NEARLY three-quarters of unpaid carers in London say they are reaching “breaking point” due to the pressures of their role.

MHAIRI MACFARLANE spoke to a Walthamstow mum who has been stretched to the limit for 28 years caring for her autistic daughter.

Karen McManus has a severe form of autism which makes it difficult for her to communicate with people and prone to violent outbursts when anything upsets her or disrupts her routine.

Her 54-year-old mum, Pat, of Ritchings Avenue, Walthamstow, gave up her well-paid job in publishing to care for her daughter full time - a demanding job which she says requires her to be more than just a mum.

She said: “Karen cannot communicate at all or tell me what she wants. I have to wash her and look after her day to day needs, feeding her and being prepared for the fact it might be thrown away if she doesn’t like it. And be a DIY nurse.

“It is a stressful job. I have felt suicidal at times. But I had to change my attitude and get on with it because you have no time to be stressed.”

Mrs McManus, whose husband Peter, 58, is an electrical engineer, said that Karen is prone to biting people when she get stressed and tried to attack a woman when they were on holiday in Tenerife last year.

She said she would not want anyone else caring for Karen, but she would like more respite and more financial support from the Government.

Mrs McManus said it has been a struggle financially since she gave up working to care because she receives just £53.95 a week in carers’ allowance.

She said: “It is a struggle financially, and I am always battling for more respite. I get 22 weekends a year when social services look after her and on those weekends I rest, then she comes back and it starts all over again.

“I also get two weeks a year, but I am not allowed to leave the country so I can’t go on holiday without taking her.”

But she said she said the job does have its rewards.

She said: “The rewarding part of it is that I have my daughter. I have my health and so I will look after her as long as I live.”

A report released this week during National Carers’ Week (8-14 June) by Counsel and Care, a charity working with older people and their families and carers to get the best care and support, reveals 72 per cent of unpaid carers in London have reached breaking point due to the pressures of their caring role.

The most common cause of carers reaching breaking point, cited by nearly half of respondents, is “frustration with bureaucracy”, often caused by complex procedures for welfare benefits, healthcare and social services.

When asked what factors helped them when at breaking point, most carers said the “chance to take a break” and “practical support”. More than a third of carers said that more money would also make a difference.

Sir Geoff Hurst, England footballer and World Cup hero, has cared for his wife and is lending his support to Carers Week.

He said: "Those who care for family and friends mostly do so under the radar, without pay or acknowledgement, and deserve to be recognised for their dedication to the people they care for, not just during Carers Week but for all the weeks of the year.

“Carers face physical and mental challenges every day and should be more visibly supported and appreciated for the generous and loving hard work that they do."

Carers Week is a partnership of 10 national charities that campaigns for greater recognition and support for the UK’s six million carers, and celebrates the contribution they make to society, which saves the economy £87 billion a year.