An unpaid carer for her disabled son has warned she will be living on £15 a month once her carer’s allowance stops when she claims her state pension in a month’s time.
Chantal Chaervey has called on the government to “open their eyes” and keep the carer’s benefit in place for the 1.2 million carers who continue their unpaid role long after they claim their pension.
Chaervey gave up work to care and now struggles financially due to low benefits for her and son Harry, who has learning disabilities and other complex conditions, including epilepsy and cerebral palsy.
After 22 years of caring, the 65-year-old’s own physical and mental health has deteriorated, and she struggles with a lack of care support.
The carer told Yahoo News that even if she had the time, she would be unable to take on any part-time work in case it stops her son’s entitlement to his essential disability benefits.
Her concerns follow a report released by Carers UK on Tuesday that found half of unpaid carers have spent more hours caring than the year before, with 49% cutting back on the essentials to get by.
The annual report found that more than a third of carers say their physical health has worsened, with a fifth experiencing an injury while caring.
‘I will have less than £15 a month to live off’
Chaervey, who will receive her state pension in November, said she “would be a liar if I said I wasn’t worried.”
“I’m about to become an official pensioner, which means that the usual benefits — like my carer’s allowance — will all stop and I’ll have to support him on the state pension of whatever I’m blessed to be given,” Chaervey, who lives in Suffolk, told Yahoo News.
“I’ve worked out that with my expected pension levels, I will have less than £15 a month to live off. I will be earning the grand amount of 13p an hour when I hit state pension,” Chaervey, who lives in Suffolk, told Yahoo News.
Chaervey, who no longer receives healthcare services for Harry now that he is over 18, only gets a couple of hours of support a week.
“Harry, like so many people with his conditions, had all his health care stopped and therapies at 18. The NHS has no framework whatsoever for supporting adults with cerebral palsy, it’s as if they think that these people are miraculously cured. It also means that his social links stopped, and he’s lost the use of his legs.
“I get a little bit of help for a few hours a week, especially overnight, because Harry’s at risk of SUDEP (a sudden, unexpected death of someone with epilepsy). He doesn’t rest properly and has violent sleep, which affects him throughout the day.
“I will have to use most of that to meet Harry’s additional costs. Harry has recurrent gut infections and needs a specialist diet. I’ve had to buy all sorts of new equipment to allow him to sleep downstairs now that he’s lost the use of his legs.
“I would traditionally use carer’s allowance to buy what he needs, but it’s not going to be possible because you can’t get carer’s allowance and go on a state pension.
“When I retire, the housing benefits, council tax reductions… all those things all stop. Because that’s down to local authority decision wherever you are, and that’s a postcode lottery. Here, if you’re on a state pension, you pay for everything,” she added.
‘I will have to cut back even further… but I don’t know how’
Even with her carer’s allowance in place, Chaervey is already struggling to get by.
“The costs are spiralling. I’ve got massive debts, which, for me, is most frustrating because prior to Harry arriving and being born with such a rare illness at the time, I’ve always worked all the hours God sends and I’ve made a good living,” she said.
“Now, I’ve got debt collectors knocking on my door because I have to go through unofficial lenders to pay for the stuff which I can’t normally afford.
“I bought a hoist for Harry, which cost me £840, which I paid for because the occupational therapists wouldn’t give me one, and I can’t lift a grown man all the time. Now, I’ve got to repay a total of nearly £3,000.
“I don’t think I’ve had three consecutive hours’ sleep in any one night for the last two weeks. I don’t know how much longer I can keep that going.
“My big fear is the financial constraints I’m now under and the impact it has on Harry’s health. He walks the fine line every day.
“It means that I have to cut back even further somehow, and I don’t know how,” she added.
The hidden toll
Helen Walker, chief executive at Carers UK, said “a worrying number of people” are taking on increasing hours of care each week, “at a significant cost to their health and finances”.
“For those whose employment is impacted, the consequences of limited earnings and pension contributions greatly reduce their prospects for financial independence in the future,” Walker said.
“Given the fact that very few people feel they have a choice about caring, we have both a moral and an economic obligation to support unpaid carers.
“Many are under considerable stress, living a life defined by their caring responsibilities. We need to start valuing their contributions because when they leave the workplace or experience burnout, this has wider consequences for workplaces and health services.”
Chaervey is urging the government to take action.
“It would be great if one day the government open their eyes and realise even if we could just get continuation of the carers allowance, that would go a long way,” she said.
“By providing adult social care, it gives us more energy to fight for better support for carers, instead of us being in a state of dire poverty.
“I love what I do, but the hardships and the effect on my own health are profound. I would challenge any MP to try it for themselves.”
The government said: “We understand the huge difference carers make, as well as the struggles they may face.
“That’s why carers on pension credit can receive an extra £46.40 a week to help with living costs, and we are supporting millions of pensioners who will see their yearly state pension rise by £1,900 this parliament.
“We have also delivered the biggest ever cash increase in the earnings threshold for Carer’s Allowance – benefitting 60,000 carers by the end of this parliament.”
An East Suffolk Council spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on an individual’s circumstances, however we would encourage Ms Chaervey to make a referral to us through our Community Help Hub and our team will be able to determine what support is available to her. Referrals can be made online at: or by calling our Customer Services Team on 0333 016 2000.”