A YORKSHIRE woman has revealed how she ended up making a 400-mile round-trip to care for her beloved mum – despite having never expected to become a carer. Christine Bell, from Leeds , has revealed the physical and emotional “strain” caring for mum Beryl took on her, amid calls to do more for the four million Brits who find themselves caring for elderly relatives. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Yorkshire Evening Post, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
Dubbed ‘carents’, they are the largest carer cohort in the UK and are often middle-aged children who either have to juggle caring with their careers – or give them up completely. And the number of carents is forecast to soar in the coming years due to the UK’s rapidly aging society. For Christine, the role was sprung on her after Beryl fell down the stairs at home two-and-a-half years ago, she unexpectedly found herself routinely making a 400-mile round trip from her West Yorkshire home to take on caring duties.
“If you’d said to me five years ago that I’d have been a carer, I’d have said no,” admits Christine, who was among the 50 per cent of British adults who believe they’ll never need to care for someone. Advertisement Advertisement Yet many millions of future carents are potentially sleepwalking into the role due to common misconceptions about who is.
