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Carers

The Carers Active project from Carers UK has been set up to make physical activity achievable, accessible, and affordable for unpaid carers. A key part of the project is the Carers Active Hub and the Carers Active Facebook group, which are designed to help carers of all ages be more active and overcome some of the barriers to moving more. Find out full details about the Carers Active project and the Hub below.

The importance and positive impact of physical activity on carers’ health was highlighted again recently following the release of Carers UK’s Caring and Physical Activity report. It found that the impact of the increased amount of caring and the stress and anxiety of the pandemic has taken a clear toll on carers.

Now more than ever, finding ways to improve health and wellbeing is crucial. Around three quarters of carers do not feel that they are able to do as much physical exercise as they’d like to do and wanted to know how to build this into their busy lives.

We also know that:

  • 67% of carers said doing a range of physical activities helped them to feel more connected to other people.
  • 58% of carers said being active helped them to learn more about the importance of looking after their health.
  • Carers were more likely to categorise themselves as rarely or never lonely after finding an opportunity to exercise regularly.
  • Carers who take part in some form of physical activity say that their mental wellbeing improves as a result.  

Based on these findings, the Carers Active project has been set up to make physical activity achievable, accessible, and affordable for unpaid carers. A key part of the project is the Carers Active Hub and the Carers Active Facebook group, which are designed to help carers of all ages be more active and overcome some of the barriers to moving more. The Hub contains a range of advice and information about the options available for building more physical activity into life around a caring role.

The Hub includes the following:

  • Health information – key recommendations and how to get started
  • Activity ideas and sessions - inspiration and links to resources to help you find something you enjoy
  • Carers’ stories – carers share their experiences of getting active while caring
  • Expert advice – insight from health and social care professionals

You can access the Hub here.

You can join the Carers Active Facebook community here.