A new report shows that 7.6 Million of us are caring for a family member. Is that simply society working as it should… or is it holding back some people’s careers… and even their lives?

Looking back, one of my most my most fascinating interviewees was Ann Widdecombe. Yes, she is as formidable as she appears on the screen. When we got onto the subject of social care (in the news even then) she was in no doubt that it was a family’s duty to care for relations – not the State’s. But what about working women? “They should do what I do,” she replied, “and combine working with care,” (she had an elderly mother) “or give up work.”

I was reminded of this by the latest stats of just how many of us now care for elderly relatives, a partner or a sick or disabled child: 7.6 million, a leap of one million in a decade, providing 149m hours a week of “informal” care.

The steep rise is hardly surprising: the population is ageing while fewer older people are actually receiving formal care from cash-strapped local authorities.

Hence the growing burden on informal carers; and while most of us able to provide the care are happy to do so, it can put huge pressures on those who need to earn a living as well – either reducing the hours they can work or putting a strain on their health and relationships.

It’s worth remembering that if you provide sufficient hours of care (a minimum of 35) you could qualify for carer’s allowance – albeit a paltry £62.70 per week. However, the person being cared for should also consider applying for Attendance Allowance (£57.30 or £85.60). Every little helps!

But for many in this situation, it’s not about the money – it’s about the strain that long hours of care can place upon them, often with respite. After all, many carers are themselves elderly or in poor health.

The bigger discussion society needs to hold is whether it would be worth investing in more support for carers because their responsibilities jeopardise their wellbeing and prevent them from earning a living and so contributing to the nation’s GDP.

In addition, a disproportionate number of carers are women – and time away from work runs the risk of falling behind on their pension contributions.

In an ideal world, employers would also help staff combine care responsibilities with working – just as many already do for working mums.

Your views?

Remember: if you are contemplating taking a career break to be a carer, you can find out the impact this will have on your ling term finances using the RetireEasy LifePlan.