Two in three 55-year-olds acting as carers

Middle-aged adults are cracking under the strain of balancing caring for their parents and children with full time employment, new research has shown.

Two-thirds of British adults in their mid-fifties are caring for elderly parents or in-laws, children under 18, or grandchildren according to a survey by the Institute of Education.

Almost half of all 55-year-olds now provide regular support for a parent or in-law, many of them juggling their caring responsibilities with tending for their own children.

While most tend to their parents for only a few hours a week, 12 per cent could be putting their own health at risk by caring for more than ten hours a week.

Typically, it is women who take on a disproportionate share of the caring responsibilities, with just over one in five spending more than 10 hours a week caring for others - not including time taken up by looking after children living at home - compared to 14 per cent of men.

Of those who care for elderly relatives 45 per cent give lifts and 38 per cent do the shopping and cooking or providing meals.

However, 15 per cent have more demanding tasks of helping parents with washing, ironing or cleaning and 7 per cent provided help with basic personal needs.

Many of these adults are looking after younger generations too, with almost half of the 9,100 people surveyed having at least one child living at home and almost four in 10 living with a grandchild.

Nearly six in ten grandparents reported they looked after their grandchildren at least once a month, providing an average of 8 hours' care a week.

These figures come from The National Child Development Study, which follows more than 17,000 people born in England, Scotland and Wales in a single week in March 1958.

The researchers said struggling to combine caring and employment could damage the mental and physical health of those in their mid-fifties.

They said: "Caring responsibilities can have a significant impact on people's lives. They can, of course, be fulfilling. But our research shows that spending more than 10 hours a week caring for parents or grandchildren is associated with poorer health and self-rated quality of life."

While 10 years ago adults could look forward to retirement at 60, the new retirement age means many will have to continue struggling with caring and work until well into their seventh decade.

Professor Alissa Goodman, who directs the National Child Development Survey said it was essential more research is carried out on what the effects of this double burden will be.

"Future research could look at how men and women in this generation will be affected by the rise in state pension age," she said.

"How will staying in work for longer affect their caring roles and impact upon their health? It will also be important to understand how caring responsibilities change as people get older, as many may provide or receive care from their partners in future years."

However she urged bosses to take swift action to help their struggling employees by offering flexible employment for older workers.

"Given the increased pressures on people in their fifties, employers will need to be encouraged to adopt 'family friendly' working policies towards older employees," she said.

"This would make it easier for them to maintain working lives while also helping their own parents or grandchildren.

"Strong support for the mental health of people in their fifties is particularly important for those with multiple caring demands."

UPDATE: This article originally stated that 12 per cent of carers devote more than 10 hours a day to caring for elderly parents or in-laws. This should have read 10 hours a week. We are happy to make this clear.