Sale family star in national campaign to highlight elderly care crisis

A Trafford family has starred in a national campaign to warn many about huge care bills that could hit families across the country.

Emma Stretton and Tracey Lewis take part in the #HaveTheTalk campaign © Taking Care

Tracey Lewis, 61 from Urmston featured alongside her daughter, Emma Stretton, 39 from Sale in the campaign to raise awareness of the current national elderly care crisis.

During the video campaign, from elderly care alarm manufacturers Taking Care, Tracey spoke with Emma about the challenges of growing older as well as her potential future care needs.

The campaign #HaveTheTalk hopes to inspire other families to have the same open and honest conversations so that families can prepare for the costs of care bills that may creep up in the future – with data revealing only 2 in 5 have spoken to elderly relatives about care.

Speaking on the future pressures around taking of care for her mum, Emma said:

"I don't really want to acknowledge that I am going to possibly have to take on that burden of [taking care of Tracey], so that does scare me a little bit. And I think I don't like thinking about the fact that I might have to factor that into my life one day. It's a massive thing to think about caring for somebody else, and what to do about their care, and what to do if you [Tracey] weren't able to make that decision yourself and I had to make that decision for you, and the financial implications... it's a huge thing to talk about."

Sobering data from the initiative also revealed that two-thirds of people believe the responsibility of caring for elderly relatives when they become frail is the 'daughter's job'.

Experts have dubbed the impact of giving up work to care for your elderly parents the 'daughterhood penalty', as many adults will miss out on things like pension payments and employment benefits that will have a significant long-term impact on their future finances. 

Tracey and Emma have taken part in the campaign to have 'the talk' about elderly care so that they're better prepared for the future. The pair hopes that their conversation will inspire others to do the same.

Lauren Frake, elderly care expert at TakingCare Personal Alarms, said: “Many women are forced to take time more time off away from their work to care for their elderly loved ones – and with many families not even having the talk about future care plans or needs, many women could face increased emotional and financial stress if they aren’t prepared.

“The introduction of the Carer’s Leave Act is a positive step in the right direction. This act will undoubtedly provide employees with the reassurance that they have the right to take time off from work to care for their elderly relatives.

“However, there is still a large gap to fill in providing support to those balancing full-time employment and family life with the responsibility of caring for elderly family members, with many of these carers being women.

“One of the main issues that the UK is currently facing is that elderly care is seen as a taboo topic to many households, with nine out of ten people saying they have not discussed future care plans with their parents, and 50 per cent of people aged 50+ saying they have not discussed what will happen when their parents become too frail to care for themselves.

“The findings of this survey are exactly why we launched our Have the Talk campaign – we want to get Britain talking more openly. Currently, there’s a real nervousness and reluctance to ask for help – especially as people get older. For many older people, it’s difficult to see roles being reversed when they have so often been the carer or even parental figure.

“Our campaign is about removing the stigma from these conversations and encouraging families to be open and honest with each other when it comes to planning for the future – the sooner, the better.”

Have you had 'the talk' with your parents? Find out more.