cfm>.
Brotherhood Comment is published three times a year by the Social Action and Research Division of the Brotherhood of St Laurence. The Brotherhood of St Laurence works for the well-being of Australians on low incomes to improve their economic, social and personal circumstances. It does this by providing a wide range of services and activities for families, the unemployed and the aged. It also researches the causes of poverty, undertakes community education and lobbies government for a better deal for people on low incomes.
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Recent submissions Submissions or statements made by the Brotherhood of St Laurence in the last year include: • Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry into Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Welfare to Work and other measures) Bill 2005 and Family and Community Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare to Work) Bill 2005, by BSL and Anglicare Australia, November 2005 • Proposed amendments to the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Bill 2005, prepared by BSL and Anglicare Australia, November 2005 • Submission on corporate social responsibility to the Australian Government Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee, February 2006 • Health promotion priorities for Victoria: Brotherhood of St Laurence’s response to the consultation questions, April 2006 • Ecumenical Migration Centre Brotherhood of St Laurence submission to the DIMA Bridging Visa Review, May 2006 • Submission to the Australian Fair Pay Commission (to inform its first minimum wage determination), July 2006 • BSL response to Global Reporting Initiative request for public comment on the Draft Apparel and Footwear Supplement [to the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines], August 2006 • Contribution to Anglicare Australia’s submission to the Department of Health and Ageing’s Review of Subsidies and Services in Australian Government Funded Community Care Programs, January 2007 • Response to Review of the ASX Principles of Good Corporate Governance and Good Practice Recommendations, February 2007 • Submission on the Education and Training Act 2006 proposed regulations, March 2007
Published in April 2007 by Brotherhood of St Laurence 67 Brunswick Street Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065 Australia ABN 24 603 467 024 Telephone: (03) 9483 1183 Facsimile: (03) 9417 2691 E-mail: publications@bsl.org.au
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From the General Manager, Social Action and Research
Responding to Sir Tony Atkinson’s address to the February 2007 ‘From Welfare to Social Investment’ conference at the Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne, Deborah Mitchell of the Australian National University noted a new opening for constructive social policy development in Australia. Brian Howe’s new book, Weighing up Australian values (2007), presenting insights from a research project supported by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, epitomises the kind of research and policy development we sorely need if we are to occupy this space in ways which will lead to the eradication of poverty in Australia. Getting the right research happening will mean much greater involvement of our academic research communities with the social welfare sector. On 9 March Social Action and Research held its first ‘Roundtable of Advice’ involving members of our key partner organisations. This was an important landmark. The roundtable participants indicated that universities should be escalating their efforts to be more engaged with social issues. They thought the Brotherhood’s research partnership positions were exemplary in this regard, but expressed concern that new Research Quality Frameworks within universities might divert researchers from the emerging social agenda. This issue of Brotherhood Comment highlights the sorts of research which are needed. The Brotherhood’s involvement in researching equity issues related to climate change, outlined in Janet Stanley’s front page article, reflects our concern about the impact of both global trends and policy responses on the most disadvantaged Australians.
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New approach to welfare Two articles concern the need for a new approach to welfare reform. The first, by Kay Cook, outlines a project supported by the Australian Research Council which will look at the impacts of welfare reform on sole parents. Using a social inclusion framework, it will assess not just the employment and economic consequences but also the social and health impacts. Eve Bodsworth will take up a BSL-sponsored PhD scholarship to join the project. The second, by Verity Archer, takes up the campaign announced by Tony Nicholson at our 2006 AGM to rewrite the rights and responsibilities of unemployed youth. Archer explores British and European alternatives to the work-first model currently operating in Australia. Two further articles address the dependence of people’s well-being on a strong economy. Underinvestment in education and skills threatens to subvert efforts to deliver good living standards for all. Paul Smyth explains how good social policy can be good for business, while Emer Diviney looks at what happens to industries when poor working conditions prevail, skills are lost and innovation declines. Key transitions The BSL has a distinguished tradition of qualitative research and Janet Taylor reports on the latest iteration of the ‘Life Chances’ project. The focus of the project is now the latter school years and the findings deepen our insights into how parental employment and unemployment can impact children as well as the influence of poverty on young people’s engagement with school. Janet Williams-Smith reports on BSL service experience of
working effectively with families and young children by building trust and creating attachment. With the ageing society, issues of retirement and ageing are set to become a major research and policy focus. Associate Professor Gerry Naughtin (in partnership with La Trobe University) , who took up his position at the BSL in February, has begun mapping an agenda and will be engaging with various stakeholders. Victoria Johnson and Lucy Nelms report on the experience of older people and their carers in taking up community care services. Making these services effective will be vital in an aged care future increasingly characterised by care in the home. Strengthening communities The Partnerships Advancing Community Engagement (PACE) project is beginning to flower. Lois Bedson offers a vivid picture of the work of four Rotary clubs which are working with the BSL and with the Department of Victorian Communities to explore the synergies and added value which might arise through collaboration. Though small in scale, the project is indicative of innovative research and practice across the BSL—involving especially employment and child and family services as well as aged care—which are exploring ways of reengaging communities that were squeezed out of services through the ‘new public management’ practices of the 1990s (see Gallop 2007). Paul Smyth (03) 9483 1177 psmyth@bsl.org.au Reference Gallop, G 2007, ‘Strategic planning: is it the new model?’, Public Administration Today , January–March, pp.28–33. Howe, B 2007, Weighing up Australian values: balancing transitions and risks to work and family in modern Australia , UNSW Press, Sydney.
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Life chances for 15 year olds Parents’ employment and influences on school engagement As part of the Brotherhood’s that for 15 year olds from low- hours or good shifts so they were focus on life course transitions, income families their parents’ at home when their children were: we have recently interviewed a employment was a mixed blessing. group of 15 year olds about their [Referring to her father, a school to work transition. While We interviewed 41 families of the sole parent] I like the way he’s working now, because he’s not  the main focus was on their 142 in the stuadnyd,  e3i3 hotnwpheros ihstaently doing night shift. He’s doing  school engagement, the students’ low incomes g d day shift. So he’s at work when rienstp otnhse eis mppraocvti doef dt huesierf upla irnesnitgsh ts remained on high incomes. I’m at school and he gets home a o couple of hours after I get home. employment on family life. We asked the young people how their parents’ working (or not Cos I’m at school when she This qualitative perspective working) affected them. The works, so it’s great. I come complements the forthcoming SPRC 15 year olds generally appreciated home and she’s home, so it’s like study of employment of parents the income from their parents’ she didn’t even go to work. of adolescents using HILDA and employment and saw 9-to-5 work ABS data (Craig 2006). Balancing as positive. However, they were The 15 year olds who said their work and family responsibilities concerned about shift work and parents’ working situation did has recently also received attention parents’ fatigue, and the curtailing affect them spoke of money (or lack from the Human Rights and Equal of family activities. The effect of of it), or not seeing their parents Opportunity Commission (2007) some parents’ work was that the due to long or awkward hours of and in The Age (Farouque 2007), young did not want similar jobs. For work limiting family interaction. citing data from Michael Bittman some this reinforced engagement Being able to have dinner together about the wide variation in time with school to get further education was important. They particularly which parents spend with children. and a ‘good job’, for others mentioned being unable to see the outcome was less clear. their father and eight thought their What does their parents’ father was working too much, employment mean to 15 year olds? The low-income families for example six days a week. Parental employment is often Thirteen fathers and nine mothers seen as the key to raising families in the 33 low-income families were Two girls in sole parent out of poverty, and also by some in paid employment. About half of families commented about commentators as a good ‘model’ for the 15 year olds felt their parents’ their mothers’ work: children to avoid intergenerational work situation had little or no effect unemployment. However the on them. As some explained, their Well she’s not here very often, Brotherhood’s longitudinal Life parents were working reasonable but she’s here to cook tea … Chances Study (stage 7) found the only days she has off is Sundays and Tuesdays, and Tuesdays I’m at school. She works part-time. I think for her it is quite difficult because she has to find a job that suits our school time and that she can pick us up and take us to school. For me, it doesn’t really affect me but the fact that she doesn’t earn a lot, that part has to do with me as well. (Do you feel that there isn’t much money coming into the family?) Yeah. It limits what you can do and can’t. The high-income families All fathers and mothers in the eight high-income families were in paid employment. Like their low-income peers, some high-income 15 year olds felt their parents’ work
Parental employment: a mixed blessing In one long-term low-income he’ll sleep all night and he won’t see family, the mother had at last found her either. It’s just their hours collide a job, working 3 pm to 1 am at a together and they never see each supermarket. Both parents now had other and then Mum, we don’t see her full-time shift work, so money was usually because she gets home around less of a problem, but parents and 2 o’clock [at night], and she’ll want to the children saw little of each other, sleep cos we get up early for school as the 15-year-old girl commented: … and then she’s gone by the time e e Mum works stupid hours, so has Dad dwongt ts ebea cmk ufrcoh mo f sacnhyooonl e e xScoe pwt fe or  lately, but that’s all it really is, just dumb weekends, but sometimes the hours. Mum and Dad never see each weekends. So we just have to ydow oorukr  other, cos usually Mum works night own thin r Mum’s the worst, shift and if Mum works night shift t gete almlyu ch  time with Mum cos Dads either working night shift as well, swhee  dwoonrksg like those shifts every day. or if he’s working day shift and then
   
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The effect of some parents’ work was that the young did not want similar jobs.
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had little or no effect on them, How engaged were they with while others noted various effects. school? In brief, the 15 year olds, as a group, were less engaged with They were more likely to say their school than when they were aged 11 mothers’ work affected them than and 12; and those from low-income their fathers’ work, generally seeing families were less engaged than less of their mothers than they those from high-income families. would like and feeling that their Two young people, a boy and a mothers worked too hard. Some girl from low-income families, just accepted that fathers worked had already left school: neither long hours (‘It’s just usual I think’), was in full-time work or study. for others the fathers were more available. Comments included: However, in contrast to a common view that low socioeconomic She still works a lot. There’s big status young people and their periods where I don’t see her … parents do not value education,  So on Saturdays which I spend ear olds  here she’s usually gone before I awlel  tihntee lroviwe-iwnecdo smaei d1 s5c hyool was  get up and she won’t be home important and that their parents until about three … I wish I could thought the sa and many aspired spend more time with her, but she me; works. (Son of separated parents) to university education. Future stages of the study will document School engagement how their aspirations are met. Life Chances Stage 7 explored Impli tions engagement with school at age 15, ca the end of compulsory schooling The relative lack of engagement in Victoria. Components of school of low-income young people at engagement include attendance, thhaes  emnadj oorf  icmopmlipcualtsioory  sfcohr ool involvement with extra-curricular ns activities and a sense of belonging.tehmeiprl ofuytmueren te pdruocsaptieoctns .a nWd hil e The ndings include the 15 year fsachmoiloyl  benacgkaggreomuenndt ,i ts hien ruencedh  by olds views on factors inuencing literature and this study ceosenarrcm their engagement, including school-based factors, ranging from that schools and education policy teachers to school costs; family makers can take steps to increase s the engagement of disadvantaged faancdt ofra,m iilnyc liundcionmg es; etphaeriar tfiroine nds; young people with school. and their own part-time jobs. The findings about this small The data included the self- group of 15 year olds remind us completion ‘About Myself’ survey of much wider policy concerns for the well-being of young people and and interviews with the young their families. These include the nd t arents. The low-people a he p need for adequate family incomes, ipnrcoopomret ifoanm oilfi esso lien cplaurdeendt  af ahmigilhi es, both adequate wages and adequate are cational income support payments, which qpualintcs awtiiotnh sf, enwo en-dEunglish speaking are under some threat from the and arents and recent industrial relations changes lar eu fnaemployed pand from the Welfare to Work gmiliescharacteriisntiactis onpolicies which reduce nancial  hwahviec hm, aedsep eitc idailfly ciun ltc otom ibncrease ,support to sole parents in need famil and those with disabilities. The  their y income over time. young people’s reservations about their parents’ work raise questions
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about the current policies which put considerable pressure on disadvantaged parents to take whatever work is offered. T N h o e t  e f ll ort School engagement In brief, the u rep 15 year olds, as a and life chances: 15 year olds group, were less in transition (Janet Taylor & engaged with Lucy Nelms) is available on the school than when Brotherhood’s website, or for they were aged 11 purchase from the Brotherhood’s and 12; and those bookshop ($12 plus p&p). from low-income families were less Janet Taylor engaged than (03) 9483 1376 those from high-jtaylor@bsl.org.au income families. References Craig, L 2006, ‘Work and family balance: the adolescent years’, Social Policy Research Centre Newsletter, no.94, pp.1–5. Farouque, F, ‘Time to place the family first’, The Age , 10 March, p.6. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) 2007, It’s about time: women,men, work and family: final paper , HREOC, Sydney 2007. Taylor, J & Nelms, L, 2006, School engagement and life chances: 15 year olds in transition , Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fitzroy, Vic.
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Under pressure Older people and their carers Successful negotiation of the recommending continued transition through retirement and residence in the community. ageing depends on the relationships between community, family Older people with complex or and personal factors and on the chronic needs (and in some cases their health and community services carer) were interviewed at three-provided to support older people monthly intervals, over 12 months. and their carers. Governments Forty-five participants remained increasingly emphasise policies in the study during this time. to keep older people in their own homes, and a report for the UK’s The study found significant stress Social Exclusion Unit identified the and burden experienced by carers. importance of meeting the needs This burden, caused by a complex of older people and their carers interrelationship of client, carer (Phillipson & Scharf 2004). and service factors, manifested itself in many ways. The study The Outcomes for Older also revealed that high carer People study, undertaken as burden can be a barrier to clients’ a partnership between the uptake of community services. Brotherhood of St Laurence and La Trobe University, Emotional burden examines older Victorians’ use Carer participants rated their of community services following burden on a five-point scale ranging an assessment from the Aged from ‘no strain’ to ‘great strain’. Care Assessment Service (ACAS) They rated five dimensions of
Frank and Evette Frank lives alone in his home attached to his daughter’s house next door. Frank stated that ‘for 95 I think I’m doing remarkably well’. His daughter Evette wants Frank to live at home as long as they are able to care for him properly there. However, coordinating and providing care for her father creates significant stress which she expressed as: Physical strain in getting everything that is expected of me in total—work, maintaining my own house, assisting Dad and having some social life. Evette was unhappy that she had had to take a day off work to arrange services for her father. She explained: I’ve got this much paperwork [ shows bag full of services information ]. It’s very hard to get the time to read them. After Evette instigated a reassessment, Frank recently started a Community Aged Care Package (CACP).
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Frank rated his mood as very good, stating ‘I’m always a happy person and ‘[I] never suffer from any sort of depression’. By contrast, Evette felt tired and stressed and her mood fluctuated due to her stress levels. Evette described conflict between herself and her father regarding levels of supports and his independence. She expressed concern that she ‘badger d’ him about things he e did that she perceived put him at risk, particularly in relation to his deteriorating short-term memory, mobility and strength. He has declined certain kinds of support, for example home modifications and strength training. Recently Evette has withdrawn support from her father, telling him that if he refuses to access outside supports that she believes are necessary, she will not assist by ‘bailing out’ as much. She explained: Concern for achieving the appropriate level of care puts strain on the relationship with Dad.
burden/strain: emotional, physical, financial, social and overall. Almost half the carers rated their emotional burden/strain high at the first and final data collection points. Carers expressed a range of feelings associated with carer burden, including guilt, anger, frustration, anxiety, grief and depression. Comments included: It would ease my guilt if one time I rang Mum and asked her what she’d done that day and she didn’t say ‘nothing’. I feel like screaming … sometimes you think this is only going to get worse and that gets you on a downer. Some daughter and son carers experienced an interactive effect between their parent’s mood and their own—for example, ‘My mood reflects Mum’s mood’. In some client–carer relationships (see Frank and Evette’s story), tension arose from negotiating appropriate levels of care and independence. Multiple caring roles Many daughter carers had multiple caring roles and were looking after unwell or disabled children or partners as well as caring for their parent and/or parent in-law. Some daughter carers expressed disappointment, for example they had just finished caring for their children and now were caring for parents rather than developing other interests or skills. One carer commented: I’d like to do some voluntary work—just to get your brain going. It gets stale, like being home with little babies. Other interests and roles Many carers recognised the importance of activities and time for themselves. However maintaining these was often difficult:
The study revealed that high carer burden can be a barrier to clients’ uptake of community services.
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I keep saying I want to go to a relaxation class or yoga class. I’m too exhausted to even look into it. It was common for carers to mention activities—for example, social and sporting activities, education courses—that they had given up because of the demands of their caring role. Social burden/strain was rated second highest in the carer burden scale. Almost one-third of carers gave it a high rating and several reported extreme social isolation and loneliness. Some carers had left their paid employment to care. This had other personal implications, for example loss of social contact and impact on retirement savings. Poor health Some carers had significant health issues which exacerbated the strain of caring or substantially reduced the assistance they could provide. One husband carer who was chronically ill and had been hospitalised during the study, also found it difficult to provide assistance when he was at home. He explained: If you can’t breathe you can’t do anything. It’s enough to make you depressed. Other carers also reported limitations caused by health problems including multiple sclerosis, heart disease and chronic back pain. Other impacts on the carer Although physical strain was rated lowest of the five carer-burden domains, exhaustion was common for carers who had interrupted sleep. One carer explained: ‘I’m very tired because it’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week’. Another
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commented: ‘I can hardly wait to lay down and die … to get some rest’. Some carers felt frustrated or unacknowledged for the care they provided when the person they cared for was unable to see their needs (for example for rest) or took their support for granted: Mum’s the type … she’s got two daughters and she wants us to look after her—it’s becoming very difficult for everyone, the family. Some people also felt that others in their lives, or service providers, did not understand their situation: People don’t understand what it’s like having someone completely dependent on you. Carer support While some carers mentioned receiving emotional support from family and friends and others from the older person’s case manager (where the person had an aged care package), use of carer support services other than respite decreased during the post-assessment period, from 16 per cent of carers at baseline to 7 per cent twelve months later. Some carers (many of whom did not know what support was available to them) reported that they had not used the carer support phone line and that carer support groups did not sound attractive. Some carers had developed their own coping strategies—for example, ‘I’m taking it day by day: if I think about 10 years hence, I get panicky’. One carer, who had lived overseas, appreciated the support available for carers: ‘I think we’re very fortunate to be living in Australia where a carer can be helped to do the caring’. In both interviews he reported low carer burden.
Impact of carer burden The study showed the impact of carer burden on clients: there was a statistically significant association between low carer burden and uptake of new community services following the assessment. Highly burdened carers were often left with few resources (such as energy or time) for seeking outside care. Many reported feeling unable to access or use service information or unable to plan care for their relative. Another carer felt that the work involved in service coordination was ‘too Many daughter much’ on top of the care she already cafatreerr su nwwereell  looro king provided. She explained: ‘It all disabled children got too much and I tuned out’. or partners as well as caring for Conclusion their parent and/or These findings suggest that further parent in-law. consideration should be given to providing practical and emotional support to carers, in ways that are more attractive to them. Possible models include support from a case manager or matched carer ‘buddies’. The full report from this study, Outcomes for older people with chronic and complex needs (Teshuva, Nelms, Johnson, Foreman & Stanley), will be available from the BSL website in May 2007. Victoria Johnson (03) 9483 1316 vjohnson@bsl.org.au Lucy Nelms (03) 9483 1176 lnelms@bsl.org.au Reference Phillipson, C & Scharf, T 2004, The impact of government policy on social exclusion among older people: A review of the literature for the Social Exclusion Unit in the Breaking the Cycle series , The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, London.
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