UK: Hidden male carers find it harder to reach out

Link here. Excerpt:

'Given conventional ideas of male roles, we often tend to imagine carers as being women. But more men take on this “unpaid work” than you might think, and particularly in older groups. Research we’ve carried out shows just how difficult some find it.

Around 6m men and women in England and Wales provide care for ill or disabled relatives according to 2013 figures from the Office for National Statistics. Men play a significant part in this. While more women than men under 65 are carers, men aged in the 50-64 age group provide a higher percentage of unpaid care than women aged 25-49. Among the over 65s, more men provide care (15%) than women (13%).

But because older men often believe it is their role to look after their families and cope with changing circumstances, older men who care for spouses, partners or family can become isolated and unwilling to ask for help, or even ignored by GPs who focus on the person needing care.'