What is caregiving? Why does it matter today and in the future? - Mr Mikolaj Zarzycki and Professor Rosanna Cousins

Wednesday, 1 February 2023 , 1.00pm
Eden 130

Speakers: Mr Mikolaj Zarzycki, Professional Tutor in Psychology and Professor Rosanna Cousins, Assistant Head & Professor of Occupational Health Psychology

Advances in public health interventions, medicine, economic and social developments have led a dramatic increase in life expectancy in most countries in the past 200 years. The 3-fold increase in longevity is continuing, but for many, not all those extra years are healthy ones. The decrease in mortality is not mirrored in a decrease in chronic impairments. In fact, these are increasing dramatically in the ageing UK population. People with functional disabilities need support. This is largely provided by Informal Caregivers. Who are informal caregivers? Why are they both ‘invisible heroes’ and ‘hidden patients’ in our modern societies? Why does their work matter to all of us?

In this presentation, we look at the contribution of informal caregivers to society and discuss some outcomes of caregiving, for example their distress, and the role of motivations and willingness for caring play in understanding the nature of caregiver experiences. We pose the question: how can we deal with the ‘Care Gap’ and make caregiving sustainable today and for the future generations?

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