If you create a mental picture of a Student, it may be of a vibrant young person, sometimes anxious, sometimes challenging, progressing down that path from home and family to independence, away from home. Chances are, you may also think that despite the many pressures, they’ll probably be having a great time.
Now picture a carer; someone who has chosen or accepted the role of caring for another, usually a relative. You may picture someone in mid-life, caring for a parent with a health condition or Alzheimer’s Disease. Or perhaps a parent, caring for a child with complex heath needs or a disability.
But the chances are, you would never have considered how many students are also Carers, and even if you are a student yourself, you may not know who they are.
Research from the Carers Trust suggests that 376,000 young people aged 16–24 years, in the UK, are carers. Whilst that is not as many as there are older adults carers, this is likely to be near 15% of the university student population. Not a small number of young people.
This figure isn’t perhaps so surprising if you know that in some universities, over 50% of students live at home, and that there will be many reasons for that. And it is recognised that universities need to do more to recognise the needs of such ‘commuter students’. But some of the adjustments that can be made, like a residential event at the start of the academic year, may still be inaccessible for student carers.
The fact that Student Carers continue to support others whilst trying to further their education might be reason enough to offer them additional supports, including financial support. Yet according the to Carers Trust research, 42% of student carers are in paid employment, even when offering the highest level of care. It is perhaps no surprise that there is a personal cost to such hard work, and 49% of student carers describe having mental health problems, and only 60% felt they had good physical health, and at the time when your physical health is usually at its peak.
Although many student carers do inform their universities of their situation, 45% said there was no one who recognised them as a carer and helped them. Outside of the university, support was also lacking with only 4.6% obtaining a carers allowance. Many did receive a bursary to support their education, but overall there is a sense that this is an invisible group; perhaps we find it too distressing to actually acknowledge the reality of their lives.
But it is not all bad news. Although the struggles of completing work and financial worries affect many 79% of student carers enjoyed university. And if they were able to access a Young Adult Carers Service, almost all (95%) felt that their confidence had improved as a result and that they had more friends (87%). This last statistic is key; feeling alone and different can be challenged when you can meet ‘people like me’, and this is where we can do something for student carers, and now.
At TalkLife, where young people have gathered to create a global online community of support, we are learning that when it comes to support, culture matters. But there are many aspects to culture, many diverse lived-experiences, of family, race, gender, perhaps religion. The list is long. But in a global community, is easier to find those who just know what your life is like. And the great thing is, you can do that from home, from a phone, when your other commitments keep you there. Student carers will never be alone and different on TalkLife
TalkLife has even brought in a great new challenge to improve your self-care; ‘Take a Break’ locks you out of the App for 8 hours, so you can make time to get that assignment finished, or just get some sleep. We know TalkLife is great, but student carers need help switching off, help to take a break and get stuff done.
The envious eyes of older adults have never made it easy for the generation that has promise and potential ahead of it. Too often they sneer at the distress their policies create. We cannot change all of that at TalkLife, but we can help lessen the feeling you are the only one it is happening to.
And we salute young carers in Carers Week, for keeping your values, and your future in sight.
If it’s Carers Week, let’s not forget Student Carers was originally published in TalkLife Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
